Regarding the latest report on the human rights situation in Qatar, a month before the start of the championship (November 20), Amnesty International Norway is clear in its speech:
They expected more from the External Affairs Minister.
– We are amazed at how silent a Labor government is on the plight of migrant workers in Qatar. Not least because people are very concerned about it in Norway, Jan Peder Ejnes, Secretary General of Amnesty International Norway, tells NRK.
He said he was surprised the Foreign Secretary and the government allowed the Football Association and football chairman Liz Claveness to refer to him. “The only clear Norwegian voice” for migrant workers in Qatar.
– “We hope the Foreign Minister will be very clear in his criticism and pressure on Qatar, demand improved conditions for migrant workers and support Qatar’s demand for reparations for workers who have suffered harassment,” says the Amnesty chief.
Reactions: Amnesty’s Secretary-General Jan Peder Egenes.
Photo: Javad Barza / NTB
NRK has attempted to contact the Qatari authorities and the WC Committee, without success so far.
FIFA’s response to Amnesty’s report on the case can be read further below.
Additional measures were requested last year
In May of last year, Huitfeldt presented one himself Written question Then-Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H), where she asked what the minister had done to “promote Norwegian views on human rights to the Qatari authorities”.
– I believe that Norway’s business interests in Qatar are an argument for being more clear about human rights. I will now wait on the Secretary of State. I expect her to be clear, Huitfeldt added NRK In that regard.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs tells NRK that they do not have an embassy in the country. It says there is little political connection and there should be few links to Norwegian business in Qatar.
NRK tried to contact Huitfeldt, but he was not immediately available for comment.
– Possibly one of the darkest moments in sports history
Amnesty’s latest report shows that human rights abuses are still widespread in Qatar.
– The soccer World Cup may be one of the darkest moments in the history of the game, says Egenes in a press release.
The Secretary General highlights the fact that Qatar and FIFA should establish a fund to compensate workers who have suffered harassment, and the most important thing from this report is that the Norwegian authorities should support it.
– If this soccer World Cup is to have at least a somewhat positive legacy, that is what must happen. Now FIFA has to come out and say we’re setting up a fund, and then they have to get the Qatari authorities involved and set up a system that allows you to actually compensate victims of persecution.
He admits that Amnesty did not achieve the changes they wanted before the soccer World Cup, but hopes to focus attention on Qatar after the World Cup.
– We believe that most people, Norwegian companies, Norwegian authorities and the Football Association will continue to put pressure on Qatar after the Football World Cup. “We mustn’t get into a situation where Qatar gets the football World Cup, shines, shows how great it is and nobody cares after the final,” says Egenes.
Harsh conditions: New Amnesty report says conditions for migrant workers are even tougher.
Photo: Hasan Ammar / AP
The fund in question is supported by several confederations, including the Norwegian Football Association and chairman Lis Klavenes.
All seven nations playing in the World Cup have expressed their support for the project. Belgium, France, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Wales and the United States have supported compensation funds.
FIFA said it was taking action
At a press conference on Monday, FIFA spokesman Brian Swanson said talks were ongoing between the association and the Qatari government.
FIFA, for its part, says several steps have been taken to ensure workers’ rights are protected.
– As recognized by independent experts such as the International Labor Organization and international trade unions, several measures have been implemented in recent years to improve the safety of workers in Qatar. Fifa wrote in an email to NRK that this development is largely a result of the WC being played in the country.
Taking action: FIFA says it is taking several steps to compensate migrant workers who worked at the soccer World Cup in Qatar.
Photo: Ahmed Ibrahim / AP
They say various companies in Qatar are under pressure to ensure better conditions for workers involved in World Cup preparations.
– Workers are compensated in various ways in cases where companies fail to maintain the Supreme Committee for Quality Delivery and Legacy (SC) labor welfare standards used by FIFA and Qatar to ensure the safety of workers involved in the World Cup. -related actions, says Fifa.
They stress that they will continue to help migrant workers even after the World Cup and will provide more information on this in the future.
– was unbearable
But in general, the new status report shows that thousands of WC workers still have problems:
-
Salary must be paid
- To get the rest days they deserve
- Safe working conditions
- Access courts that can resolve work-related disputes
- Suspicious death with insufficient investigation
- Unredressed human rights abuses
According to the report, migrant workers continue to suffer large-scale exploitation and abuse. Those who work in private households still have to work 14- to 18-hour days, with no days off.
– Staying at the company where I worked was unbearable because of the treatment and workload, Kenyan worker “Joshua” tells Amnesty.
Joshua is a pseudonym and the man wishes to remain anonymous for fear of his own safety. He reportedly left Qatar recently after working for a private security firm.
– In four months, you got only two days off. Late payment of wages and unnecessary penalties are high. The company has suspended my visa saying that I will not be able to return to Qatar if I get a job in another company, he says.
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