The head of Qatar’s World Cup claims that between 400 – 500 migrant laborers have perished while working on tournament-related projects. Let’s see what happened in detail.
World Cup Head’s statement
Hassan Al-Thawadi, the head of the World Cup, reported that more than Qatari officials had previously claimed, between 400 – 500 migrant laborers have perished while working on projects related to the competition.
Al-Thawadi responded to a question on the number of migrant workers who have died as a result of their work on the event by saying: “The estimate is approximately 400, between 400 and 500.” The interview with Al-Thawadi was broadcast on TalkTV on Monday.
I’m not sure of the precise figure; it’s been talked about. It is just that simple: “One death is too many.” “I think the health and safety standards on the sites are improving every year, at least on our sites, the World Cup sites, the ones that we’re in charge of, most definitely,” Al-Thawadi continued.
A government official informed in November 2022 that there had been three work-related fatalities on World Cup stadiums and 37 unrelated fatalities.
A spokesperson for Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) reaffirmed those numbers on Tuesday. The spokesperson continued in a statement, stating that “Separate quotes about figures refer to national statistics for the period of 2014-2020 for all work-related fatalities (414) statewide in Qatar, covering all industries and nationalities.”
Since Qatar was given the right to host the World Cup in 2010, The Guardian revealed that 6,500 South Asian migrant workers have perished there, the majority of them were engaged in hazardous, low-paying work that was frequently performed in the sweltering heat. The CNN article has not been independently verified, and it did not link all 6,500 deaths to World Cup infrastructure construction.
Why 400-500 migrant workers have died in projects?
The person in charge of overseeing Qatar’s preparations, Al Thawadi, refuted the number last year, telling CNN’s Becky Anderson that the Guardian’s assertion was a “sensational title” that was deceptive and that the article lacked context.
An official from the Qatari government stated to CNN last month that the World Cup is to blame for 6,500 of the nation’s total deaths of foreign workers over ten years.
“This is untrue and ignores all other causes of death, such as disease, aging, and automobile accidents. Additionally, it ignores the fact that just 20% of Qatar’s foreign workers are employed on building sites. 90% of Qatar’s workforce, according to Amnesty International, is made up of foreign labor.
Human rights organizations have discovered that since Qatar was given the World Cup in 2010, many migrant workers have experienced delayed or underpaid wages, forced labor, long hours in hot temperatures, employer intimidation, and an inability to leave their positions due to the country’s sponsoring structure.
Al-Thawadi responded to Morgan’s query on whether the project’s initial health and safety requirements were adequate by saying, “I think overall the need for labor reform itself mandates that improvements have to happen.”
“Just to be clear, it was known about this before we made our proposal. The World Cup did not cause the changes that have taken place. Due to our principles, we were aware that these changes were necessary. Because of the spotlight, which we early understood, “the World Cup worked as a vehicle, as an accelerator, as well as a catalyst,” he continued.
Qatar now admits that between 400 and 500 migrant workers died as a result of projects for the World Cup.
This is why I'm ignoring this World Cup.
How could sit and enjoy a game knowing so many people died?
— J. O'Riordan (@gaeltwice) November 29, 2022
“It led to a lot of these measures, both in terms of bettering the law’s enforcement and its content as well. And because of that, even our harshest detractors now regard us as a benchmark in the area, according to the statement.
The Kafala system, which provides businesses and private individuals authority over migrant workers’ employment and immigration status, has undergone major upheaval as a result of the modifications. Before the World Cup, which started earlier this month and ends on December 18, Qatar built new hotels, improved the nation’s airport, rail system, and motorways, and built seven new stadiums.
Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company, The-CNN-Wire TM & 2022 Toutes droits réservés. Sugam Pokharel, Aimee Lewis, and Pramod Acharya all contributed to the reporting.
Surprising: A Qatari official has admitted 400-500 migrant workers died while working on World Cup-related projects.
Not Surprising: Qatar had been drastically lying about the death toll, and still very well could be.https://t.co/n0eupeNgjY
— OutKick (@Outkick) November 29, 2022
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.
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