Amnesty: Security guards work as forced laborers for World Cup in Qatar

Migrant workers working in Qatar as security guards still work under conditions equivalent to forced labour. Amnesty International concludes this after an investigation in the country where the Dutch national team opens the World Cup on November 21 with a game against Senegal.

In the report ‘They think that we’re machines’, the human rights organization describes the situation of 34 security officers from companies that are also involved in the World Cup. They often work twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Some have even been waiting for a day off for years. Migrants have been cut on their wages because they stayed at home for a day.

Qatar has about 300,000 authentic inhabitants. About 2.5 million migrants present do the visible work. They do not have to work more than 60 hours a week and are entitled to one day of rest. But 28 of the 34 security guards told Amnesty that they regularly work 84 hours a week, also because their day off is denied.

Bangladeshi security guard Abdul worked continuously as a security guard from 2018 to mid-2021, without a day off. Jacob from Uganda ran the risk of a fine of 50 euros, which he does not earn in five days, if he did take a day off. He worked for a company involved in the Khalifa International Stadium, where the Orange squad will play against Ecuador on November 25. Because of his work and associated courses, the Ugandan Zeke sometimes only had 4 hours left to sleep. “They think we’re machines,” he said.

Qatar has introduced laws to improve the work situation of migrant workers. The kafala system, which made employees the property of employers, has been abolished. Qatar now also has a heat protocol and minimum wage of about 250 euros per month. But by no means all employers comply with these laws, Amnesty noted when it investigated the situation of construction workers and keepers.

After alarming reports from Amnesty, the world football association FIFA and the supreme committee, which organizes the World Cup, have broken off cooperation with two companies that secured World Cup locations. Qatar’s labor ministry and the supreme committee have pledged to Amnesty that they will continue to address “individual cases of misconduct” in order to further reduce the number of companies that violate the laws.

“FIFA must focus on the exploitation of security officers, otherwise the World Cup will be further marred by abuse,” said Stephen Cockburn of Amnesty International. “Fifa must also use its influence to pressure Qatar to enforce new laws.”