Qatar: Migrant workers utilizing social media app TikTok to shed light on labour rights violations under strict Govt. control
"Dissent, fame and vlogs: Qatar's migrant workers find their voices on TikTok", 4 Sept 2022
Away from government control and public scrutiny, a TikTok user will see almost everything that shapes the life of an expatriate in Doha on the app. In short clips, one can encounter the good, the bad and the ugly, from happy success stories to angry labour protests...
Another video, taken in February, shows a man speaking in Hindi encouraging workers with the UrbaCon Trading & Contracting Company (UCC) to demand their rights. In the same month, labourers posted videos of them striking against the construction company...
According to a Qatari security source, who spoke to MEE on condition of anonymity, almost every recent labour protest in Qatar first appeared on TikTok, highlighting the importance of the app in bringing attention to the workers' plight...
The app is also used to raise awareness about the treatment of domestic workers by their employers...
Zahra Al Anssari, a Qatari TikTok influencer, said these videos are a good way to expose Qataris to the struggles of migrant workers in their own country. "It's a good way to spread awareness," Al Anssari told MEE...
[Also applies to Al Bandary Engineering and Electro Watt.]