Qatar "has come under renewed criticism for alleged labour abuses ahead of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup, with Amnesty International saying the government’s response has been 'woefully insufficient,'" according to Simeon Kerr of the FINANCIAL TIMES.
Amnesty "urged prompt action to ensure the tournament was not 'built on forced labour and exploitation.'"
In May, the labour ministry said that "it would reform the sponsorship system, known as kafala, and would boost inspections and facilitate workers’ ability to report abuses." Amnesty said that "the proposed legislation was 'marginal tinkering at best'" (FT, 11/12). The BBC reported Amnesty said that "requirements that workers obtain exit permits from their employers in order to leave the country were also still in place."
AI Refugee and Migrants' Rights Head Sherif Elsayed-Ali said, "Time is running out fast. It has been four years since Qatar won the bid to host the World Cup, putting itself in the global spotlight, so far its response to migrant labour abuses has not been much more than promises of action and draft laws" (BBC, 11/12).
