DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Qatar is failing to deliver on reforms for its migrant workers a year after the wealthy Gulf nation announced plans to improve conditions for low-paid laborers building its highways, hotels, stadiums and skyscrapers, Amnesty International said Thursday.
In a new briefing paper, the London-based rights group criticized the 2022 World Cup host for making no substantive changes on some labor issues, including the controversial “kafala” employee sponsorship system, and delivering only partial progress in other areas.
The report was released a day after three major World Cup sponsors – Adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa – publicly pressured soccer’s world governing body FIFA to push Qatar to do more to improve labor conditions.
Qatar is being transformed by a building boom fueled by its vast oil and natural gas wealth. Like other energy-rich Gulf nations with relatively small local populations, it relies on well over a million guest workers, many of them drawn from South Asian nations including India and Nepal.
Qatar responded to Amnesty’s latest report by saying it disagrees with some of the claims and asserting it has made “significant changes” to improve working conditions.