World Cup 2022 Qatar – polluted by the blood and tears of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers
Less than two days after the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, and after more than a decade of construction, Qatar is hosting the World Cup tainted with the blood and tears of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, and some wonder whether the voices of fans will be drowned out by the cries of hundreds of thousands of workers who have lost their lives or their humanity in the fields of injustice and blood in Qatar.
Exploitation and crime
This is the first time a World Cup has been given to a country in the Middle East, but in the 12 years since Qatar was announced to host the 2022 finals, the decision has been constantly in question. There have been stories of exploitation and even death of migrant workers in the construction of stadiums, according to the British Guardian. Moreover, there have been complaints about how fans enjoy the event in the extreme temperatures in Qatar, but now the tournament is about to begin. Will the excitement of the biggest football event overcome these criticisms and the humanitarian crimes committed against workers.
Abuse and harassment
The British newspaper, in its investigation, confirmed that workers in Qatar since the beginning of the establishment of the World Cup facilities and they face abuse, sexual exploitation and abuse, said Hope from Kenya “For 18 months starting in mid-2020, a male supervisor at the hotel in Qatar where she was working repeatedly offered her a sexual offer, when she refused to assign her extra cleaning work without additional pay,” adding “I was frustrated, because when someone tells you such things, you ask yourself, ‘Why is he exploiting you?'”, she went on to say that the plight of the tens of thousands of men who traveled thousands of miles to help build Qatar’s dream of hosting the World Cup and the exploitation that many faced had been documented. However, rights groups say that the problems facing migrant women were not explored or examined in the same way, and their voices were largely absent from the debate on the rights of migrant workers in the run-up to the tournament. Women working in the global hospitality industry are particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
Shocking novels
The British newspaper spoke to five women, who were employed in various hotels in Qatar between 2017 and 2022, about their experiences and detailed allegations of sexual harassment and physical and verbal abuse. Most of these hotels are among more than 100 hotels currently accredited by FIFA. Testimonies from women interviewed for this article, as well as testimonies from experts who worked extensively with guest workers in Qatar, confirm that few feel able to report sexual harassment if it occurs. “Although men dominate the country’s migrant labor force, government data show that as of June this year, nearly 300,000 migrant women have worked in Qatar,” “In 2020, migrant women made up just over a fifth of hotel workers, according to the latest government statistics, though this may be significantly lower because the figures exclude subcontracted workers, human rights groups say.”
Sally from Kenya says: I was just trying to do my job. The hotel-cleaning shift was almost over. Fatigue had started. The dirty covers would not wash themselves. But the guest had requested a kiss. As she said, when she told her supervisor of the incident, the response was essentially: “You are a woman, you know how to handle your problems”. “I don’t like approaching strangers because you never know their intentions,” she said. “It brings back memories, I never want to go back, and the administration often took a few actions or sided with the guests when the workers complained about harassment.”
