At the opening of the 356th Session of the International Labour Organization’s Governing Body, Amnesty International urged member states not to dismiss a formal complaint filed by African trade unions against Saudi Arabia over serious and ongoing violations of migrant workers’ rights. The complaint, brought under Article 26 of the ILO Constitution, accuses the Saudi government of failing to meet its obligations under multiple ILO conventions and calls for international accountability over persistent labour abuses.
Amnesty International argued that although Saudi Arabia has introduced some legal reforms, the kafala sponsorship system has not been meaningfully dismantled and continues to leave millions of migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation and forced labour. According to the organization, Saudi authorities are trying to rely on reform claims and procedural arguments without providing credible evidence that these measures are being effectively implemented or improving workers’ conditions in practice.
The rights group highlighted that many migrant workers still face illegal recruitment fees, deception during hiring, wage theft, excessively long working hours, unsafe and degrading living and working conditions, and severe restrictions on movement. Domestic workers were identified as particularly vulnerable, with reports of confinement, extreme overwork, and physical or sexual abuse, while still being excluded from key labour protections.
Amnesty stressed that the abuses outlined in the complaint are not isolated incidents but reflect broader patterns documented by multiple organizations. The complaint details forced labour, wage theft, physical and sexual violence, and systemic racism, especially affecting African migrant workers, some of whom reportedly endured being locked inside homes, forced to work up to 18 to 20 hours a day, denied wages, healthcare, and rest, and subjected to beatings and harassment.
The organization called on ILO Governing Body members to reject Saudi Arabia’s request to dismiss the complaint and to maintain scrutiny until there is clear proof that reforms are genuinely protecting migrant workers. Amnesty also joined other human rights organizations in a collective appeal urging the ILO to treat the case with urgency and ensure accountability for ongoing abuses.
Saudi Arabia had formally responded to the complaint in January and requested that it be dismissed. However, Amnesty emphasized that the country has ratified several core ILO conventions that legally require it to prevent forced labour, discrimination, and other abuses, guarantee fair and decent working conditions for all workers, and ensure access to justice, remedy, and effective legal protection.
