NSHR renews call to scrap Saudi sponsorship system

JEDDAH: The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has called for the sponsorship system in the Kingdom to be scrapped in order to improve the rights of expatriate workers in line with international agreements.

“Our call for the cancellation of the sponsorship system should not be misunderstood as a demand to abandon the residence permit system,” Hussein Al-Sharif, supervisor of NSHR in Makkah province, said on Saturday. He was speaking at an NSHR meeting on expatriates and human rights.

“Human rights are not for any particular people,” he said, calling on citizens not to discriminate against expatriate workers in any situation.

Al-Sharif added that participants in the meeting were unanimous that the sponsorship system went against all international agreements and work regulations.

Other NSHR members who were in the meeting stressed the importance of respecting the rights of the expatriates.

The seminar also raised the issue of ensuring expatriates are aware of Saudi rules and regulations as well as the need for reporting any violation of their rights.

“Ignorance is the first step toward the violation of rights,” one member said, while calling on Saudi missions abroad to educate prospective recruits about Saudi labor and residence regulations before they arrive in the country.

On Sunday, an NSHR team led by Al-Sharif visited flyovers in Jeddah under which hundreds of illegal workers have camped awaiting deportation. The team urged the authorities to provide these workers proper shelter. They also urged passport officials to simplify deportation procedures for them.

The NSHR team also discussed the issue with Indonesian diplomats in Jeddah. “The situation is unacceptable as it breaches all humanitarian values and harms Saudi Arabia’s global reputation,” Al-Sharif said after the meeting.

The NSHR also authorized Al-Sharif to hold a meeting with the passport department and find a quick solution. – (Arab News)