Islamic Law and Human Trafficking in Saudi Arabia

3269 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Human trafficking in Islam

Over recent years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been confronted with a great challenge: becoming a modernized country without rejecting its long-held culture and heritage. In many ways, the state has been a success story, having developed a profitable oil-based economy and considerable world influence. Less than one hundred years ago, Saudi Arabia had not yet been unified; today, it is a state with complex financial, legal, and political systems, with a culture marked by deep history and faith. Since the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks, Saudi Arabia has continued to work on a reform agenda to promote greater participation by Saudi citizens, a vibrant economy, and a civil society. However, many issues still plague the state. The blight of human trafficking, in forms of labor, sex, and other forms of trafficking, is of particular concern in Saudi Arabia. Some Western critics attribute this to the country’s legal system.

Saudi Arabia is ruled under a system of Sharia, a body of Islamic law and a legal framework within which the public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Islam. This legal system has attracted strong criticism from human rights groups over criminal law punishments, the societal position of women, and the prevalence of both labor and sex trafficking within the nation. The Saudi government response’s to human trafficking has been historically limited, mainly due to cultural, social, and political obstacles that have fostered an attitude of indifference toward the issue. Many human rights groups criticize the government’s lack of compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Nonetheless, while...

... middle of paper ...

...Abdullah Abdul Elah, and Murray Hunter. "Where Is Saudi Arabian Society Heading?" Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice 5.2 (2013): 141-57. Web. 6 May 2014.

"Saudi Arabia." Human Rights Watch. World Report 2013. January 2013. Web. 6 May 2014.

Saudi Arabia. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Bureau of Experts at The Council of Ministers. Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law. N.p., 13 June 2009. Web. 7 May 2014.

"Saudi Arabia: Protect Migrant Workers' Rights." Human Rights Watch. N.p., 2 July 2013. Web. 06 May 2014.

Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. Labor Law. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 27 Sept. 2005. Web. 7 May 2014.

“Trafficking in Persons Report 2013.” U.S. Department of State. 2013. Web. 04 May 2014.

Vlieger, Antoinette. "Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates: Trafficking Victims?" International Migration 50.6 (2012): 180-94. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Why and How Women Are Oppressed in Saudi Arabia

    2088 Words  | 5 Pages

    Saudi Arabia is commonly known for its strict moral values and customs regarding religion and women. Gender discrimination is a global conflict, but it is prevalently seen in Saudi Arabia. Gender discrimination is so poignant in Saudi Arabia because there are strict sets of moral guidelines and ideologies that Saudi Arabian culture implements on its people. Although Saudi Arabian men impose restrictions on women for the sake of upholding their cultural beliefs and family’s honor, there is no doubt that Saudi Arabian culture is male dominated and holds misogynistic views on women, but progress is being made. Firstly, gender discrimination is not an exclusive feature of Saudi Arabia, but it is a more outwardly visible problem there.

    Read More

  • Taliban and Women’s Education

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    Western, David. “Islamic ‘Purse Strings’: the Key to Amelioration of Women’s legal Rights in the Middle East” Air Force law and Review Vol. 61. 0094-8381(2008): p79-147.

    Read More

  • The Trafficking Victims Protection Act

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    In comparison, many other countries have geared towards adopting policies that deal with human sex trafficking. The European Union’s tactic to trafficking begins from a gender and human rights perspective and focuses on prevention, prosecution of criminals and protection of victims. These ideals can be reflected in Directive on trafficking in human beings adopted on March 21, 2011. Much like U.S foreign policies dealing with human trafficking, the Directive focus is committing to the prevention of and fights against trafficking in human beings, and to the protection of the rights of trafficked persons. Within the Asian continent twenty-three out of the twenty-seven countries opt to adopt specific legislative provisions to fight human trafficking

    Read More

  • Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Kafala System in GCC States

    2820 Words  | 6 Pages

    Summary Since the introduction of the Kafala system, also known as sponsorship system, in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) along with Lebanon and Jordan in Mashriq region, some serious human rights violations have been alleged. The Kafala system is a sponsorship system designed to regulate and employ migrant workers in countries compromising GCC states (Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Kuwait, and Sultanate of Oman), Jordan, and Lebanon. Under the sponsorship system, a contract is signed between the worker and the recruitment agency for a minimum of 2 years, in which the sponsor assumes full legal and economic responsibility of the migrant, including visa status, residence, living conditions, wages, and health insurance. In other words, the Kafala system takes away workers’ rights and puts them in the hands of their sponsors. Additionally, the contract prohibits the migrant from changing employment or employer and/or leaving the country without the consent of the contractor.

