Qatar has a
highly unusual economy. It is a nation of two million people with an 80% immigrant
population. Only 6% of Qataris are economically active. Indians make up the
largest share of the population with over half a million. 85% of those employed
work 6 days a week, 10% work 7 days.
Unsurprisingly,
89% of Qatari people think that immigration is a positive thing.
The Kafala system
requires all unskilled workers to have a Qatari sponsor, usually their
employer, who assumes responsibility for their visa and legal status. This
system has been widely condemned for creating easy opportunities for the
exploitation of the workers, as many employers take away passports and sexually
abuse their workers with legal impunity. Many workers complain about not being
properly paid, a situation recently confirmed in an Amnesty International
report. 43% of migrant workers are employed through agencies, and in many
cases, they will have taken out loans in order to get to Qatar.
This system is
blind, deaf, and dumb when it comes to the plight of these imported workers.
The private sector sees no reason to change the system, and cultural traditions
are often cited as a reason to resist change. Religion is used as justification
for attitudes on homosexuality, for example. There is no desire for trade
unions, nor is there any genuine interest in human rights.
In March of this
year, I attended a two day Human Rights Delegation to the country to speak to
the Government, civil society and the workers themselves about the claims of
'Slave Labour' that are being made.
I visited the
Qatar Deportation Detention Centre, which was criticised by a UN Rapporteur
last November as being overcrowded and unhygienic. We were shown a propaganda film, and were
told that most detainees spend only 48 hours there - 7 days if they choose to appeal
against deportation. However, some inmates told us they had been there in
excess of 7 days - and we saw 3 or 4 people sharing a bed. When I asked, I was
told they like it that way, they find it "cosy". I was told that there was other living space
allocated, but it could not seen as it was a bad day. I was told that some
foreign embassies "dump" people on the centre, which causes
overcrowding. The foreign ambassadors I met strongly denied this.
Former inmates
we met spoke of deplorable overcrowded conditions.
The Ministry of
the Interior Human Rights Department claimed that all complaints were taken
seriously, but a questionnaire for complainants that I was given allowed no
opportunity to express any complaint.
After I tweeted
comments about the response I received to my questions on LGBT issues, the head
of our delegation was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and told that they were
not happy with me.
The gentleman in
charge of drawing up welfare standards for the 2022 World Cup standards disputed
the suggestion that LGBT fans attending matches would be discriminated against.
I find that hard to believe in a country where male homosexuality is a criminal
offence. Otherwise, I was impressed by his obviously genuine desire that the
tournament should be a catalyst for change. The Qatari bid was, after all, based
on social and economic development.
Challenges were
made re the allegations of bribery and the World Cup bid. The organising
committee were dismissive and said they kept within the rules. Their sincerity
in their reply did not impress me.
Qatar is
preparing a radical overhaul of the Kafala system in response to mounting
criticism.
The expected
reform is likely to include shifting sponsorship of foreign workers, who
constitute a majority of the tiny Gulf state's population, from individual
employers to the government. It would also allow workers to seek alternative
employment without permission of their sponsor after a period of notification.
However, this
may merely amount, at the end of the day, to window dressing. Kafala will
remain, although it may be renamed.
As we look to
2022, what can the international community do? Certain individual member states
have leverage; particularly France, Germany, and the UK, but the Belgian
ambassador was very candid in telling us that the EU has "no
relevance" in addressing this issue. An issue that is not about politics,
but about social and economic justice.
