Marrakech – Three United Nations human rights experts on Wednesday urged Saudi Arabia to dismantle the Kafala sponsorship system as the kingdom ramps up preparations to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
The joint statement, issued in Geneva, warned that an estimated 16 million migrant workers in the country continue to face abuse and exploitation five years after Riyadh announced labor reforms in 2021.
“Migrant worker deaths have allegedly occurred under unclear circumstances and without accountability,” the experts stated. “Wage theft, workplace violence, retention of identity documents, and the imposition of extortionate recruitment fees are all reported to continue. These practices must stop.”
The Kafala system ties foreign workers’ legal status, residency, job mobility, and travel to their employers. Workers often need their sponsor’s permission to change jobs, leave the country, or access legal help. The 2021 reforms eased some restrictions, particularly around exit permits, but activists have long argued that the changes were limited and excluded millions, most notably domestic workers.
The experts noted that persisting loopholes allow employers to retain excessive control over workers. Reports indicate that enforced exit restrictions and false criminal charges are used to punish those attempting to leave abusive employment.
Access to justice remains a major concern. Many workers face barriers to reporting abuse, including fear of retaliation, lack of legal support, and complex administrative systems. Families of deceased workers often struggle to obtain information, accountability, or compensation from abroad.
Domestic workers face particular risks of trafficking for forced labor, unjust working conditions, and physical or sexual violence, while remaining excluded from core labor protections, the statement added.
The experts also pointed to the ongoing military escalation in the Middle East as a factor that heightens risks for migrant workers, who may face sudden job loss, injury, or death during periods of instability.
“While many migrant workers are the driving force of the Saudi economy, many are left without a voice and often trapped in cycles of exploitation,” the experts warned.
The statement was authored by Tomoya Obokata, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Gehad Madi, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons.
The three called on Riyadh to fully include migrant workers under national labor protections, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and ensure safe reporting channels. They also urged Saudi Arabia to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between
Western media were quick to frame Saudi Arabia’s successful 2034 World Cup bid through the familiar lens of alleged human rights concerns and the criminalization of same-sex relationships, despite the fact that such laws are rooted in the kingdom’s Islamic identity and social framework. Saudi Arabia was awarded the tournament at a FIFA Congress in 2024 as the sole candidate.
In November 2025, the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s governing body accepted a complaint filed by the Building and Wood Workers’ International trade union group over the living and working conditions of migrants in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh rejected the accusations. The ILO governing body is set to review the situation at its November meeting.
The Kafala system gained renewed global attention in 2024 after the Indian film “The Goat Life,” directed by Blessy Ipe Thomas, was released on Netflix. Based on the bestselling novel “Goat Days” by Indian author Benyamin, the film dramatizes the real-life story of Najeeb Muhammed, an Indian migrant worker from Kerala who was deceived by a fake sponsor and forced into years of isolation as a goat herder in the Saudi desert during the early 1990s.
The film topped Netflix charts and received critical acclaim. However, its Arabic-subtitled release triggered a fierce backlash in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf. Saudi nationals called for a boycott of Netflix, accusing the filmmakers of exaggerating an isolated incident and portraying Saudi culture in a negative and outdated light.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) responded that attempts to dismiss the film as slander or racism were a way of downplaying abuses enabled by the Kafala system, which the organization described as a racialized labor governance framework.
Some observers may be tempted to dismiss such criticism of Saudi Arabia as Eurocentric or rooted in Western double standards that single out Arab and Muslim nations hosting major sporting events.
A similar narrative over workers’ welfare surrounded neighboring Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup, where many in the Arab world argued that Western media coverage reflected orientalist biases rather than genuine concern for migrant workers. Qatar worked with the ILO to reform its own kafala system and introduce a minimum wage.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino himself accused Western critics of hypocrisy, noting that China and Russia faced far less scrutiny while hosting major events despite arguably worse human rights records.
Yet the documented realities of the Kafala system – wage theft, passport confiscation, forced labor, and unexplained worker deaths – are not Western constructs. They have been reported for decades by international organizations, regional rights groups, and migrant workers themselves from South Asia, Africa, and the Arab world alike.
