Qatar World Cup: Nepali migrant workers forced to seek work abroad despite abuse risks
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Dec 2022
Location: Qatar
Companies
FIFA - PartnerProjects
Qatar World Cup 2022 Unspecified Projects - ClientOther
Not Reported ( Construction ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Nepal , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Occupational Health & Safety , Heat exposureResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None reported
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Dec 2022
Location: Qatar
Other
Not Reported ( Construction ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Nepal , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Wage Theft , Occupational Health & Safety , Injuries , Illness , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure TimeResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None reported
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Dec 2022
Location: Qatar
Other
Not Reported ( Recruitment agencies ) - Recruiter , Not Reported ( Construction ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Nepal , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Recruitment FeesResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None Reported
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Dec 2022
Location: Qatar
Other
Not Reported ( Construction ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Nepal , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Occupational Health & Safety , InjuriesResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: Prem was returned by the company but returned back to Qatar feeling he had no choice. Nothing is recorded regarding the health & safety response.
Source type: News outlet
Shutterstock (purchased)
"Does life get better for Qatar’s migrant workers once the World Cup ends?", 14 Dec 2022
For nearly 12 years now, the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has shone a spotlight on the use and abuse of migrant workers in the global economy today....
So, for those migrant workers who survived, a question: where to next?...
Southeast Nepal, where Ramesh lives, sends more migrant workers abroad than any other part of the country. Apart from some agricultural work, which is irregular and low-paid, there simply aren’t many jobs locally that pay enough to live.
Those are found overseas, but they come with a price. There is almost no chance of getting a visa without paying hefty fees to recruiters. And with no resources of their own, poor workers have little choice but to borrow money and hope that foreign employment pays off in the long run....
Workers’ desperation can be seen at the international airport in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. More than 2,100 workers depart from there every day, according to the records of the Department of Foreign Employment. The same airport receives 3-4 dead bodies of workers on average each day, mainly from the Gulf nations and Malaysia.
Over and over, in reporting these stories for openDemocracy I heard migrant workers describe their job overseas as something they are compelled to do. Yet almost in the same breath, they also said they wanted to continue working abroad for their livelihood. It’s an unresolvable, unavoidable dilemma that many migrant workers face...