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Thursday, 31 March 2016

Qatar 2022: 'Forced labour' at World Cup stadium

Rights group Amnesty International has accused Qatar of using forced labour at a flagship World Cup 2022 stadium. Amnesty says workers at Khalifa International Stadium are forced to live in squalid accommodation, pay huge recruitment fees and have had wages withheld and passports confiscated.
Construction progress at Al Rayyan Stadium, one of the venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar on March 18, 2016 in Doha, Qatar
Amnesty said the Qatar government was "apathetic" about preventing abuses
It also accuses Fifa of "failing almost completely" to stop the tournament being "built on human rights abuses". Qatar said it was "concerned" by the allegations and would investigate.
In this photo taken during a government organised media tour, labourers work at the Al-Wakra Stadium that is under construction for the 2022 World Cup, in Doha, Qatar, Monday, May 4, 2015
Abuses of World Cup workers is a "stain on the conscience of world football", Amnesty said
The government said the welfare of migrant workers was a "top priority" and insisted it was committed to systematic reform of Qatar's labour laws.

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Last year the country pledged to makes changes to its "kafala" sponsorship system, under which migrant workers cannot change jobs or leave the country without their employer's permission.

But Amnesty warned the proposed reforms would make little difference and said some of the workers were enduring a "living nightmare".

"All workers want are their rights: to be paid on time, leave the country if need be and be treated with dignity and respect," said general secretary Salil Shetty.

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