Tackling human rights in Qatar World Cup

The Oranje lined up in T-shirts that declared “Football Supports Change” ahead of kick-off in their second match of the qualifying campaign in Amsterdam. Netherlands coach Frank de Boer, meanwhile, said: “A lot of attention is now focused on whether we should go there if we qualify. “It is right to ask that question. Everyone knows that what is happening there is not good.”Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have said that if we go there, we can better promote the cause.”

The demonstration follows a similar one made by the Norway team, who wore shirts bearing the message “Human rights on and off the pitch” before they faced Gibraltar and Turkey in World Cup qualifying. According to Norway’s captain Martin Ødegaard,”There’s some Norways club who are critically unite againts the human rights and tend to do a boycott the Qatar Worlc Cup 2022″.Norway coach Staale Solbakken added the protest was an attempt to put “pressure on FIFA to be even more direct, even firmer with the authorities in Qatar, to impose stricter requirements”.

Germany, meanwhile, also lined up before the 3-0 win over Iceland on March 25 in the World Cup qualifiers, the German national team sent a statement supporting the protection of human rights, with each player wearing a jersey with a letter spelling out the message.DFB is committed to respecting human rights, which is been the commitment to human rights and also incorporated into the DFB’s statutes at the DFB’s 2019 Annual General Meeting.

Qatar was a polemical choice to host the 2022 Men’s World Cup and has been under scrutiny since because of its inequitable laws and conditions for the migrant workers who are helping to build the infrastructure for the mega event. More than 6500 immigrant from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago, the Guardian can reveal. The findings, compiled from government sources, mean an average of 12 migrant workers from these five south Asian nations have died each week since the night in December 2010 when the streets of Doha were filled with ecstatic crowds celebrating Qatar’s victory.

The recommendations included removing migrant workers’ rights to change jobs during their contract, limiting the number of times they can switch, and increasing the proportion of workers who require exit permits to leave the country.“There is a real lack of clarity and transparency surrounding these deaths,” said May Romanos, Gulf researcher for Amnesty International. “There is a need for Qatar to strengthen its occupational health and safety standards.”

“We have always been transparent about the health and safety of workers on projects directly related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Since construction began in 2014, there have been three work-related fatalities and 35 non-work-related deaths. The SC has investigated each case, learning lessons to avoid any repeat in the future. The Qatar’s Supreme Committee (SC) has disclosed each incident through public statements and or Annual Workers’ Welfare Progress Reports.

In 2019 it found that Qatar’s intense summer heat is likely to be a significant factor in many worker deaths. The Guardian’s findings were supported by research commissioned by the UN’s International Labour Organization which revealed that for at least four months of the year workers faced significant heat stress during the work.

“Preparations for the first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East and Arab world have already brought significant benefits to workers on SC and non-SC projects in Qatar. These include significantly improved accommodation facilities, the provision of electronic medical records and comprehensive medical checks, innovative heat stress mitigation plans, extensive training and upskilling programmes and a guarantee from SC contractors to reimburse USD $30m+ in illegal recruitment fees to 48,883 SC and non-SC workers.

With less than two years until the tournament begins, Qatar will continue to use this opportunity to deliver sustainable change and leave a meaningful legacy beyond 2022. However, in the context of a major event such as the World Cup, it can and must help to draw the public’s attention to this issue.

Sources used during this writing

• https://www.knvb.com/news/dutch-football/international-football/1180/football-supports-change
• https://www.dfb.de/en/news/detail/keller-we-must-and-will-continue-to-make-our-voices-heard-225807/?no_cache=1%26cHash=f6c3c4a4c52d192ef4c69e71a2195a3d
• http://www.football-oranje.com/de-ligt-confirms-netherlands-statement-about-world-cup-in-qatar/
• https://www.euronews.com/2021/03/28/football-netherlands-joins-germany-norway-in-qatar-world-cup-protest
• https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022