"Qatar delays vote on pledge to reform 'abusive' worker sponsorship system", 23 June 2015

Qatar’s pledge to reform a sponsorship system which has been blamed for the abuse of foreign workers by the end of this year is in doubt after its advisory legislative council delayed a vote on the proposals. Human rights campaigners criticised the move, the latest blow to efforts to end the kafala system that ties workers to their employers and prevents them from changing jobs or leaving the country without the permission of their sponsor. Many have gone months without pay or had their passports confiscated. Even modest reforms promised by the Qatari government in the wake of a Guardian investigation and in-depth reports from rights organisations have become mired in holdups. The official state news agency, QNA, said on Tuesday that the shura council, Doha’s main consultative body, had postponed a vote on the reforms and referred them back to the internal and foreign affairs committee “for further study”...