Did you now that many migrant workers paid exorbitant and illegal recruitment fees to make FIFA’s World Cup 2022 in Qatar possible? And that FIFA and the host country have yet to commit to a remedy fund for serious abuses against migrant workers, including many workers in serious debt from paying these fees? Today Human Rights Watch published new research on-topic.
With only 30 days left until the World Cup kicks off, there is a slim window for the world football federation and authorities in Qatar to finally commit to remedy past abuses that have stained the event. “Unless FIFA and Qatar act, then the real ‘legacy’ of this tournament will be how FIFA, Qatar, and anyone profiting from this World Cup left families of thousands of migrant workers indebted after they died and left many migrant workers who had their wages stolen uncompensated,” says my colleague Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW.
HRW interviewed workers from Bangladesh, India, Kenya, and Nepal, families of deceased migrant workers; recruiters; and contractors. Migrant workers said they had paid unaffordable recruitment fees by borrowing at high interest rates, selling assets, and depleting family savings. Many workers fell into debt bondage and were unable to leave their job, making them more vulnerable to abuse and subject to further penalties if they failed to work. Debt bondage is a form of forced labor and is prohibited under international labor standards.
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