Doha, Qatar
CNN
—
As the 2022 World Cup draws to a close, global human rights groups have renewed their criticism of Qatar and FIFA for their treatment of the thousands of migrant workers who built stadiums and infrastructure for the tournament.
Sunday’s World Cup final coincides with both International Migrants Day and Qatar’s National Day.
Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice, said: “No matter how great football is, this competition will not be able to pay illegal recruitment fees, steal wages, It has paid a heavy price for hundreds of thousands of workers who lost their lives.” He said in a statement to CNN.
He added that workers and their families “deserve compensation” from the authorities.
“We are still waiting for FIFA and Qatar to commit to ensuring relief for all who made this World Cup possible,” he said.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday lauded organizers and volunteers for hosting “the best World Cup ever”, but critics said his comments were often harsh and poor living and working conditions. He said it was ignoring the suffering of exposed migrant workers.
Groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Equidem and Migrant Defenders have all called on Qatar and FIFA to do more for the migrant workers who hosted the World Cup.
FIFA has also been criticized by the Ukrainian president’s office for refusing to display a peace message from President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the final.
“FIFA has a human rights policy with clear rules to protect human rights, but it’s important to protect the most vulnerable from the wealthy partners,” said Minky Warden, global initiatives director at Human Rights Watch. There is too much support for Qatar, which is a
Worden also said labor reforms by Qatari authorities were “too late” and “too narrow” or “poorly implemented” to benefit many migrant workers.
“This World Cup in Qatar will certainly be remembered as the most expensive sporting event ever, and the deadliest, for all the wrong reasons,” she added. .
Labor rights group Equidem has called on Infantino to help establish an independent migrant worker center in post-World Cup Qatar.
Qatar, a tiny country smaller than Connecticut, has captured the world’s attention in recent weeks. But hosting the World Cup also puts the human rights record in the spotlight.
The deaths of migrant workers in the country in the years leading up to the competition have also drawn fierce criticism.
According to government estimates, over 30,000 foreign workers have been brought in to build the stadium, mostly from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. The Gulf countries have also expanded airports and built new hotels, railways and highways.
Malcolm Bidali, a former security guard in Qatar and co-founder of Nairobi-based Migrant Defenders, told CNN this week that he was concerned about the plight of migrant workers after the World Cup spotlight faded. Told.
“As we speak, people who are still without pay, living in cramped conditions, facing physical, verbal and sexual assault, discrimination, long hours and poor working conditions. There are people who are,” Bidali said.
