The World Cup in Qatar – and above all the working conditions of foreign workers – have long been the subject of criticism. Just last week, the British “Guardian” reported in a detailed investigation into the exploitation of workers in construction projects in the emirate. On Wednesday, Amnesty released another report denouncing working conditions leading up to the major event.
The human rights organization accused private security companies in Qatar of exploiting migrant workers. Amnesty said the people were being subjected to “serious human rights abuses, some of which amounted to forced labour”. Workers would have had to do work against their will and under threat of punishment. “Some of them had to work up to 84 hours a week – and with the knowledge of the Qatari government,” criticized Amnesty.
“Unacceptable Violations” by Three Firms
So far, such allegations have been either negated or ignored by the official side. But now, for the first time, the World Cup organizers have admitted misconduct in a statement. Three companies failed to comply with rules in several areas, the statement said, according to AP. According to the agency, private security companies that were involved in the Club World Cup and the Arabian Cup were affected.
“These violations were totally unacceptable and have led to a range of measures including the placing of contractors on watch lists or blacklists to prevent them from working on future projects – including the WM – before those contractors are brought to the Department of Labor for further investigation and penalties were reported,” it said.
Amnesty spoke to those affected
Amnesty cited interviews with staff from eight security firms for the new report. In it, employees complain that they are being denied days off and vacation. “We work from January to January, from Sunday to Sunday, no days off,” the organization quoted a security guard from Uganda as saying. Other employees had their wages reduced if they were unable to work due to illness.
At least three companies have loaned security personnel to World Cup projects and events of the world association, it said. Here, too, some of the guards were subjected to forced labor. “Our findings show once again that the Qatari government is not serious about enforcing its own laws and holding accountable those who break them,” said Amnesty’s Middle East researcher Katja Müller-Fahlbusch.
Law vs Reality
In the past, Qatar’s government has liked to point to reforms in its own country – such as the abolition of the kafala system that is common in the Gulf States. This binds foreign workers tightly to a local guarantor such as an employer and often opens the door to exploitation. In Qatar, on the other hand, at least according to the law, migrants can leave the country or change jobs without the consent of their employer.
However, human rights organizations criticize that although the kafala system has officially been abolished, it is “de facto” still there. The World Cup starts on November 21st and runs until December 18th. In response to human rights violations, calls for a boycott have repeatedly been heard in recent months.
