At least 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka died during the 10-year construction of the Qatar 2022 World Cup facilities due to poor working conditions and lack of training, according to guardian. The shocking figure is probably grossly underestimated, as no figures are available for migrant deaths from workers in Kenya or the Philippines.
Massive development work is underway, in addition to the transformation of Khalifa Stadium and the construction of seven additional World Cup stadiums, as well as a new airport, new hotels, new roads and public transport, such as and a whole new city built for the final celebrations of the World Cup.
Qatar’s human rights record has been under scrutiny since the nation won the bid to host the international event. Amnesty International has published a frightening report accusing the rich country of lying to migrants to get them to work. Many workers paid high taxes to recruitment companies hired by the Qatari government to cover transport and accommodation. Many of them could not afford the taxes, so they were given loans to repay.
Once in Qatar, they are supposed to be forced to live in miserable conditions and often not paid in time or what they were promised. “Workers often live in a narrow, dirty and insecure space,” Amnesty International reported. “Recruitment agencies also make false promises about the salary that workers will receive and the type of job offered. A worker was promised a salary of $ 300 a month in Nepal, but this turned out to be $ 190 once he started working in Qatar. ”
Payments are also often delayed, leaving workers unable to send money back home or make payments for recruitment-related loans that they have often been forced to take out.
guardian estimates that in the last 10 years since Qatar won the bid to host the event, an average of 12 migrant workers from South Asian countries have died each week. This figure could be twice as high if records of other migrant deaths are published.
Many of the deaths are due to the fact that workers are poorly trained in the safety of the construction site and in the extreme heat conditions of the Arab nation, but some have died in their sleeping areas. A 29-year-old Bangladeshi man named Mohammad Shahid Miah died when flood water in his room came in contact with an exposed electric cable, electrocuting him, according to guardian.
Amnesty International also reports that all migrant workers they interviewed have had their identity documents taken away on arrival and are not granted renewed residence permits, which means they cannot leave the country. Workers are also prohibited from changing jobs, making them comply with contracts that have been signed without legal advice.
The average monthly salary of those working to convert the Khalifa Stadium for games is $ 220, according to Amnesty International, while the main subcontractor is paid more than $ 35 million.
Qatar’s Supreme Committee on Delivery and Inheritance (SC) and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee earlier this month to raise awareness of human rights issues at the World Cup. . “CS has worked tirelessly to protect the health, safety and well-being of all workers engaged in the Qatar 2022 project. We are proud of our achievements over the past 10 years and strongly believe that our actions have set a benchmark for excellence – not just in Qatar. “But across the region and around the world,” Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee on Delivery and Inheritance, said.
The World Cup will take place between November 21 and December 18, 2022, with 32 teams competing in eight stadiums.