While the US State Department’s report on human trafficking for the year 2022 reduced Kuwait’s classification on the Watch List placing Kuwait on the second level (orange), the head of the National Office for Human Rights, Ambassador Jassem Al-Mubaraki, said that he was not surprised by this decline, describing the sponsorship system as “similar to the system of slavery, servitude and forced labor,” reports Al-Rai daily.

Al-Mubaraki said in a statement to the daily, that he spoke repeatedly, and conveyed his opinion to officials of the need to abolish the sponsorship system, as it harms the reputation of Kuwait, explaining that these sponsors bring workers in exchange for a material amount, according to nationality, and the prices of recruiting some nationalities may reach more than 2000 dinars. He asked, “Do they think that the world does not see what is happening in Kuwait?” He reiterated the “necessity of abolishing the sponsorship system, and putting an end to what is happening in the recruitment offices of domestic workers.” He added, “The world sees advertisements posted on websites where servants are offered for sale, and this is slavery, although the decision has been issued by the Council of Ministers to ban such advertisements.”