Vani Saraswathi

The all-pervasive kafala, or sponsorship system, allows Gulf citizens and employers to exercise complete and absolute power over migrant workers. Moving from Saudi to Qatar to Kuwait, Mobeen Ahmed’s story is but one amongst a few million migrant experiences across the GCC region.

In the concluding part of the series on migrant fishermen, we look at the systemic failures in countries of origin and employment, that leaves them vulnerable to vagaries of more than just the sea.

Stories of Origin is a series that explores the lived experiences of both returning and potential migrants and their families. This is the second of a three-part piece on migrant fishermen from southern India. In the first part we spoke to families left behind in a village in the deep south of India.

Stories of Origin is a series that explores the lived experiences of migrants and their families. This is the first of a three-part piece on migrant fishermen from southern India.