“We eat, we drink – whether or not we get up the next day is the fear.”
Over the past few weeks, the controversy over Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup has grown increasingly political, as charges of racism, corruption and hidden agendas make the rounds.
Those politics are kept to a minimum in this recently released 17-minute video, produced by an ESPN affiliate, about a different topic related to the World Cup: workers’ rights.
With several infrastructure projects afoot before 2022, Qatar has grown increasingly dependent on foreign labor to meet its deadlines.
Conditions
Much has been said about the dismal living and working conditions of these constructions workers. Here, some of them – and their relatives overseas – are able to speak for themselves about their experiences in Qatar, sharing their fears about being trapped somewhere far from home.
Not unaware of problems with its current kafala sponsorship system, Qatar has recently been mulling legislation changes that would ideally make it easier for expats here to change jobs and leave the country.
But when these changes will be implemented, and how they will affect the majority of people who live here, remains to be seen.
The above E:360 video was posted last month but traffic spiked this week after it was picked up by Upworthy. It has so far been viewed more than 150,000 times worldwide, spurring myriad reactions that range from horror to dismay to impatience. What do you think of it?
Thoughts?
An embarrassment to the nation of Qatar. I hope to God that somebody with enough power sees this, it hurts his pride that Qataris are notorious for and actually does something to change these labour’s lives. This is sickening and disgusting. If you want to impose the values of your religion upon everyone, how about you start by treating everybody equally rather than worrying about what people wear to go to the mall?!
“Put the workers’ rights on the table as the price for the world cup”. Couldn’t agree more.
Do you know how that would hit FIFA profits? Are you insane? FIFA stays out of politics or laws of the hosting country…er.. except when they forced the Brazillian government to repeal a law that banned alcohol being sold in the stadiums as it affected two of their biggest sponsors, Budweiser and Heinken.
“I’m sorry to say, and maybe I look a bit arrogance, but that’s something we’ll not negotiate on. I mean, there will be and there must be as part of the law, the fact that we have the right to sell beer” said FIFA to Brazil after forcing it to change its laws and make it a requirement to sell beer at the stadiums. But don’t worry, FIFA couldn’t possibly force Qatar to sell beer at Khalifa Stadium as part of the host country contract… or can it?
Once they start selling beer in Qatar’s stadiums will they ever stop?
Whoever you are, I quoted the words of “Sharan Burrow – General Secretary ITUC” from the video and it’s my choice to agree with it. Am I insane or not? it’s none of your business. When you reply, be in your limits and choose your words wisely.
Who is she? Do you know how many people will lose their jobs if you prioritize human life over profits? Do you know the cost of living in Monaco? If you did you would not push your selfish agenda against Qatar…..
You are really out of your mind. “Do you know how many people will lose their jobs if you prioritise human life over profit?” Absolutely insane.. You are completely off topic.. Selfish agenda?? Right. This selfish agenda is for some million migrant workers in Qatar..
I think MIMH is being sarcastic and pulling you on buddy.
Not selfish, but racist agenda againest Qatar
I basically could not stop crying 🙁
welcome to hell
so dis heartening
Oh dear will it ever stop? How about a happy story about Qatar for once. Did you know that Qatar has the highest ratio of Ferraris per head of popluation in the world? Or that Qatar had the biggest flag once? Did you know that unemployment is virtually zero in the state of Qatar and the economy grows at over 6% most years?
How about a story regarding successful landlords who have developed a profitable real estate business renting to the large influx of expatriates?
Or that Qataris spend the highest per visitor to London in an average transaction? (Approx 10,200 QR if anyone wonders)
Really 10,200 in an average transaction…madness you can have ten maids for a month for that or a maid for ten months…..oh hang on nine months because you would have your maid with you to carry your bag for you, so there goes one months wages….
