During the past decade, migrant workers have been killed on Qatar’s World Cup construction sites. The Guardian reported that over 6,500 labourers have died since 2010 in the country.
According to the Guardian, most of the deaths are linked to low-wage, dangerous work. The ILO has compiled its own figures of the World Cup related incidents.
One Indian labourer died of a heart attack while working on a stadium in Doha. His family was not paid for his death. Another Nepalese labourer, Surendra Tamang, was sent back home in October of 2021. He had been in Qatar for eight months.
According to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), each worker is investigated and each death is classified as work-related or non-work related. The number of non-work-related deaths is 31.
The migrant workers have been forced to work for long hours under very hot conditions. Some workers have complained of physical abuse from their unforgiving bosses. They have been deprived of wages and food.
The World Cup has been a major source of controversy over the treatment of migrant workers. Some workers have reported working without pay, while others have been left begging for food.
The Qatari Government claims that it has made important progress on labour reforms. However, these reforms are still a work in progress. Some of the migrant workers have reported that their passports are held hostage by contracting firms.
The Qatari government is seeking to address the migrant worker issue in its 2022 World Cup preparations. The government has announced that it is working to ensure that recruitment fees are repaid to workers.
