Nepalese migrants building the infrastructure
to host the 2022 World Cup have died at a rate of one every two days in
2014 – despite Qatar’s promises to improve their working conditions,
the Guardian has learned.
The figure excludes deaths of Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi
workers, raising fears that if fatalities among all migrants were taken
into account the toll would almost certainly be more than one a day.
Qatar had vowed to reform the industry after the Guardian exposed the desperate plight of many of its migrant workers
last year. The government commissioned an investigation by the
international law firm DLA Piper and promised to implement
recommendations listed in a report published in May.
But human rights organisations have accused Qatar of
dragging its feet on the modest reforms, saying not enough is being
done to investigate the effect of working long hours in temperatures
that regularly top 50C.
The
mistreatment of migrant workers, including the late or non-payment of
wages, poor quality accommodation and the lack of the freedom to change
jobs or leave the country, has attracted severe criticism from human
rights groups. Photograph: Supplied
