The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has called for the abolishment of the sponsorship system because it violates the principles of Islamic Shariah and international human rights conventions. The damning indictment of the sponsorship system is contained in a recent report released by the NSHR. In addition to these violations, the report also cited examples of administrative and organizational deficiencies in the system. These deficiencies caused workers to leave their jobs, contributed to crimes perpetrated by employees and also made workers reluctant to work in the Kingdom. It said the system has also contributed to damaging and distorting the Kingdom's image in international circles. The report says the NSHR has received more than 1,400 complaints over the past four years, including grievances over transfers of sponsorship, barring workers from traveling to their homelands and payment of Iqama renewal fees. The NSHR also criticizes the General Directorate of Passports for not implementing a Cabinet decision which ordered the removal of the words “sponsor” and “sponsorship”. The report also raises concerns about the failure of sponsors to abide by rules which allow their foreign employees to hold their own passports and to bring their families to the Kingdom without getting permission. The report called for government to set up a special body to care for foreign workers and oversee the work of the ministry's agency for labors affairs. Saudi Gazette reported previously (in a report dated July 3, 2008) that the move to abolish the sponsorship system goes back to 1999 when a Royal Order was issued to set up a ministerial committee to deal with the issue. The Council of Ministers subsequently issued a resolution to discontinue the word “sponsor” and introduced major labor reforms. However, the General Directorate of Passports continued to use the word “sponsor” (kafala) and required the approval of sponsors for many expatriate affairs. In the same Saudi Gazette report, an NSHR official was quoted as saying that employees need to get their sponsor's permission for almost everything, even to get out of prison. The NSHR had also proposed a mandatory insurance scheme to protect the rights of both employers and foreign workers to ensure payment of salaries, end-of-service benefits, tickets and expenses of lawyers in case of disputes.
