Stunning World Cup - Preparing Qatar for the 2022 World Cup killed 6,500" South Asians

Since 2010, around 6,500 migrant laborers have died in Qatar, with many of the deaths occurring on Fifa World Cup-related projects. The illustration highlights Qatar's exploitative kafala labor system and lack of migrant worker rights. Change is required, and Fifa must take a stand.

Over 6,500 migrant workers from South Asia have died since the controversial decision to award Qatar the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The total number of migrant worker deaths is thought to be much higher. The 6,500 deaths do not include the large number of employees from Kenya and other African countries.

In preparation for the 2022 World Cup, migrant workers are being entrusted with boosting Qatar's infrastructure. Many of the people who died were involved in World Cup-related projects such as stadium, airport, and hotel construction.

Migrant workers are under the authority of the Kafala system.

The oppressive kafala system, which gives bosses authority over employee passports, binds these people. They are compelled to remain in the Arab state, and their money is frequently withheld for months or never received. Workers must surrender their passports upon arriving under this method. They feel entrapped and confined, as if they are being held captive. Many of those who died constructing the stadiums succumbed from weariness after being kept in harsh conditions and overworked in sweltering summer weather. Suicides have been documented in a number of cases. The data on causes of death disclosed points to pervasive neglect and maltreatment, rather than common job accidents.

The death toll is merely one facet of a much larger issue. Migrant laborers in the United States frequently pay more than $1,000 just to get started. According to one Kenyan worker, they live in "pathetic" and "oppressive" conditions. The workday begins at 4:00 a.m. and continues throughout the day, with only warm drinking water provided. The laborers are housed in overcrowded camps or dorms with "filthy" sanitary conditions. They do not have air conditioning to assist them cope with the summer heat of 45 degrees Celsius. A British worker who was working as a supervisor on a World Cup construction site described the incident to the BBC. He claims that health and safety rules are "non-existent" and that he is "horrified" by the risks he sees on the job every day.

Qatar is a country that is slow to adapt.

The Qatari government's response to the widespread maltreatment of migrant labor, which they do not deny, remains modest. Qatar has an intention to revamp its Kafala system in 2018. They are not following through on their pledge. Qatar has maintained a list of formal objections since adopting the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in May 2018. They deny migratory workers several of the key rights that the treaty ordinarily provides. "While Qatar has taken some critical steps to defend human rights, there is still a long way to go until migrant workers are protected from abuse and exploitation," says Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

Fifa seems unconcerned about the mounting death toll.

More than the need for domestic reform is revealed by the situation in Qatar. It is apparent that Fifa is indifferent to human rights. Following the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the world's most powerful football association is once again demonstrating its role in "sportswashing." The concept refers to a country that uses sport to reinvent itself after being accused of human rights breaches. Sportswashing nations use the guise of beauty and sport to hide a poor image of their country. Fifa's decision to award Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 World Cups reveals systemic corruption within the organization. The fact that these countries purchased the privilege to host the event for this very reason was obvious.

Fifa, the organizers of the world's most watched sporting event, which has corporate relationships with Coca-Cola, Visa, McDonald's, and Adidas, has said almost nothing about the migrant workers' situation in Qatar. A representative asserted, in direct opposition to the statements of workers and observers:

"THE FREQUENCY OF ACCIDENTS ON FIFA WORLD CUP CONSTRUCTION SITES HAS BEEN LOW WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD DUE TO THE VERY STRINGENT HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES ON SITE... THE FREQUENCY OF ACCIDENTS ON FIFA WORLD CUP CONSTRUCTION SITES HAS BEEN LOW WHEN COMPARE

There is no evidence to back up this assertion.

It's difficult to know the full scope of the problem because of inconsistency and poor collaboration between countries when it comes to registering the number of migrant worker deaths. What is evident is that reforming the kafala system is necessary and urgent. Fifa must address the problem or face the consequences.