10k riyals is good for 12 months 🙂
…. looks like things keep on trickling from the cupboards with no end in sight
As much as I agree with the necessity of better work conditions and the abolishement of the KAFALA system, I think that there is a high level of dramatization and hypocrisy in this report. Taking into consideration the number of Indian and Nepali population in Qatar, death rates are even lower than that of Qataris or of the death rates in the workers’ home countries, besides calling upon the international community to do something, while the daily killing of hundreds in the middle east is going unnoticed seems utterly ridiculous as if the International Community is concerned or will ever be. Moreover why haven’t we seen such reports about death toll among migrants to the EU or those who try to cross the Mexican American boarders when the World Cup was organized there, aren’t they the main source for low wage workers in the EU and US. I am against inhumane treatment any where, as I am against double standards and blackmailing.
Go and spend a day in their life and then tell me if is “a high level of dramatization and hypocrisy in this report”
That is Right i agree with you let the Qataris spend a day like the nepalies and orthers and tell me if that is a nice life to live
“Moreover why haven’t we seen such reports about death toll among migrants to the EU or those who try to cross the Mexican American boarders when the World Cup was organized there, aren’t they the main source for low wage workers in the EU and US.”
Answer: Because those weren’t the labor forces used to build the stadiums, their employment isn’t sanctioned by the government (i.e. they are illegal), and they aren’t the main low-wage labor force in either the EU or US.
Having said that, there are A LOT more documentaries on the plight of illegal immigrants in the US and EU than there are about Qatar.
Qataris are of all ages, whereas the workers that come are between 20 and 40 mainly, so you would expect them to have a much lower death rate. In fact the number of deaths you would expect under normal conditons to be a tiny percentage. This is certainly not the case for Nepalese workers in Qatar.
If this was happening amongst the Qatari population then there would be a huge investigation. For these people they just get shipped home in body bags.
Death rates are even lower than that of Qatari’s? Are you comparing deaths at workplace or death of healthy young men due to heart attacks? Let’s not compare apples to oranges and then call it double standard.
Or death by own hand driving a Land Cruiser like you are invincible?
Abdullah, the light in the night, your first line is refreshing.
Today in The Peninsula Abdullah Al Emadi wrote: “These [UK] newspapers cannot have good intentions. Nor can any rational person believe that these newspapers mean well. The campaign against Qatar indicates that these newspapers have either been paid to do this or want to blackmail Qatar. They want to keep us busy thinking of these small things in order to exhaust us. This is why we want our government to be firm in dealing with these newspapers.”
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar-perspective/abdullah-al-emadi/288326/uk-papers-attacking-qatar
Does that make me irrational for seeing this video and thinking ‘something has to change’?
Never underestimate the power of denial.
I don’t see how this is a campaign against Qatar. It’s impartial reporting as far as I can see. I mean they are criticizing UK and Russian for bribery charges in the same papers as well. So does this make it a campaign against UK and Russia as well? Qatar wanted the the publicity and the limelight on themselves, now that most of it turns out to be negative, they shouldn’t start calling it bias/racism.
On the other hand, I agree that the government should sue for defamation and then the onus will be on the newspapers to prove their claim or pay up in fines/ post apologies appropriately.
So if you fall, it’s suicide, and if you have a heart attack despite being young and previously healthy, it’s natural causes. No wonder “no one” died on any of the world cup projects yet.
Is it possible that contracts are torn up and they’re paid a lower amount?
Dear Doha News Editor, can you enlighten your readers as to who are the contractors who have won the tenders for projects related to Qatar 2022 and their country of origin?
And who the regulatory authority is that oversees them and decides what employment conditions their employees can work under.
like if poor people here don’t feel like the locals, don’t need to feed their children like locals, don’t get sick like locals etc etc…where is compassion? Has life more or less importance according to the country of origin? Blah!
My 12 year old watched this and had tears in his eyes. He was asking why are these people dying in the what is supposed to be the richest country in the world.
Why? Ohh that opens a whole can of worms and will make the young fella cry forever more about the cruelty of humans….
At least he is exhibiting a human emotion and sees the other’s regardless of their race or religion or nationality as human as well.