Qatar refuses the creation of a compensation fund for the workers of the World Cup 2022
Workers walk to the Lusail Stadium, one of the stadiums for the 2022 World Cup, in Lusail, Qatar, Friday, December 20, 2019 (Illustrative image).
AP - Hassan Ammar
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Qatar rejects calls from NGOs for the creation of a compensation fund for migrants killed or injured on the construction sites of the Football World Cup in this rich Gulf country.
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In an interview with AFP on Tuesday, Qatari Labor Minister Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri described these calls for the creation of a compensation fund as a "
communication stunt
".
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are leading a campaign to obtain compensation for migrant victims of "abuse" (deaths, injuries, unpaid wages and illegal recruitment fees) by world football's governing body, Fifa , and
the host country of the 2022 World Cup
, which begins on November 20.
“
Each death is a tragedy
(but)
there are no criteria for establishing this fund
” of compensation, advances the minister.
“
Where are the victims?
Do you have the names?
", he asks.
The minister, on the other hand, stressed that his country had set up a compensation fund in 2018 for workers who do not receive their wages, putting forward the figure of 320 million euros paid in 2022 alone.
“
If a person entitled to compensation has not received it, let them come forward and we will help them
,” he insisted, adding that Qatar is ready to examine cases dating back more than ten years. year.
The minister also assured that labor law reforms would apply beyond
the World Cup
.
Criticism “
motivated by racism
”
These criticisms formulated by certain countries and organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are sometimes "
motivated by racism
", according to the Qatari minister.
"
They don't want to let a small country, an Arab country, a Muslim country, organize the World Cup
," he says.
“
They know very well that reforms have been made, but do not want to recognize it
”.
Steve Cockburn, an official at Amnesty International, described the statements by the Qatari minister as "
extremely disappointing
".
"
Qatar needs to expand existing compensation funds or create a new one - nobody says it's easy, but if the will is there, a solution can be found
," he said.
Fifa should reserve a minimum amount of around 420 million euros [the total amount paid to teams participating in the World Cup, editor's note] in order to provide reparations to the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who suffered human rights violations in Qatar during preparations for the 2022 World Cup, Amnesty International wrote in a report released in May.
(
With
AFP)
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