Exploitation and Abuse, Qatar 2022

Exploitation and Abuse, Qatar 2022

Exploitation and Abuse, Qatar 2022
Exploitation and Abuse, Qatar 2022 “I have not seen a single slave in Qatar. I don’t know where those reports come from. I have been to Qatar many times and therefore have a different view, which, I believe, is more realistic.” - Franz...
Exploitation and Abuse, Qatar 2022 “I have not seen a single slave in Qatar. I don’t know where those reports come from. I have been to Qatar many times and therefore have a different view, which, I believe, is more realistic.” - Franz...
Exploitation and Abuse, Qatar 2022 “I have not seen a single slave in Qatar. I don’t know where those reports come from. I have been to Qatar many times and therefore have a different view, which, I believe, is more realistic.” - Franz...
Exploitation and Abuse, Qatar 2022 “I have not seen a single slave in Qatar. I don’t know where those reports come from. I have been to Qatar many times and therefore have a different view, which, I believe, is more realistic.” - Franz...

Exploitation and Abuse, Qatar 2022

I have not seen a single slave in Qatar. I don’t know where those reports come from. I have been to Qatar many times and therefore have a different view, which, I believe, is more realistic.” - Franz Beckenbaurer

Franz, it might be time to rethink that position. The ongoing exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar is an established fact at this point, and a recent report by Amnesty International further confirms what we already knew: Qatar is a nation whose explosive growth has been based on the systemic exploitation of migrant workers. Whether it’s the latest hotel in Doha, a man-made luxury island, or a stadium fit for a World Cup Final, odds are, it’s been built on the back of a maltreated and underpaid slave workforce. 

Here are some highlights from Amnesty International’s report

  • There are 1.35 million foreign nationals working in Qatar
  • Migrant workers now make up some 94 per cent of the total workforce in the country
  • 90% had their passports held by their employers
  • 56% did not have a government health card, essential to access public hospitals
  • 21% “sometimes, rarely or never” received their salary on time
  • 20% got a different salary than had been promised
  • 15% worked in a different job to the one promised

And that’s just scratching the surface.

From employers preventing migrants from leaving the country, to improper safety standards and workers subjected to a life of poverty, the image of Qatar illustrated in the report is not only disappointing, but barbaric. 

Let’s get one thing straight: this isn’t a situation where FIFA can wash it’s hands and reject responsibility with a shrug of the shoulders. Qatar’s abuses extend to those projects designed to grow the game abroad, both in regards to stadium projects, as well as the construction of FIFA’s local headquarters in Doha.

As Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Salil Shetty, stated in the report, “It is simply inexcusable in one of the richest countries in the world, that so many migrant workers are being ruthlessly exploited, deprived of their pay and left struggling to survive.

Let’s take that a step further. it’s inexcusable that one of the richest organizations in the world, whose core message is to grow the sport and assist developing nations, willingly ignores such obvious and deeply ingrained abuses simply because it would interrupt their World Cup plans. 

But at this point, it’s not just FIFA and Qatar who are liable for such extensive abuses. At some point, we’ve got to accept a bit of responsibility of our own. We consume, we watch, we discuss; the World Cup cannot exist without fans, and as long as we’re willing to sit back while workers are being exploited in the name of sport, we’ve got blood on our hands. 

We’ve crossed a bridge at this point, folks, and we can’t ignore it any longer. But hey, at least Russia will be fun, right?

Please be sure to read through Amnesty International’s report here, or, for an abbreviated press release, click here[Posted by Maxi]