Qatar’s labour minister has hit out at Western media for his or her protection of the nation’s preparations for the soccer World Cup, days earlier than the Gulf state turns into the primary within the Center East to host the occasion.
Talking at a gathering hosted by the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights on Monday, Ali bin Samikh al-Marri mentioned that whereas Qatar accepts constructive criticism, the marketing campaign towards his nation had lately picked up tempo.
Al-Marri in Brussels criticised the protection of migrant employee deaths in preparation for the World Cup – with alleged figures ranging between 6,500 to fifteen,000 – as “circulated statistics [that] lack accuracy, credibility and integrity, and are usually not issued by documented our bodies”.
“Day-after-day, we hear a brand new slander about mortality charges of employees, as if we have been in a ‘public public sale’,” he mentioned.
“I want to stress the inaccuracy of those numbers. I’d additionally implore all politicians to check with official specialised organisations such because the Worldwide Labour Group (ILO) … when sourcing correct info,” he mentioned.
We won’t settle for hate speech and racism towards the Qatari individuals and their nationwide group.
HE Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, Minister of Labour.
Listening to within the European Parliament.#molqtr pic.twitter.com/8NJEBTfui2— وزارة العمل (@MOLQTR) November 14, 2022
In February 2021, the Guardian newspaper reported that 6,500 migrant employees from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died within the nation since 2010, when Qatar was awarded the World Cup.
The Qatari authorities has said that these figures, supplied by the respective international locations’ embassies, included deaths of individuals not engaged on World Cup initiatives. It mentioned, “The mortality fee amongst these communities is throughout the anticipated vary for the dimensions and demographics of the inhabitants.”
The federal government mentioned there have been 37 deaths between 2014 and 2020 amongst employees immediately linked to the development of World Cup stadiums, of which three have been “work-related”.
Final month, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani mentioned his nation confronted an “unprecedented marketing campaign” of criticism within the lead-up to the occasion, which raised questions “about the actual causes and motives” behind the marketing campaign. Senior Qatari officers have additionally denounced the “hypocrisy” of individuals calling for a boycott of the World Cup to protest towards alleged human rights within the Gulf nation.
On Monday, al-Marri mentioned: “The slanders and allegations towards Qatar started to take a special flip in adopting hate and racist rhetoric with the intention of offending the Qatari individuals and their nationwide group.”
He added: “We won’t settle for hate speech and systematic racism in the direction of our individuals, our nation and our group, and we name on worldwide human rights organisations to take agency stances towards anybody who engages on this assault.”
The Minister of Labour through the listening to within the European Parliament:
Day-after-day, we hear a brand new slander about mortality charges of employees, as if we have been in a “public public sale”.#molqtr pic.twitter.com/UOnoQWt75n— وزارة العمل (@MOLQTR) November 15, 2022
Qatar’s remedy of migrant employees and its human rights document have been within the highlight because it was awarded the event, resulting in requires groups to boycott the event altogether.
The nation confronted widespread criticism from human rights teams for its earlier use of the kafala system – underneath which employees are tied to an employer whose consent they should change jobs within the type of a No Objection Certificates (NOC) – a regulation that rights activists have argued tied their presence in Qatar to their employers and led to abuse and exploitation.
The necessity for a NOC to vary employment was scrapped in August 2020 amid different landmark modifications, together with the introduction of a minimal wage. Qatar additionally launched a minimal wage and new laws on working in warmth, as a part of a labour reform course of that it mentioned was launched earlier than it was awarded the World Cup.
In his speech on Monday, al-Marri mentioned critics of Qatar have been purposely ignoring the nation’s labour reforms as a result of “they don’t serve their deceptive tales”.
The ILO, in a report launched this month, mentioned Qatar had made progress in its labour reforms however challenges of their implementation remained. It mentioned the modifications have improved the working and residing situations for a whole bunch of 1000’s of employees – estimated to type 85 % of Qatar’s inhabitants – although extra efforts have been wanted to make sure that all employees may benefit.
The World Cup kicks off on November 20, with the opening match seeing the hosts take Ecuador in Al Bayt Stadium. The ultimate will happen on December 18.