Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Metro was envisioned as a symbol of progress-an ultramodern, 176-kilometer transit network designed to transform mobility in the Gulf’s largest economy. For the kingdom’s leadership, the decade-long project represented not just a transportation milestone, but a showcase of the country’s ambition, modernization, and readiness for global investment. Yet beneath the shining steel and concrete, Amnesty International’s latest investigation exposes a far darker reality: the suffering of thousands of migrant laborers whose work made the project possible.

According to the 42-page report, workers from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal-recruited under the heavily criticized Kafala labor system-faced exploitative recruitment practices, meagre wages, harsh conditions, and systemic barriers that prevented them from escaping abuse. The findings paint a picture of structural exploitation embedded at every stage of the labor pipeline, from recruitment agencies in South Asia to multinational construction firms operating in Riyadh.

Amnesty’s investigation reveals that the cycle of abuse starts long before workers even board a plane for Saudi Arabia. Recruitment agencies in the workers’ home countries allegedly charged exorbitant fees ranging from $700 to $3,500, often forcing laborers to take out loans at high interest rates. For many, these debts created a form of economic bondage, where the primary goal of migrating was no longer opportunity-but mere survival.

This predatory recruitment system is far from new, and despite multiple international calls for reform, the practice remains widespread across South Asia. Workers interviewed for the report described feeling trapped between poverty at home and the promise........

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