Workers in Doha, Qatar. (AFP Photo / Goh Chai Hin)
Qatar has made no progress in abolishing laws that effectively force foreign workers into slavery, an international delegation has said. A worker’s rights group has estimated 4,000 migrant workers could die if nothing is done before the 2022 World Cup.
A delegation from the International Trade Union Confederation concluded a four-day visit to Qatar on Sunday. In the press release published following the official visit, the delegation said it found “no improvement in living and working conditions of migrant workers.”
Qatar uses the Kafala system to govern its domestic migrant workers. The system requires that foreign workers be sponsored by an employee who is responsible for their visa and legal status. Human Rights groups have found evidence that the Kafala system is being manipulated, with employers denying migrants’ wages and refusing to grant them an exit visa to leave the country.
“Professional and poor workers alike tell the same stories; they came to Qatar with optimism and good will, only to face despair when their employer decides they are disposable and refuses to pay wages, sack them without benefits and or refused to sign their exit permit,” said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
Read More: http://rt.com/news/qatar-worker-rights-slavery-585/
Categories: Societal
Engineering Evil 