Year Before Qatar World Cup, Amnesty Urges End To Labour Abuses

A year before the World Cup in Qatar, Amnesty International Tuesday urged the energy-rich emirate to end abuses against migrant workers, many of whom built the tournament's infrastructure

Nicosia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Nov, 2021 ) :A year before the World Cup in Qatar, Amnesty International Tuesday urged the energy-rich emirate to end abuses against migrant workers, many of whom built the tournament's infrastructure.

"The daily reality for many migrant workers in the country remains harsh, despite legal changes introduced since 2017," the London-based human rights group said.

It urged Qatar to abolish the so-called kafala sponsorship system which bonds foreign labourers to employers, making them more vulnerable to abuses such as late- and non-payment of wages.

"Apparent complacency by the authorities is leaving thousands of workers at continued risk of exploitation by unscrupulous employers, with many unable to change jobs and facing wage theft," said Mark Dummett, Amnesty's global issues programme director.

"They have little hope of remedy, compensation or justice. After the World Cup, the fate of the workers who remain in Qatar will be even more uncertain." Amnesty also said "authorities have done little to investigate the scale of unexplained deaths" arguing there was evidence of links to unsafe working conditions.

It charged that foreign labourers have scarce access to justice and are banned from organising to fight for their rights.

Qatar has previously faced criticism for its treatment of migrant workers, with campaigners accusing employers of exploitation and forcing labourers to work in dangerous conditions.