Saudi Arabia: ILO Complaint Over Migrant Worker Abuse Faces Dismissal Attempt

The Saudi Arabian government is attempting to have a formal complaint concerning widespread abuses of migrant workers’ rights dismissed, Amnesty International said Tuesday, as the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Governing Body began a meeting to consider the case.

The complaint, filed by African trade unions, alleges persistent and widespread violations of migrant workers’ rights in Saudi Arabia, contrary to the country’s obligations under various ILO treaties. Steve Cockburn, Head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International, stated that despite some recent legal reforms, the country’s kafala sponsorship system remains largely intact and continues to expose millions of migrant workers to significant risk of abuse, including forced labour.

“The ILO should continue to scrutinize the case until there is clear evidence that the reforms are genuinely improving migrant workers’ lives,” Cockburn said. He added that many workers continue to bear illegal recruitment fees, are deceived during recruitment, and are subjected to wage theft, excessively long hours, and unsafe working conditions.

Domestic workers are particularly vulnerable, facing confinement, extreme overwork, and physical or sexual abuse, while remaining excluded from core labour protections, according to Amnesty International. The organization is calling on ILO Governing Body members to reject the Saudi Arabian government’s efforts to dismiss the complaint.

The complaint, lodged under Article 26 of the ILO Constitution, documents widespread forced labour, wage theft, physical and sexual abuse, and systemic racism, particularly targeting African migrant workers. Reports detail instances of workers being locked in homes, forced to function 18 to 20 hours a day, denied wages, healthcare, and rest, and subjected to beatings and harassment. These abuses align with research and reporting from other organizations, including Amnesty International.

In January, the Saudi Arabian government responded to the complaint and requested its dismissal. Saudi Arabia has ratified core ILO human rights conventions requiring it to guarantee protection against forced labour, discrimination, and other abuses, ensure fair and decent working conditions for all workers without distinction, and uphold workers’ fundamental rights to justice, remedy, and effective protection under the law.

Amnesty International is a signatory to a joint statement with partner human rights groups urging ILO Governing Body members to reject Saudi Arabia’s attempt to dismiss the complaint. The 356th Session of the ILO’s Governing Body is scheduled to conclude on April 2nd.