Qatar World Cup: the keys to understanding the criticism of the host country of the most important football event

Qatarthe small gulf country, has been under public scrutiny since it was chosen to host the FIFA World Cupone of the most important sports events in the world, which has aroused harsh criticism for its internal policies, restrictive of individual liberties, labor rights and respect for minorities.

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Different international NGOs, such as Amnesty International (AI) or Human Rights Watch (HRW), have denounced the human rights situation in the Arab country, based on exhaustive investigations and numerous sources.

Doha has responded to each report by saying that it has changed many of its rules and that some of its pre-World Cup practices have already changed.

However, while these improvements have been recognized and praised, and the country’s situation is better in many respects than its immediate neighbors, all authoritarian monarchies of strict Islamic observance, the situation is still negative in many facets.

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rights of migrants

In May 2022, AI and a coalition of organizations launched a campaign calling on Qatar and to FIFA to establish a comprehensive reparation program for the hundreds of thousands of workers who suffered abuses such as illegal recruitment fees, unpaid wages, injuries and, in the worst cases, death.

The key to this situation is the institution of “kafala” or patronage, according to which migrants who arrive in the country do so under the responsibility of their employer, who maintains rights such as retaining the passport, wages and deciding whether the person can or you cannot change jobs once there.

Thus, the worker depends on the employer’s goodwill for almost everything, including returning home.

Added to this is the issue that it is generally labor intermediation companies that bring these migrants to the country, which adds an extra cost for the worker and enables employers to “disregard” any problems that may arise.

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Qatar’s Employment Minister, Ali Bin Samikh Al Marri, defended in Brussels a week ago that his country already compensates the families of migrant workers who have died or been injured during construction work for the World Cup and denied that it is necessary a specific fund, with contributions from FIFA, as required by human rights organizations.

An investigation by the British newspaper The Guardian estimated that 6,500 people have died in the construction works of the World Cup since 2010.

Qatar He says that $350 million in compensation has been disbursed since 2018, so he urged human rights organizations to “name” people who have not received compensation, rather than talk about generic numbers.

civil liberties

Migrants are still prohibited from forming or joining unions, but are allowed to form Mixed Committees, an employer-led initiative to allow for worker representation.

To date, the initiative is not mandatory and only covers 2% of workers, which falls far short of the fundamental right to form and join unions, according to NGOs.

In August 2022, hundreds of migrants were detained and deported after protesting in Doha after their company repeatedly stopped paying them their salaries, according to Amnesty.

Qatar it has few independent or critical media outlets, as the authorities limit press freedom.

According to the latest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranking, Qatar is ranked 119 out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom.

The organization highlighted that the traditional press of Qatar is distinguished by “the homogeneity of its coverage, with the same front-page headlines reporting on the official activities of the emir and his inner circle”, while “a small seed of pluralism can be found in the community media written in different languages ​​and run by expatriates, like Doha News.”

Qatar It is home to numerous media outlets, including the international chain Al Jazeera, persecuted and limited in several countries in the region for its independent coverage.

However, RSF points out that with regard to Qatarthe network “is sufficiently financed to ignore issues that could embarrass” its sponsor.

People walk in downtown Doha on November 20, 2022, during the opening day of the Qatar 2022 World Cup soccer tournament. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (FADEL SENNA /)

Women in Qatar

Like all the countries of the Persian Gulf, women continue to be discriminated against by law in the country.

Under the guardianship system, women require the permission of their male guardian, who is usually their husband, father, brother, grandfather or uncle, to get married, study abroad on government scholarships, travel abroad, only if is under the age of 25, and even access reproductive health care.

Their presence in politics is minimal and in daily life, Qatari women are rarely seen in public. The reality is that foreign or non-Arab women have social privileges that local women do not.

LGBTI

Article 296 of the Qatari Penal Code makes it clear: “Inducing, instigating or seducing a man in any way to commit sodomy” and “inducing or seducing a man or woman in any way to commit illegal or immoral acts” is punishable with a penalty of between one and three years in prison. The term “immoral acts” is not defined.

Islamic law also applies in the country, so it is possible that sexual practices between men can lead to a death sentence.

Death penalty

Unlike its neighbors on the Gulf, Qatar Capital punishment has not been applied for many years, which will not take place until it is ratified by the Qatari emir.

Source: Elcomercio