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 In
2010, Qatar-a wealthy, oil rich nation in the Middle East-was selected
to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The decision was widely criticized
by the media, human rights groups, and officials in the United States,
Great Britain, and Australia. Apart from several complaints, critics
also wondered how the world’s most watched sporting event could
be held in a country that has a population of less than 2 million
and where summer temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius.
Qatar, for its part, seems to have taken the criticism in stride.
Since the country was thrust into the global spotlight, it has been
trying to present itself as a more than capable host. So far, the
country has gone to extraordinary measures to
show the world that it’s passionate about soccer.
In recent years, it has lavished money on European soccer--The Qatar
Foundation sponsors the shirts of Spanish giants FC Barcelona, for
example.
And last year, the Qatar Investment Authority bought the French
soccer club Paris Saint-Germain and turned it into one of the richest
in the world, signing some of the game’s greatest players such as
England’s David Beckham and Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In preparation
for the World Cup, Qatar has also launched a $150 billion construction
program to build 12 state-of-the-art stadiums,
90,000 hotel rooms, a subway system, and a national rail network.
However, underneath this glitzy facade, thousands of migrant
construction workers-who have been building the infrastructure for
the event-have been abused, denied their salaries,
and are trapped in a system that they cannot escape, according to
Human Rights Watch and the International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC). Called the Kafala system, workers are tied to the employer
who recruits them.
They cannot change jobs or leave the country without their employer’s
permission. The system, not
surprisingly, has been open to systematic abuse and created a form
of slavery for more than one million migrant workers living in Qatar.
“Qatar has been quite successful at giving off a progressive image when, in
fact, the labor system is exploitive,” said Nicholas McGeehan of
Human Rights Watch.
As a result, the ITUC has launched a campaign to persuade FIFA, world soccer’s
governing body, to strip
Qatar of the 2022 World Cup unless it takes drastic action to improve
the situation. “I was shocked to see this exploitation in football,”
said Sharan Burrow, the general secretary of the
ITUC. “Qatar [is] absolutely at the bottom end for rights for workers.
[Qatar and other nations in the Persian Gulf region are] fundamentally slave states.”
 The ITUC
has been in ongoing talks with FIFA and Qatari authorities, pressing
for reform. Qatari authorities say they are taking steps to improve
the situation for migrant workers. In March, the Qatar 2022 Supreme
Committee, which has direct responsibility for building the World
Cup venues, adopted a “workers’ charter.” The charter commits
contractors to improving
health and safety, forbids forced labor and says workers won’t face
punishment for lodging complaints. In addition,
FIFA said it has been working with international labor unions and
Human Rights Watch to “ensure healthy, safe, and dignified working
conditions.”
However, Burrows said the ITUC is unconvinced that Qatari authorities
were serious about implementing reforms. Human
rights watch groups have also complained that Qatari rulers have
failed to keep their promise that the World Cup will lead to improvements
for migrant workers. |
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