World Cup fever is once again upon us, but sadly not without a degree of controversy as Brazilian protesters continue in their attempts to disrupt the tournament. With a little insight into the competition itself, even greater controversies can be found to exist within the early preparations by Qatar on their road to hosting the event in 2022.
Although no work on any of the planned stadiums has actually started, the small gulf nation has begun large scale infrastructure projects to cater for the future influx of visitors. It may be true that Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world per capita, however the migrant workers of this oil-rich country are seemingly not enjoying this wealth and prosperity.
A recent report by international law firm DL Piper confirmed various accusations regarding the systematic abuse of foreign employees belonging to construction firms operating in Qatar. Workers who arrive in the country have already accumulated a huge amount of debt, having paid a large initial fee to the recruiters in their homeland. They are then led to believe they will be able to pay this deficit back quickly with promises of high wages paid on a monthly basis.
Yet for many this has not been the case.
From the confiscation of travel documents, unpaid wages, terrible living and working conditions as well as even deaths – the treatment of particularly Nepalese workers has been brought under close scrutiny. The current system in place, known as the Kafala, ties workers to their employees in a strangle like hold which is somewhat much more akin to slavery.
This system has meant that wages have been withheld for months and passports taken away. This has left the unpaid workers unable to exit Qatar whilst their huge debts quickly gain interest. Not only do the workers have these financial woes but questions have also arose regarding their safety as a recent report shows that almost 1000 immigrant workers have lost their lives in the past three years. In one year alone 246 died from “sudden cardiac death”, 35 died in falls and 28 committed suicide.
This month reforms have been proposed by the Qatari government who themselves actually commissioned the damaging DL piper report. The lengthy report made 62 recommendations as a guideline for the government to address 9 key areas including accommodation, recruitment, contracts and the health of the migrant workers. Promises have been made to improve each sector as the world slowly begins to take notice of the injustices faced by the migrant workers.
Nevertheless, Amnesty International claims that the anticipated amendments fall short of the fundamental changes which need to be addressed in order to ensure the welfare of all migrant workers.
James Lynch, Amnesty International’s researcher on migrants in the gulf, said:
Based on today’s announcement the proposals appear to be a missed opportunity. The government claims it is abolishing the sponsorship system, but this sounds like a change of name rather than substantive reform.
Even further condemnation of the Qatari regime has come from The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) warned this month that as many as 4,000 migrant workers might be killed by the time the 2022 tournament kicks off.
Meanwhile much of the media has being focusing on the contrastingly trivial topic of the effect desert heat will have on the players. Little attention has actually been given to the plight of the workers who are making the World Cup possible, behind the scenes – albeit at the expense of their physical and mental well-being.