Qatar’s Labor Minister attacked Western media over reports of the country’s World Cup preparations days before the Gulf nation hosted an event for the first time in the Middle East. At a subcommittee meeting on the matter, Qatar said it was open to constructive criticism, but that the campaign against his country had gained momentum recently.
Al-Marri in Brussels said reports of the deaths of migrant workers, which ranged from 6,500 to 15,000 in preparation for the World Cup, were “not accurate, credible or incomplete, and by documented institutions. “Circulation statistics not published.”. “I would like to stress that these figures are inaccurate and I urge all politicians to consult public professional bodies such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) when obtaining accurate information. I would like to ask you to rely on me,” he said.
The government said there were 37 deaths among workers directly related to the construction of the World Cup stadium between 2014 and 2020, three of them “work-related”. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said his country was criticized ahead of the launch of an “unprecedented campaign” that raised questions about the “real reasons and motives” behind the campaign. said to have faced Qatari officials also denounced the “hypocrisy” of those calling for a boycott of the World Cup to protest human rights claims in the Gulf states. The slander and accusations began to go the other way, employing hateful and racist rhetoric to insult the Qatari people and their national team.”
He added: “We will not tolerate hate speech or systemic racism against people, countries or teams, and call on international human rights organizations to take decisive action against those responsible for this attack.” Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers and its human rights record has been in the spotlight since the tournament took place, calling on teams to boycott the tournament outright. The country has been widely criticized by human rights groups for its use of the kafala system in the past.
The requirement for NOCs to change employment was abolished in August 2020, along with other landmark changes including the introduction of a minimum wage. Qatar also introduced a minimum wage and new regulations for working in the heat as part of a labor reform process that began before the World Cup was awarded. Mali said Qatar’s critics are willfully ignoring the country’s labor reforms. The ILO said in a report released this month that Qatar had made progress on labor market reforms but that implementation remained a challenge. The changes have improved working and living conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers, who are estimated to make up 85% of Qatar’s population, he said.
