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Article

31 Jul 2017

Author:
James Lynch, Amnesty International, in Newsweek (USA)

Qatar Must Use Gulf Crisis to Reform Record on Migrant Rights

...[A]s Qatar’s neighbors seek fresh angles with which to target their political adversary, migrant workers’ rights has emerged as a particularly promising avenue...Given that the kafala sponsorship system exists...in each Gulf state, Qatar is hardly unique in treating workers poorly. During the current crisis there are real fears for migrant workers stranded in Saudi Arabia and separated from their Qatari employers as a result of Saudi Arabia’s decision to close the country's border...Forced labor is rife among migrant workers in Qatar. The government has made no serious moves to investigate and address the large number of unexplained deaths among the young, mostly South Asian, men who are building the country’s infrastructure..[S]ince the Gulf political crisis blew up, there have been credible reports of foreign workers on some oil and gas projects in Qatar being denied the exit permits they need from their employers to leave the country. There are also serious concerns about how rises in food prices and the uncertain economic situation generated by the crisis will affect migrants...This sluggish, defensive response of the government to legitimate criticism over migrant rights is a gift to Qatar’s rivals, allowing them to politicize and exploit the very real suffering of migrant workers for their own means...The opportunity for the [Qatar] government is obvious, if it wants to prove its critics wrong: Seek support from the ILO to agree a genuine and bold package of labor reforms, including really overhauling the kafala system so that migrants can no longer be trapped by their employers. Launch a transparent investigation into the causes of worker deaths, and put in place measures to address them. And ensure that in the current political crisis, the rights of migrant workers are protected with the same vigor and intensity as those of Gulf citizens.

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