QATAR: SERIOUS MIGRANT WORKER ABUSES
Construction Boom Not Accompanied by Labor Reform
EMAIL(Beirut) – International criticism over serious abuses of migrant workers was focused onQatar during 2013, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2014. The authorities have ignored warnings to reform a legal and regulatory system that facilitates forced labor.
Human Rights Watch said in January 2013 that without major reforms, the tens of thousands of migrant workers building infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup would face exploitation and misery. Further revelations were made in 2013 of appalling living and working conditions and high death rates for migrant workers. But despite mounting international criticism, Qatari authorities have given no indication they intend to carry out needed reforms.