Kafala

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A legal arrangement involving sponsorship or guardianship for individuals, often in the context of child care or labor
2. A system by which a person or entity takes responsibility for the well-being of another, particularly in certain cultural or legal settings
3. A form of support or sponsorship where the guardian assumes certain financial and legal obligations for the cared individual

Etymology: Kafala is a loanword from Arabic, where "kafāla" (كَفَالَة) carries the sense of guaranteeing, sponsoring, or taking responsibility for someone. The Arabic root underlying it is tied to the idea of standing surety, so the word's core meaning is one of assuming another person's care and obligations rather than ownership or formal adoption. In English the term is used for the legal arrangement in which a guardian takes charge of a child, most often in Islamic-influenced legal systems, where it is a recognized alternative to adoption. Because it does not sever the child's ties to birth parents or transfer inheritance rights in the way adoption does, the concept is often discussed in comparative law, and the English word preserves the Arabic idea of guarantee and responsibility at its center.

Synonyms: sponsorship, guarantee