"Huroob cases on the rise as Saudi’s Kafala reforms off to a shaky start", 25 Apr 2022

Huroob is an Arabic word referring to someone who has escaped. According to Saudi Labour Laws, all employers must report any foreign worker they sponsor who absconds. The absconding system is a major concern among migrant rights advocates because it criminalises employment mobility and can trap workers in abusive working conditions.

The misuse of the system by sponsors is rampant.

“I did not run away from my job...My contract was terminated, and then I got another job and I legally started that. I didn’t even have a bad relationship with my employers, current or past.”

He was certain it was a mistake but he knew he had to act fast. If cancelled within two weeks, a huroob charge can be cleared relatively easily, which can happen if the employer and employees resolve the issue between themselves...

A Government Relations Officer (GRO) works as an agent to oversee the implementation of the immigration and labour responsibilities of the company in Saudi Arabia...

“I called the GRO and he simply told me that I had to pay him SAR 10,000 (USD$2600) for the status to be removed,” he said. “He was basically demanding a bribe.”

He paid the bribe and in three days his status was corrected.

However, a migrant rights activist in Saudi, Ahmed*, says that false huroob charges against well-earning migrant workers have become an increasingly prevalent method of exploitation in the past year.

Ahmed adds that he does not think that the Kafala reforms have eased restrictions in practice...The continued use of huroob is one of the elements that retain employers’ extreme control over workers