According to Amnesty International, a human rights organization, in a report published this Thursday, November 16, “ too little has been done » to end abuses against migrant workers in Qatar, which persist a year after the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Published on: 11/16/2023 – 4:08 p.m.
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Before, during and after the World Cup, Qatar faced a barrage of criticism over its human rights record and its treatment of migrant workers.
To address this, the gas-rich emirate, with the help of the International Labor Organization (ILO), revised its labor laws, introducing a minimum wage and health and safety reforms, and dismantled its controversial “Kafala” sponsorship system.
Except that for Steve Cockburn, director of the Economic and Social Justice program at Amnesty International, “ Qatar’s continued failure to implement or strengthen these reforms seriously jeopardizes any potential benefits for workers ». « The government must urgently renew its commitment to protecting workers, while the International Football Federation (Fifa) and Qatar must agree reparations plans for all those who have suffered “, he added.
Amnesty and other human rights groups have repeatedly called on Qatar and international football’s governing body to create a fund for the injured and families of workers who died on World Cup construction sites.
« The workers who made the 2022 World Cup possible must not be forgotten »
In a press release, Fifa indicated on Thursday November 16 that one of its subcommittees continued to study the impact of the reforms undertaken by Qatar. “ It is undeniable that significant progress has been made, but it is equally clear that implementing such far-reaching reforms takes time and that greater efforts are needed to ensure that they benefit all workers in the country », Wrote the football authority. Qatar has disputed the number of accidental deaths on construction sites at the World Cup, which human rights defenders say is in the thousands, and accused its detractors of practicing a policy of double standards.
« Now, a year after the tournament, too little has been done to right all these wrongs, but the workers who made the 2022 World Cup possible must not be forgotten ” said Mr. Cockburn. Amnesty criticized the maintenance of the minimum wage at its 2021 level, despite the rising cost of living, and said shortcomings persisted in terms of non-payment of wages and mobility of workers between different jobs.
In a report released earlier this week, the ILO office in Qatar noted cases of retaliation by employers against workers who request to change jobs, including the cancellation of work visas. residence or filing false fleeing charges. However, this body stressed that complaints about cases of this type have “ significantly reduced compared to previous years ».
Reacting to Amnesty’s statement, the Qatar International Media Bureau, a government agency, assured that the World Cup had ” accelerated » social reforms in the country, leaving a “ lasting legacy ».
He added that the reforms introduced constituted “ an example for other countries of how a system can be successfully overhauled ” and “ existing reforms continue to be fully implemented ».
With AFP
