A Human Rights Watch report said that FIFA has "fallen short of its commitment to protect workers on Russia’s World Cup stadiums who have been forced to do backbreaking labour in freezing conditions without appropriate clothing and not knowing if they will be paid," according to Martha Kelner of the London GUARDIAN. With the Confederations Cup beginning in the country this week, a year before the start of the World Cup, Russia "is in the spotlight, particularly for its treatment of migrant workers." However, a 34-page report produced by Human Rights Watch said that FIFA "failed to deliver on its promise to conduct effective monitoring of labour conditions." According to the report, workers are "often afraid to speak out about abuses, fearing reprisals from their employers." One subcontractor said that 190 "downtrodden" North Koreans worked in "slave-like conditions" and were treated like "prisoners of war" when they were constructing stadiums last year. In May '16, FIFA announced it was organizing a system for the first time, together with the Russian authorities, to "monitor labour conditions at stadiums being built or renovated for the 2018 World Cup." But the author of the Human Rights Watch report, Jane Buchanan, said that "the scheme had left a lot to be desired." She said, "FIFA's promise to make human rights a centerpiece of its global operations has been put to the test in Russia, and FIFA is coming up short" (GUARDIAN, 6/13). In N.Y., Jeré Longman wrote at least 17 construction workers have died and "many others have faced exploitation and labor abuses," according to the report. Buchanan said, "FIFA is still in its post-corruption catharsis, but this feels, unfortunately, like more of the same mode." The 17 deaths at World Cup construction sites were documented by Building and Wood Workers’ Int'l, a global trade union based in Switzerland. Trade union officials and news accounts reported at least 70 workers died during construction for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, 13 before the 2016 Rio Olympics, six before the 2008 Beijing Olympics and zero during the building of the Olympic Park at the 2012 London Olympics (N.Y. TIMES, 6/14).
FIFA RESPONSE: REUTERS reported FIFA said that "while incompliances with relevant labour standards continue to be found -- something to be expected in a project of this scale -- the overall message of exploitation on the construction sites portrayed by HRW does not correspond with FIFA's assessment." A spokesperson said that this assessment was "based on quarterly inspections conducted by independent experts and trade union representatives" (REUTERS, 6/14).
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION: For the first time in an official tournament, FIFA will use a three-step procedure in the event of discriminatory incidents and also deploy anti-discrimination observers at all 2017 Confederations Cup matches. With this three-step procedure, referees will have the authority to first stop the match and request a public announcement to insist that the discriminatory behavior cease, to then suspend the match until the behavior stops following another warning, and finally, if the behavior persists, to abandon the match (FIFA).
