Qatar Denies Allegations Of Exploitation Of Migrant Workers For 2022 World Cup

Doha Qatar/ILLUSTRATED PHOTO UNSPLASH/Olleg Ilarionov

JAKARTA - The Qatari government admits its labor system still needs to be reformed, but denies allegations of exploitation of thousands of migrant workers in preparation for the 2022 World Cup, Amnesty International reports.

A statement by Qatar's Government Communications Agency on Tuesday, November 16 refuted Amnesty International's claims that labor reform in the country has not brought about significant change for thousands of migrant workers in the Middle Eastern country.

"Amnesty failed to document a single story among the 242,870 workers who have been able to change jobs since the restrictions were lifted in September 2020 or regarding the benefits to the more than 400,000 workers who are now receiving new drinking wages based on salary increases and other financial incentives," the statement said. quoted by Antara from Reuters.

"Qatar has never shied away from the fact that our workforce system still needs to be reformed.

"The government is committed to active and constructive collaboration with international partners and critical groups to continuously raise the bar for migrant workers in Qatar," the statement said.

Previously, Amnesty International published a 48-page report titled Reality Check 2021 which stated that in the midst of preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar there were still practices of deferral of wages and levies on workers who wanted to change jobs, despite labor reforms in 2014.

"The apparent complacency of the authorities puts thousands of workers at continued risk of exploitation by unscrupulous employers, with many unable to change jobs and facing wage theft," said Mark Dummett, director of Amnesty International's global issues program, as quoted by The Guardian.

"They have little hope for recovery, compensation, or justice. After the World Cup, the fate of the workers living in Qatar will be even more uncertain."

The issue of migrant workers in Qatar had sparked calls for a boycott of the 2022 World Cup.

However, football players such as the Dutch national team stated that directing the spotlight when competing in Qatar would have a bigger impact than a boycott.