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15 Jun 2023

Qatar 2022 World Cup: Information requests to FIFA & tournament organisers regarding abuse reportedly suffered by migrant workers

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Ahead of the publication of the Resource Centre's report - After the final whistle: Migrant workers speak out on exploitation during Qatar World Cup 2022- we invited FIFA and tournament organisers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, to respond to the report's key findings.

The report is based on the testimony of 78 workers employed in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, including 20 workers employed by FIFA contractors and four more by sub-contractors, in a range of sectors and from several countries across South Asia and East Africa.

Alarmingly, every interviewed worker reported experiencing at least one form of labour exploitation. A majority had paid recruitment fees of up to several thousand dollars, including those who paid them within the year to kick-off. Most workers described restrictions to fundamental freedoms of movement. Almost half said they were afraid of employers and agencies, or were intimidated from speaking up about abuse. Most workers cited barriers to changing jobs, despite the 2020 change to the labour law. A minority of workers had heard of FIFA’s Human Rights Grievance Mechanism; none had used it.

We also invited FIFA to disclose information regarding the use of the Grievance Mechanism, including:

  • How many complaints were filed through the Mechanism between October 2022 and January 2023;
  • The number of workers and companies represented in the complaints;
  • The sectors represented in the complaints data;
  • The number of completed and ongoing investigations initiated in response; and,
  • The types of remedy provided to workers who filed complaints through the mechanism.

A response from the Supreme Committee can be read in full below. FIFA has stated it intends to provide information; this will be made available in full below.