Amnesty International on Thursday alleged that migrant workers in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup are facing abuse, including forced labor, per the Associated Press.
#Qatar: Abuse & appalling treatment of #FIFA World Cup workers MUST stop now. #Qatar2022 https://t.co/K2cNopZ0Yh pic.twitter.com/AKwLWRwG2d
— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) March 31, 2016
After previous concerns over the working conditions in Qatar, the 52-page report alleges, based on interviews with workers, crowded and undesirable living conditions, paychecks being withheld for months, passport confiscation and more.
Migrants building World Cup stadium in #Qatar are abused & exploited while #FIFA profits. https://t.co/K2cNopZ0Yh pic.twitter.com/XjiSBkiQBA
— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) March 31, 2016
But the biggest accusation is the forced labor. From the AP:
The report's most damning findings center on what Amnesty says is evidence of forced labor involving workers employed on the refurbishment of the Khalifa stadium, a venue first built in the 1970s that is being overhauled to host World Cup matches.
The forced labor allegations involve workers employed by at least one small labor supply company contracted to provide manpower on the stadium project. The report includes comments from five workers who described being forced to work against their will after trying to leave or refusing to work because of pay disputes.
One worker who told Amnesty he tried to return home because of consistently late pay alleges his boss threatened to withhold his salary and told him to "keep working or you will never leave.
Yeah, this isn't good for FIFA or Qatar, especially considering the tournament was set to be in the U.S. before more fishy business from FIFA. Just a black eye on Qatar and another one on FIFA during the organization's darkest days.
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