The visits of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Bangladesh and Nepal should prioritize labour protections for migrant workers, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.
Both are key countries for Qatar’s migrant workforce, which makes up 88 percent of the country’s population.
Al-Thani is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh this afternoon and in Nepal on April 24.
“It is important for Qatar, Bangladesh, and Nepal to go beyond exchanging diplomatic pleasantries over their longstanding labour ties and seize this moment to publicly commit to concrete, enforceable protections that address the serious abuses that migrant workers in Qatar continue to face,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
“The Qatari emir should not just meet heads of state, but also visit dialysis centers filled with migrant worker returnees from Qatar and speak with the families of workers who died in Qatar to see the grave consequences of inadequate Qatari labor protections.”
Migrant workers from Bangladesh and Nepal have been indispensable to Qatar’s economy, including in the preparation and delivery of the 2022 World Cup, according to a message received from Beirut.
The Qatar-to-Nepal and Bangladesh routes that the Qatari leader is taking are well-trodden, with thousands of workers making this journey daily.
As “guest workers” in a country that does not offer citizenship to most foreigners, the expectation is that workers come to Qatar to work, earn money, and, sooner or later, leave.
Qatar-based jobs have enabled migrant workers to send remittances back home to their families, but many workers leave Qatar worse off than before they migrated.
They experience abuses that include wage theft, contract violations, and chronic illness linked to unsafe working conditions.
Many migrant workers do outdoor work and are exposed to Qatar’s extreme heat, and the lack of worker protections from this serious health hazard can take a devastating toll.
Some workers also have been deported for demanding their contractually-owed wages and benefits.
There have been thousands of unexplained deaths of young, healthy migrant workers in Qatar, and in many cases grieving familiesgrieving family members receive neither an explanation of the reasons for their loved ones’ death nor compensation justification nor compensationfrom employers or Qatari authorities.
“Public commitments by the Qatari emir to concrete, enforceable worker protections during these two high-profile visits, including compensation to workers who faced serious abuses and families of the deceased, would be the best way to mark his trips to the homes of millions of current and former workers who have helped transform Qatar,” Page said.