    Read More

  • Human Trafficking in Canada

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mohajerin, S. K. (2006). Human trafficking: Modern day slavery in the 21st century. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, 12(3), 125-132.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech A Speech On Human Trafficking

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    Summary: We see that there are many different aspects and types of human trafficking that everyone should be made aware of. As a whole human trafficking is a lucrative industry raking in $150 BILLION globally. The impact that this industry has on its victims is

    Read More

  • Driver of Our Own Destiny

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    The place of women in Saudi society is determined by a deeply conservative culture, vindicated by a narrow interpretation of religion, and enforced by law. That place it would appear is at home, subservient to and legally dependant on their male guardian. Saudi society suffers from pervasive segregation along gender lines and women's freedom of movement is impeded, forcing them to rely on male chaperons.

    Read More

  • Human Trafficking - A Modern Form of Slavery

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thousands of foreigners are smuggled across national borders as forced labour in factories, farms, and brothels. Many are forced to become victims of human trafficking through force or the false promise of the American dream. The threat of human trafficking presently is that it deprives people of their human rights, it is a global health risk, and fuels the growth of organized crimes, such as sex crimes. Within this paper I will discuss my research on human trafficking and the victims’ deprivation of human rights. In order to so, I will synthesize three relevant sources on this topic, discuss additional questions that should be addressed when further researching this issue from a peace studies perspective, and outline a specific proposal for future research.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in British Literature

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ibnouf, Fatma Osman. “Women And The Arab Spring.” Women & Environments International Magazine 92/93(2013): 18-21. MasterFILE Elite.Web.31 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Women of the Middle East

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Women of the Middle East have played substantial roles for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Middle Eastern women have worked in all types of fields including medicine, education, agriculture, government, private sector, and even defense. They have kept roofs over their family’s heads while their husbands were away in wars, or even in foreign countries to work in jobs that they could not find in their own countries. The roles of women in the countries of Yemen and Oman are no exception, but while they still find ways to contribute to their country, they care constantly stereotyped, discriminated, and ridiculed by men who are known and unknown to them. This paper will discuss the individual contributions of the women living in Yemen and Oman, and will discuss in further state laws and cultural norms that are affecting the women living in these countries today.

    Read More

  • Critical Review Of Princess

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... words of Princess Sultana about the many abuses of women in Saudi Arabia. Women in Saudi Arabia's only purpose is sex, and the production of male children. Other than that they are seen as invisible and incompetent. They are given no identity at birth and their deaths are unaccounted for. Saudi women are also forced to cover up their beautiful faces with veils and abaayas. Women of royalty also get treated just as horribly as the lower class women. Jean Sasson did an excellent job of conveying Princess Sultana's pain, aggravation, and grief. Through this book readers will know of Princess Sultana's hopes and dreams of equal treatment for Saudi women. Princess is a well supported and informative book that will teach it's readers the mistreatments of women in Saudi Arabia.

    Read More

  • Policies Affecting Women and Migrant Workers

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    Given the global economic restructuring and the shifting international division of labor, regions like the Middle East have become salient destination sites for many sub-Saharan African and South East Asian migrant workers. While past scholarship has focused on men-dominated migration patterns, current scholarship reports the increasing presence of women among migrant workers, particularly in the Gulf region (Martin Baldwin). In “Domestic Workers: Little Protection for the Underpaid,” Gloria Chammartin maintains that the number of migrant women have come to equal or outnumber men in recent years. Female migrant workers now constitute larger percentages of migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. (470) For instance, data shows that more than 90 percent of Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates consisted of women workers in 1997-1998. In 2001, between 85 and 94 percent of Sri Lankan workers in Jordan, Kuwait, and Lebanon were women. The increase in international labor demand across this region is mostly attributed to the oil boom of the 1970s.

    Read More

  • Cultural Differences In Hofstede's Six Dimensions

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both countries have nearly identical scores in the dimension of masculinity. This exhibits the driving cultural forces of competition and achievement, with success held in high regard over other values. With Uncertainty Avoidance, the country is once again polarized. With the USA's relatively low score, the culture exhibits acceptance for new ideas with an emphasis on innovation and toleration. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Saudi Arabia maintains rigidity in belief systems and acceptable behaviors and ideas, valuing security over uncertainty.

    Read More

  • Oil and Saudi Arabia

    4092 Words  | 9 Pages

    This report draws from many publications written over the last twenty years exposing the unique situation in Saudi Arabia, while also utilizing recent headl...

    Read More

  • Should Women Drive in Saudi Arabia?

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, you need to understand the situation in Saudi Arabia first. The way people drive in Saudi Arabia is insane. I mean, imagine that all cars are not following the traffic laws. You can go as fast as the car goes and you wouldn't be stopped at all. Leading to the deaths of nineteen people every day on the country’s roads.

    Read More

More about Islamic Law and Human Trafficking in Saudi Arabia

Open Document