Qatar has been nominated to host the 2022 World Cup for which radical construction projects are being setup but on the back drop of that thousand of workers are being laid down in the name of hard labor and labor exploitation. With such ambitious projects running around thousands of worker are working round the clock to make the 2022 World Cup possible where every day hundreds of migrants workers and laborers are suffering the consequences of hard labor issues. Out of which Nepali worker are facing the worst due to lack of proper policies and regulation, to be precise the Nepali worker are facing serve labor exploitation and hardship. Moreover, the situation has worsened so much that the death rate of Nepali worker in Qatar has increased tremendously that highlights a clear indication to the life standards and work pressure.
According to the official documents from the Nepalese embassy in Qatar around 50 workers have been send home in coffin between June and August. The most common cause of death has been reported to be from heart failure but looking at the workers age their deaths are unconditional. According to experts this can happen only due to dire working and living conditions. These workers have poor eating habits, high levels of mental stress and long hours in extreme conditions which result in prune health issues.
Sources estimate that the Qatar government is ready to invest more than USD 100 billion on infrastructure projects to support the World Cup where the government is committed to build nine state-of-the-art stadiums, new roads, a causeway connecting Qatar to Bahrain, a high-speed rail network, a new airport and 55,000 hotel rooms to accommodate visiting fans .
Contemplating this ambitious project the Qatar government is planning to import 1.5 million of Migrants workers and laborers from all over the world. Currently looking at the statistics Nepalese workers make 40% of migrant laborers in Qatar which makes them the most victims of the ambitious world cup project.
Though Fifa world cup authorities have already made it clear that no labor exploitation will be tolerated but in reality Nepali Migrant workers are dying with the pressure of completion of the world cup project. Jim Boyce, Fifa vice-president was reported saying “I was appalled and very disturbed after reading the allegations in the newspaper this morning. Fifa must investigate this information immediately and report the full findings at the earliest opportunity to the Fifa executive committee. He called for an immediate investigation into the deaths of dozens of Nepalese workers and the ill-treatment of thousands of others working in Qatar in £85bn construction frenzy as the country prepares to host the tournament.”
On a report published by the guardian, it clearly states, “The overall picture is of one of the richest nations exploiting one of the poorest to get ready for the world’s most popular sporting tournament. The Guardian’s investigation also found men throughout the wider Qatari construction industry sleeping 12 to a room in places and getting sick through repulsive conditions in filthy hostels. Some say they have been forced to work without pay and left begging for food.”
According to a Prakash Pandit , “The workers are not happy, they exploited in terms of everything from their salaries to the work hours to the living standards they just have to compromise as they have no option. They work round the clock and still they are paid less then what they are promised. They cannot refuse or voice as their official documents are sponsored by the organization. They have no voice they are living a nightmare that lives every day. The embassy cannot do anything, it’s their country and we are the guest, they have given the migrant worker of Nepal the least facility and services where our embassy is still silent about the issue. The embassy can do very little.”
International Labour Organization says , “forced labour is all work which is exacted from someone under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily”.
The life of the migrant worker hangs in a dilemma neither they cannot return nor they can fight back. With such low living standard and condition they are bound to live with no exception.