Beyond Kafala and Exclusion: A seminar by a former AUK student on migration
Non-citizens born and raised in Kuwait fall under mercy of kafala system: Sadliwala
KUWAIT: A seminar titled ‘Beyond Kafala and Exclusion: A Network Approach to Cross-Nationality Interactions in the Arabian Gulf’ was held at the American University of Kuwait’s Center for Gulf Studies on Tuesday. It was presented by Batul K Sadliwala, who graduated from AUK with a BA in International Relations and has worked with NGOs in Kuwait and Lebanon.
Sadliwala challenged the conventional narrative and popular discourse about migration experiences in the Arabian Gulf, arguing they are all connected to socioeconomic development. She began her presentation by looking at the demographic imbalance between locals and migrant workers - or citizens against non-citizens, who are considered as migrants even as they were born and raised in the country.
“The fact is there are more than 150,000 students in the country who are non-citizens - they are nonKuwaitis, but 17 percent of them are actually born and raised in Kuwait. Now, take a look at the kafala system this system is so deeply rooted that to some it has become a way of life. The integration or reintegration of non-citizens has not even come up for discussion,” said Sadliwala, who holds a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
She said the kafala system was introduced only for temporary workers. Even though many have stayed in the country for more than 10 years, they are still being treated under the kafala system. “Many of these migrant workers have lived and outlived many of us here - they made this country their home, therefore they are not supposed to be staying under the mercy of the kafala system,” Sadliwala said.
The kafala or sponsorship system is a system used to monitor migrant laborers, working primarily in the construction and domestic sectors. The system is in force in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Some of these countries however have already restructured the system, such are Bahrain and Qatar.
The kafala system requires workers to have an incountry sponsor, usually their employer, who is responsible for their visa and legal status. Human rights groups have criticized the system, claiming it encourages exploitation of workers, as many employers take away passports of their workers, with a small chance of legal repercussions.
Sadliwala’s research interest includes Middle East policy, citizenship, conflict and famine-migration, which was recently published by the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. Her works illustrate unconventional approach for civil society, policymakers and scholars to engage with the role that migration plays in the Gulf.
System encourages exploitation of workers