Kafala system

The kafala system or kefala system (Arabic: نظام الكفالة niẓām al-kafāla, lit. 'sponsorship system') is a system in the Middle East that involves binding the residency and employment status of a migrant worker to a specific employer throughout the period of their residence in a country. Under this arrangement, the employer holds substantial authority over the worker, including the ability to approve or deny job changes, and permission to leave the country. This dependency creates a significant power imbalance that heightens the risk of exploitation and abusive practices. It currently exists in many Arab countries, especially those in the Arabian Peninsula, with Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait also being very prominent. A similar "binding system" existed in Israel until 2006, when the Israeli Supreme Court addressed and eliminated it.

The system, which blocks domestic competition for overseas workers in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, requires migrant workers to have an in-country sponsor, usually their employer, who is responsible for their visa and legal status. This practice has been criticized by human rights organizations for creating easy opportunities for the exploitation of workers, as many employers confiscate their migrant workers' passports and abuse them with little chance of legal repercussions and even repatriation. In 2014, the International Trade Union Confederation estimated that there were 2.4 million enslaved domestic workers in the Arab Gulf countries and the Levant, virtually all of them from West Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.