As criticism of Qatar escalates ahead of the FIFA World Cup, the country rejects calls from several NGOs to set up a compensation fund for migrant workers killed or injured on construction sites construction of tournament infrastructure. In an interview with Agence France-Presse on Wednesday 2 November, Ali Ben Samikh Al-Marri, Qatari labor minister, said that it was a “communication stunt”.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are leading a campaign to obtain compensation for workers who are victims of” abuse “ (death, injuries, unpaid wages, etc.) from the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the host country of the 2022 World Cup, competition which begins on November 20.
Attempts to “discredit Qatar”
“Every death is a tragedy, [mais] there are no criteria for establishing this fundsays the minister. Where are the victims? Do you have the names? » The minister recalled that his country had set up a compensation fund in 2018 for workers who do not receive their wages, putting forward the figure of 320 million euros paid in 2022 alone. “If a person entitled to compensation has not received it, let them come forward and we will help them”he insisted, adding that Qatar is ready to examine cases dating back more than ten years. “discrediting Qatar with deliberately misleading claims”. According to him, some foreign politicians make the Gulf country “an arena to solve their own political problems”. These criticisms are sometimes “motivated by racism”according to him. “They don’t want to allow a small country, an Arab country, a Muslim country, to organize the World Cup”he continues.
The World of malaise
Less than twenty days from its launch, the 2022 World Cup continues to create unease. Calls for a boycott have multiplied in recent weeks and several French cities have already announced that they will not set up fan-zones to broadcast the matches of this edition.
Many organizations denounce, in addition to the fact that labor law is violated on construction sites, the unsustainability of working conditions and the significant loss of life. According to studies by the International Labor Organization and human rights NGOs, the human toll of the World Cup in Qatar amounts to hundreds, if not thousands of deaths – Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch mention thousands of deaths.
FIFA should set aside a minimum amount of €420 million to provide reparations to the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who suffered human rights abuses in Qatar during preparations for the 2022 World Cup, Amnesty International wrote in a statement. report released in May.
Al-Marri said on Wednesday that such a compensation fund was not feasible. FIFA had made it known in mid-October that there was a “dialogue in progress” for measures in favor of workers on construction sites.