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11 Jul 2022

Qatar 2022: Campaign from investigative journalism platform Blankspot highlights abuse of migrant workers in course of tournament preparations; incl. co. non-response

fifg, Shutterstock (purchased)

Investigative journalism platform Blankspot has launched a campaign, Cards of Qatar, to highlight abuse against migrant workers in the country that has occurred as the emirate prepares to host the World Cup in November.

Cards of Qatar is a catalogue of 33 football cards telling the stories of migrant workers from Nepal, Bangladesh and India who died in Qatar. The campaign will also feature articles and interviews with players, politicians and workers' organizations, released in the last few months before the World Cup.

The Resource Centre invited Redco Construction-Almana to respond to allegations that the family of one of their workers who died in 2017 has still not received compensation; they did not respond. The Resource Centre was unable to verify contact information for most companies named in the cases - Young Trad, Challenger Trading and Contracting, Smart System General Contracting Co., Saeed Salem Al Khulaifi Trading & Contracting, and Qd Sbg Construction - and could not invite them to respond publicly to the cases.

These workers are not just statistics. Their stories need to be heard. At first glance, everything from the portraits, the glossy surface and the packaging creates the impression of authentic football cards. But at a closer look, the portraits and stories belong to migrant workers in Qatar, each with an unfiltered story.
Martin Schibbye, chief editor and co-founder of Blankspot