A human rights watchdog group is accusing Saudi Arabia of systematically violating the dignity of migrant workers, saying the kingdom is not meeting stated requirements. human rights requirements of football’s world governing body, despite being the presumptive hosts of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
In a report released Tuesday, the human rights organization Equidem reveals what it alleges are significant violations of the human and labor rights of migrant workers in the hospitality, maintenance and construction sectors. After a large amount of abuse of migrant workers was revealed In preparation for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the group warns that FIFA may be about to choose yet another host who does not protect the rights of migrants.
Saudi Arabia was the only country to send an offer on time for the 2034 World Cup.
“The report raises a simple question: how could FIFA seriously consider Saudi Arabia as host of its major event, given its human rights record?” Equidem CEO Mustafa Qadri said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Other organizations, including Amnesty International It is Construction Wood Workers InternationalThey similarly warned about potential human rights violations if Saudi Arabia wins the bid.
Migrant workers make up 37.3% of Saudi Arabia’s population – the third largest migrant population per capita in the world – but the country offers very little protection for them. Saudi Arabia uses the “Kafala” system, which gives citizens and employers full control over the lives of migrant workers through a binding contract. Migrants are excluded from any legal human rights framework or protection; many equaled from the kafala system to modern slavery.
Through one-on-one interviews with dozens of migrant workers, Equidem researchers found that 70% of migrant workers were misled about the terms and conditions of their employment, 42% said they faced discrimination based on nationality from their employer, and 35% reported that there was no mechanism for registering complaints about their workplace.
“What is happening in Saudi Arabia right now can be resolved. We are not talking about devastating solutions. But the failure to address them is something we should all be very, very concerned about,” Qadri said.
The country has a extensive history of human rights abuses and criminalization of human rights defenders. Human rights organizations also cannot operate within the country. This makes it difficult for FIFA to fully assess the potential risk of abuse of migrant workers, which should be an essential prerequisite for approving Saudi Arabia’s candidacy, Saudi human rights activist Lina al-Hathloul said at the press conference.
“To show its honest and genuine willingness to respect its human rights commitments, FIFA must ensure that the main risks associated with the candidacy are fully addressed,” she said. “This would entail, among other conditions, the release of all political prisoners before the events, the lifting of all restrictions, including travel bans, imposed on human rights defenders and their families, the decriminalization of freedom of association and meeting, and allowing human rights organizations to operate freely without fear of defamation, prosecution or reprisal.”
FIFA did not immediately respond to Salon’s request for comment.
Martha Waithira, a former migrant worker in Saudi Arabia and now a researcher at Equidem, has experienced workplace abuse firsthand. She worked as a domestic worker in the country from 2014 to 2017, where she said she was subjected to 15- to 18-hour workdays, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual harassment. Her passport was also confiscated by her employer, an experience shared by 12% of workers interviewed by Equidem.
“If Saudi Arabia hosts the 2034 World Cup, workers will leave their homes hoping to improve their lives and those of their families. I’m here to make sure they don’t fall into quicksand,” Waithira said.
The country must “make a drastic effort to stop the abuse of migrant workers,” or another international sporting event could be “tainted by suffering,” Waithira said, referring to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
To protect migrant workers, Equidem calls on FIFA to make a “public and actionable commitment” to address the risk of human rights violations among migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. If the country does not comply with human rights regulations, it should not be able to host the 2034 World Cup.
“Saudi Arabia cannot ensure compliance with human rights and international labor standards without taking significant steps to dismantle the kafala system, protect freedom of association, extend labor rights to migrant workers and address discrimination based on nationality, unfair hiring, workplace violence, exploitative wages, overwork and exposure to occupational health and safety risks,” the Equidem report states.
Equidem shared its findings with FIFA and the Saudi Arabian government, but neither party responded.
