FIFA should match the $440 million World Cup prize money to launch a compensation program for "hundreds of thousands" of migrant workers whose labor was abused and whose rights were violated during the preparation for the Doha-hosted 2022 championship, a prominent international human rights organization said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2022) FIFA should match the $440 million World Cup prize money to launch a compensation program for "hundreds of thousands" of migrant workers whose labor was abused and whose rights were violated during the preparation for the Doha-hosted 2022 championship, a prominent international human rights organization said on Thursday.
According to a report published by Amnesty International, FIFA failed to identify the risks to labor force associated with Qatar's hosting the World Cup, despite the country's notorious track record of labor rights violations.
"Providing compensation to workers who gave so much to make the tournament happen, and taking steps to make sure such abuses never happen again, could represent a major turning point in FIFA's commitment to respect human rights," Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said.
Migrant workers make up 95% of the total workforce in Qatar and are particularly vulnerable as the Gulf monarchy has lax labor laws, lacks trade unions and practices the so-called kafala system, which makes migrants heavily dependent on their employers in all legal and visa procedures, according to the group's report.
Amnesty International criticized FIFA for failing to address these issues before the start of construction works at World Cup facilities and venues in Qatar. As a result, numerous cases of labor abuse, including excessive working hour and forced labor on projects related to the World Cup, went under the radar.
"To remedy the litany of abuses committed since 2010, when FIFA awarded hosting rights to Qatar without requiring any improvement in labour protections, the organizations called on FIFA to at least match the $440m it hands out in prize money at the World Cup," the watchdog said.
This amount, representing a fraction of FIFA's anticipated $6 billion revenues from the event, should be paid to workers whose wages were withheld and to the families of those who died during the construction work, the report said. The rest should be invested in labor initiatives and programs aimed at eradicating exploitative practices of Qatari employers and ensuring that human and labor rights violations are prevented in the future.
FIFA World Cup will take place from November 21 to December 18 in Doha.
