KUWAIT: Living in a world where migrant workers in Kuwait can safely unionize, speak for their rights, and advocate for themselves without external intermediaries reflects a life goal that Nourah Al-Sulaiman, manager of Ensaniyat Project, is dedicated to achieving. Through this youth fellowship program, she aims to change attitudes and perceptions towards migrant workers in the region and create environments whereby their rights are protected.

“Each of us must question our own privileges,” Al-Sulaiman said. “Why are we, as citizens, able to represent ourselves and demand our rights more easily, while others cannot, especially when we all live on the same land?”

Kuwait, like many Gulf countries, has a significant population of migrant workers, particularly in low-wage sectors such as construction, domestic work, and the service industry. These workers are heavily dependent on their employers for their legal status and daily survival, which often leads to a range of challenges, vulnerabilities, and human rights violations.

“Delegating state responsibilities to employers has created gaps in enforcing workers’ rights,” Sulaiman pointed out. Addressing migrant workers’ needs, she believes, requires a commitment from both state and non-state actors, calling for better implementation of laws to protect the individuals they target.

Nourah Al-Sulaiman

Educating future employers

This is where Ensaniyat Project, launched in 2017 by Migrant-Rights.Org, a GCC-based advocacy group, plays a crucial role. It invites participants, ranging in age from 14 to their early 30s across all six Gulf countries, to gain a comprehensive understanding of migrant workers’ rights from multiple perspectives — legal, historical, economic, political, and social.

The program raises awareness on various topics, including the history of migration, domestic worker laws, and healthcare access. Sulaiman acknowledges the power of younger generations as “the future employers and policymakers,” and hopes that “by planting these seeds early, we could prepare them to be effective leaders and advocates.” Over the years, Ensaniyat reached over 170 fellows across 21 cycles of its program. It now includes diverse participants, both Gulf nationals and non-citizens.

Beyond the classroom, she believes that awareness has the potential to influence the broader society. “As a Kuwaiti, I recognize the importance of word of mouth and social gatherings like ‘zwarat’ and ‘diwaniyas’ in shaping opinions and discussions,” she said. “We strive to bring the topic of migrant workers into these spaces, engaging individuals who might not initially be interested in advocacy or human rights.”

Since Ensaniyat also empowers migrant workers to safely share their experiences, needs, and concerns, Al-Sulaiman highlighted the issues they face, such as low wages, unfair treatment, and poor housing conditions. Such challenges have led to tragedies like the recent Mangaf fire on June 12, which occurred in a building housing 196 migrant workers and tragically claimed the lives of 50 individuals. The cause of the fire is primarily linked to negligence in housing safety.

‘They are invisible’

While the program addresses the needs of various migrant workers, there is a particular focus on domestic workers. As Sulaiman noted, “they are often invisible to society and lack access to resources needed to file complaints.” Although mechanisms for filing complaints exist — through police stations, domestic workers’ departments, or embassies — these are often inaccessible to them due to restrictions like not having days off, or not being able to leave their workplace — their employers’ home.

Working closely with migrant community members across the GCC, Sulaiman brings to light rights outlined in variations of labour laws across the region that she seeks to have effectively implemented equally to all workers. These rights include, and are not limited to, access to bank accounts, comprehensive health insurance, entitlement to annual leave, and a mandatory day off each week.

Workers should also benefit from wage protection systems and have contracts that are clearly understood and signed in all relevant languages. Their rights to being paid regularly, enjoying days off, decent work environments, being able to sponsor their families, decent housing and more need to be protected and actualized. In addition, existing prohibitions against passport confiscation should be enforced.

In a society where individuals are judged “based on nationality, religion, or occupation,” Sulaiman hopes they will instead be evaluated “based on their morals, ethics, and positive contributions.” She also aims to challenge the misconception that “conditions here are better than what workers might experience back home,” as she believes this mindset has exacerbated the numerous challenges and complexities workers face.