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  • The 2014 World Cup in Brazil

  • is over now it's time to take a serious look to what's going on in Qatar

  • ahead of the 2022 World Cup or perhaps

  • it should be better known as Qatar's disregard of human rights...cup.

  • Qatar was awarded the right to host by FIFA in 2010.

  • Since then around 1,200 construction workers have died.

  • The majority of these deaths are attributed to poor working conditions,

  • heat-related illnesses, exhaustion and a lack

  • safety. There are regular reports that workers are being physically assaulted

  • and many female support staff are also subject to sexual exploitation in the

  • workplace.

  • They live in unsanitary conditions. A shocking estimate from the International

  • Trading Commission predicts if the current working practices continues

  • around 4,000 workers could lose their lives before a single ball is kicked

  • in the tournament. That number could of course be even higher

  • as up to one million more immigrant workers are expected to arrive in the

  • Emirate

  • to help with the construction. This includes the

  • eight World Cup stadiums of which 12 were originally promised,

  • a hundred plus hotels, subway lines, roads

  • and in new airport costing around $200 billion dollars.

  • At the root of Qatar's questionable human rights record is the country's

  • kafala system described by critics as a version

  • modern day slavery. Kafala means that a worker is tied into a specific employer

  • who takes control

  • of their right to leave the country, whether they can have a driver's license

  • rent a home, or open a bank account. They are held under laws by their employers.

  • They are effectively enslaved. Amnesty International claims to have witnessed

  • workers signing false statements saying they've been paid

  • in order to get their passports back. Qatar's labor laws have been under intense

  • scrutiny and human rights groups have been campaigning for a reform

  • of the Kafala system.

  • Qatari officials have promised the system will be reformed

  • but despite these promises no time line for action has been set.

  • Qatar has put forward two workers rights charters so far,

  • the QFMS and the SCWWS.

  • The QFMS requires contractors to submit a "welfare adherence plan" to prove that their

  • workers are being treated well

  • but these are self audited by the contracter themselves.

  • Realistically how much of this can we trust to be true? The SCWW S proposes a

  • monthly forum to help workers discuss conditions.

  • Sounds good apart from the fact that they can only talk about accommodation

  • and not wages working hours and conditions

  • and any other problems that they have. James Lynch from Human Rights Watch

  • believes

  • "Our biggest issue is that the government trying to claim that this

  • isn't abolition up the kafala system and that is evidently not the case

  • when you actually look

  • at the reform that they are proposing. All of this begs the question: should

  • Qatar have won the fee for bed

  • in the first place? The oil-rich Gulf state was against the US for the bed

  • and as you can see in this risk assessment carried out on things like

  • stadium construction,

  • transport and accommodation, the US came in at a lower risk

  • in eight out of nine categories. Qatar was low risk

  • for one. Various allegations have been made that five million dollars in bribes have

  • been paid to football officials to support the Qatar bid.

  • Two officials were even suspended from the vote.

  • President of FIFA Sepp Blatter has since admitted that awarding Qatar the World Cup

  • was a mistake. Qatar is fighting back

  • and denies any wrongdoing meanwhile the Qatar Foundation sponsors Barcelona FC

  • shirts in a hundred and fifty million dollar five-year deal.

  • They injected funds into Spanish club Malaga

  • and get this the Qatar Investment Authority bought

  • Paris Saint-Germain. What do you think should be done?

  • Let me know in the comments below if you want to check out my video on the dark

  • side of the World Cup from Brazil 2014

  • you can check it out over here and as always get yourself subscribed to the

  • channel.

  • And I'll see you soon Truthloaders.

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil

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