Qatar 2022 World Cup: Kenyan and Ugandan workers denounce mistreatment at event-related projects | RMMD DTBN | Total Sports

Twelve hours a day without days off for months and even years or fines for leaving the mail to go to the bathroom are some of the abuses migrant workers (Uganda and Kenya) are subjected to from security companies in Qatar, some of whom have been employed in projects related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022Amnesty International condemned today.

The human rights organization presented a new report on the conditions of foreign workers’ rights in Qatar, entitled “They Think We Are Machines,” exposing working conditions that are “equivalent to forced labor.” .

AI They interviewed 34 immigrants who worked or worked for eight security companies in Qatar, three of which provided services for FIFA tournaments, and explained how they typically have to work 12-hour shifts during the seven days of the week, despite the fact that they are. Qatari law mandates a maximum of 60 hours per week.

A Kenyan worker explained that he worked in such conditions without getting one day off for months and another, from Bangladesh, for three years, while a third worker explained that during the first week, after 12 hours of work, he had to go to an eight-hour training course in a day.

Taking a day off without permission, although entitled by law, in many cases entails an economic penalty being deducted from their pay, as happened for other reasons such as not wearing a uniform properly or leaving a job without permission to go. to the bathroom, according to the NGO.

Other violations documented by Amnesty International include overcrowded and unsanitary accommodations, working hours exposed to intense sunlight (somewhat restricted by law in the warmer months since 2017), discrimination in wages or tasks based on race, and failure to pay overtime. or barriers to taking advantage of the disease. Leave.

The NGO stated that ahead of the World Cup at the end of this year, Qatar introduced important reforms in its labor legislation to prevent abuses in the “sponsorship” system that governs expatriate workers in the country.

“Despite the progress Qatar has made in recent years, our research indicates that abuses in the private security sector, which will be most in demand during the World Cup, will remain systemic and structural,” said the head of social and economic justice at the Ministry of Justice. Organization, Stephen Cockburn, select statement.

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