Qatar Falls Short on Foreign Workers Rights Ahead of World Cup

The international human rights organization revealed shocking stories about the conditions of workers working in the 2022 World World Cup facilities in Qatar.

These reports indicated Doha actions against workers, at a time when the policies of the Qatari government reveal that the abuse of the rights of those foreign workers is a secondary matter the timetable allocated by FIFA.

For more than 7 years, Qatar witnessed international investigations regarding the workers who undertook the construction of the 2022 World Cup facilities, amid calls for human rights to strip Doha of hosting the global event, due to the continuous violations of the right of foreign workers.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which is responsible for Qatar's preparations to host the World Cup, revealed that thousands of workers had been infected with the Coronavirus, due to the absence of the necessary protection.

Doha would not have announced these injuries unless the spread of reports in foreign newspapers that elaborated on the difficult situation experienced by foreign workers.

Reports by Foreign Policy and the New York Times, as well as investigations by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Migrants Rights, all agree that workers do their work every day in exchange for a low wage from their employers.

The Qatari Ministry of Health reports said that the country had kept tens of thousands of migrant workers in a crowded neighbourhood which raised fears that it would turn into a focus centre for the Coronavirus.

This comes while Doha is racing against time to finish the work of the 2022 World Cup facilities, on the specified date, regardless of the consequences that will be imposed on it, whether in terms of health or terms of the status of workers.

Qatar has not hesitated to exploit the needs of poor countries in Central and East Asia, to continue violations of the rights of workers who hail from these countries.

Last year, Qatar heeded calls by human rights organizations, along with FIFA, and adopted a new minimum wage law and abolished mandatory exit visas for all workers.