In connection with a recent report on the human rights situation in Qatar, one month before the championship starts (20 November), Amnesty International Norway is clear in its speech: They had expected more from the foreign minister. – We are surprised at how quiet a Labor Party government has been about the conditions of migrant workers in Qatar. Not least because people are so concerned about it in Norway, says Secretary General of Amnesty International Norway, John Peder Egenæs to news. He is surprised that the foreign minister and the government have allowed the football association and football president Lise Klaveness to have what he refers to as “the one clear Norwegian voice” for the migrant workers in Qatar. – We believe the foreign minister must be very clear in his criticism and pressure on Qatar, demand an improved situation for the migrant workers and support the demand that Qatar compensate the workers who have suffered harassment, says the Amnesty chief. REACTS: Amnesty’s Secretary General Jan Peder Egenæs. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB news has tried to get in touch with the Qatari authorities and the WC committee, so far without success. You can read Fifa’s response to the Amnesty report further down in the case. Asked for more action last year In May last year, Huitfeldt herself put a written question to the then Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H), where she asked what the minister had done to “promote Norwegian views on human rights towards the Qatari authorities”. – I believe that Norway’s business interests in Qatar are an argument for being even clearer on human rights. I will now wait for the Foreign Minister. I expect her to be clear, Huitfeldt told news in that regard. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs tells news that they do not have an embassy in the country. It also claims that there is little political contact and that there should be few links to Norwegian business in Qatar. news has tried to get in touch with Huitfeldt, but she has not had the opportunity to comment. – Could be one of the darkest moments in sports history The recent report to Amnesty shows that there are still widespread human rights violations in Qatar. – The Football World Cup could be one of the darkest moments in sports history, says Egenæs in a press release. Amnesty’s demands on Qatar In the report, Amnesty highlights ten points which they believe Qatar must improve in order to address the weaknesses in the ongoing labor reform. Abolish forced labour. Protect service workers. Investigate the deaths of workers and at the same time strengthen workers’ protection against working in high heat. Strengthen and expand the scope of the workers’ “welfare standard” End the kafala system (a system that regulates foreign labor, where all foreign workers must have a “sponsor” – typically an employer. For example, the workers cannot change jobs without permission from the sponsor ). Allow unions. Increase the minimum wage and strengthen wage protection. Address recruitment abuse. Strengthen auxiliary mechanisms. Compensating past abuse of workers. The Secretary-General highlights the fact that Qatar and Fifa should establish a fund to compensate the workers who have suffered harassment as the most important thing from the report, and that the Norwegian authorities must support it. – If this soccer World Cup is to have an afterthought that is at least somewhat positive, then that is what must happen. Now Fifa must come out and say that we are setting up a fund, and then they must get the Qatari authorities involved and set up a system that allows you to actually compensate those who have suffered harassment. He acknowledges that Amnesty has not achieved the changes they had wanted before the football World Cup, but hopes that there will be a spotlight on Qatar also after the World Cup. – We believe that most people, Norwegian companies, the Norwegian authorities and the football association must continue to put pressure on Qatar after the football World Cup. We must not get into the situation where Qatar gets to have the football World Cup, gets to shine, gets to show off how fantastic it is and then no one cares after the final, says Egenæs. TOUGH CONDITIONS: New Amnesty report claims migrant workers’ conditions are still tough. Photo: Hassan Ammar / AP The fund in question is supported by a number of associations, including the Norwegian Football Association and president Lise Klaveness. Seven countries that will play in the World Cup have also backed the proposal. The countries of Belgium, France, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Wales and the USA have all supported a compensation fund. Fifa says they are taking action At a press conference on Monday, Fifa spokesman Bryan Swanson stated that talks are ongoing between the association and the government in Qatar. Fifa, for its part, says that a number of measures have been taken to ensure that workers’ rights are safeguarded. – As recognized by independent experts, such as the International Labor Organization and international trade unions, a wide range of measures have been implemented in recent years to improve the protection of workers in Qatar. This development has largely occurred as a consequence of the WC being played in the country, writes Fifa in an e-mail to news. TAKING ACTION: Fifa claims it is working on a number of measures to compensate migrant workers who have worked on the football World Cup in Qatar. Photo: Achmad Ibrahim / AP They say that pressure is being put on various companies in Qatar to ensure better conditions for workers involved in the World Cup preparations. – Workers have been compensated in various ways in cases where companies failed to maintain the worker welfare standards of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), which is the standard used by Fifa and Qatar to ensure the protection of workers involved in World Cup-related activities , Fifa claims. They emphasize that they will continue to help the migrant workers also after the World Cup, and that they will provide more information about this in the future. – It was unbearable But in general, the new status report shows that thousands of WC workers still have problems with: Getting paid wages Getting rest days to which they are entitled Secured working conditions Access to courts where they can resolve work-related conflicts Suspicious deaths that are not is adequately investigated Human rights violations that are not compensated According to the report, migrant workers continue to experience exploitation and abuse on a large scale. Those who work in private homes must still work between 14 and 18 hour working days, without rest days. – It was unbearable to stay in the company I worked for because of the treatment and the workload, says the Kenyan worker “Joshua” to Amnesty. Joshua is a pseudonym and the person wishes to remain anonymous for fear of their own safety. He is said to have recently left Qatar, after working for a private security company. – In four months, you only got two days off. There are late payments of wages and too many fines that are drawn unnecessarily. The company has withheld my visa so that I cannot return to Qatar if I get a job for another company, he says.
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