Call to end sponsorship system

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Move to adjust demographics

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 8: A member of the Board of Directors of the National Bureau for Human Rights and Chairman of the Committee for Combating Torture, Racial Discrimination and Human Trafficking Zakaria Al-Ansari affirmed Kuwait’s keenness on upholding human rights and labor protection, reports Al- Qabas daily. He stressed that the bureau is working continuously, in coordination with the relevant government agencies, to improve performance towards groups that are exposed to problems or discrimination. In response to a question about the sponsorship system, Al-Ansari said, “This system in itself increases the number of victims of human trafficking. It must be changed through gradual steps that ensure the stability of the labor market and adjust the demographics properly.”

He highlighted a proposal that calls for allowing workers to work through the relevant government agencies for jobs in which Kuwaitis do not work, and which the labor market needs such as construction and building workers, cleaners, correspondents, public service workers, and others, instead of insisting that they have a “sponsor” who can exploit them in many issues.

This includes transferring them between a number of projects, long working hours, non-compliance with paying salaries, and so on, which is considered an infringement that may fall under the umbrella of human trafficking. Al-Ansari stated that the bureau follows up the complaints that it receives via its email, and seeks to provide solutions to them through the relevant authorities, as well as grant the complainants their rights quickly. He stressed that the sponsorship system impedes the modification of the demographics, adding, “We demand its abolishment.” Al-Ansari said the bureau also follows up the received international reports, coordinates for them, and works to provide adequate responses that confirm Kuwait’s position on them from a human rights point of view, as well as works on trying to raise its classification in various indicators. He stressed that the bureau exerted great and wide efforts to raise the name of Kuwait in international forums through its tireless work in supporting human rights inside Kuwait.

Al-Ansari explained that the establishment of the bureau took place during the reign of the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad in 2015, in view of what Kuwait voluntarily pledged to the Human Rights Council, within the context of the universal periodic review mechanism, to establish an independent national human rights entity, in accordance with the Paris Principles related to the status of national human rights institutions, which stipulates for national human rights institutions to gain independence.

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