Human Rights of the Foreign Workers in Qatar, Essay Example

Introduction

The human rights in Qatar remain a great worry for numerous non-governmental organizations. According to the Human Rights Watch, there exist multiple complains from thousands of immigrants working in Qatar. Most of these individuals are from the South Asian nations and parts of Africa are subjected to situations symbolic of involuntary enslavement. This is showcased by how the workers are routinely subjected to forced labor. Even though there have been numerous noted progressions since Sheikh Hamad seized leadership in the mid-1990s, the labor violations reported are considered inhumane.

Workers conditions (living – health – salary)

The working conditions reported by various immigrant employees reveal that there is a high rate of severe exploitation of the migrant domestic workers. Since the authorities have failed to safeguard the interests and welfare of the foreign workers, a lot ofthe migrant workers incoming for employment in Qatar have ended up being awarded minimum and unsatisfactory wage fees to procurement companies within Qatar. This practice has subsequently led to workers being greatlysusceptible to forced labor in the region.

The living conditions for the foreign workers are unbearable given the low salary and compensation to the workers. For example, an article for the Guardian website enlightenson a sample research that disclose that fifty-two women confessed to the human rights charity how they had experienced toughworkingcircumstances. These conditions werebroadly different from those they had initially been promised by their employmentorganizations. The individuals further complained of how they were mandated to work for over 100 hours in a week with very little pay (Grant, H., & Falconer, 2014).

Moreover, it has been revealed that the employers take hold of the workers passports,therefore subsequently restricting the workers freedom of movement around the country. In the worst situations, the women illustrated severesexual and physical abuse.The circumstancesencountered by womenfolkemployed for the local and western emigrant families are so exploitative to the extent some of women victims are subjected tohuman trafficking and forced labor.The standards of accommodation for the workers are shocking with documented events of dozens of the foreign workers being barred from leaving the country for several months by their employers (Grant, H., & Falconer, 2014).

The Working Life in Qatar

The Qatar region lies within the an arid region that experience extreme climatic conditions with the temperature going up as much as 40 degrees Celsius during the day.  Considering the harsh weather and the poor working and living conditions make the working life in the region very difficult. These situations coupled up with the exploitative compensation levels contribute to the constant violation of the human rights standards of expectation for the working environment.

I strongly believe that the foreign workers conditions in Qatar are not good and the authority ought to look into this issue and implement an appropriate approach or method for solving this growing problem. This is because the Qatar nation is well known for its high level of discrimination among its citizens and expatriates. The country is keen on protecting its status quo since it does not want to compromise the country’s cultural values by permitting the foreign workers to attain permanent residency within the nation.

Treatment of the Foreign Workers

Prior to the facts discussed above regarding the treatment of foreign employees in Qatar, the foreign workers are not subjected to citizenship rights. That is why the employees are not consent to contract renewal after a consecutive period of 20 years. The Qatar administration does this to evade the need to pay out pensions or retirement end of service for foreign individuals who have lived in the country for more than 20 years. During the leadership of Sheikh Hamad, the Emiratesregion entered an era of fast modernization and liberalization, while still preserving its Islamic identity. That is why not even the children of foreigners born in Qatar automatically adopt the nationality of the parents and thus cannot assume the rights of the local citizens.

Casesof Reported abuse

Following the construction boom in the Qatar area, brought about by the prospects of the 2022 FIFA, there has been a reported rise in human rights abuses. In the year of 2013, Amnesty International printed information presenting facts of how the migrant workers were not compensated for their services and were even left to go hungry in certain situations. Conferring to the report, the employees are being treated unfairly rendering their working conditions. Additionally, referring to a report article by the Guardian, there is informational evidence established on documents acquired at the Nepalese embassy in Qatar, illustrating on how dozens of Nepalese migratoryworkers had perished in Qatar in only a few weeks(Human Rights Watch, 2014).

The death of the numerous employees working in the various fields took place around in the month September, the year 2013. Furthermore, thousandsof workers were experiencing terrible labor abuses. Added information inferred from the analysis showcaseconclusive data on how the present-day construction practices are projected to result in over 4,000 deaths by the time of the 2022 FIFA World Cup event. Well, as of the month of December, the year 2013, the FIFA Corporation has instigated investigations but there is visible or visional action thathas been taken to compel the Qatar administration to improve on their workingenvironment(Human Rights Watch, 2014).

A Comparison with other Gulf Countries

Compared to other Gulf, for instance, the Persian Gulf nations, Qatar practices sponsorship laws, which have been extensivelycondemnedand referred to as “modern-day slavery.” Within the requirements of the Qatar’s sponsorship regulation, the sponsors possess the independentcontrol or power to terminateany foreign employees’placementdocuments, or even deny workers’ the capability to change their employers. In Dubai, there was scandal related to the country’s Labor Camps highlighting on the cruel working conditions the laborers experience. The comparison between the different countries offers a common picture of the issues surrounding the labor agencies in Qatar.

Solution to the Issue

The advisable approach towards solving the impending problems of the labor laws is contingent on the Qatar Authorities.The removal of the provisional laws that exploit human rights would go long way in protecting the interests and rights of both the domestic and foreign workers. An instance, the Qatarcontracting agency, Barwa, is currently working on a project of building residential housesfor laborers. The project aims to deliverand offer a sensibleand more rationale standard of living thatfulfills the new Human Rights Legislation(Amnesty International, 2014).

Conclusively, I would strongly agree that even Though the proposed project is still in implementation, the overall improvement in the working standards is gradual. The reluctance to addressing the violence and inhumane treatment continues to degrade the country’s public image and outlook to the outside and liberal world. The Qatar government ought to mandate and set a benchmark that follows and abides by the human rights standards of treating laborers.

References

Roth, K., & Human Rights Watch (Organization). (2013). World report 2013: Events of 2012. New York: Seven Stories Press.

Grant, H., & Falconer, R., (2014). Qatar’s foreign domestic workers face abuse and exploitation Retrieved from theguardian.com Website, Tuesday 25May 2014 13.01 http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/apr/23/foreign-domestic-workers-qatar-abuse

Human Rights Watch, (2014). The World Report 2014 on Qatar.Retrieved from amnesty.org Website, 25 May 2014 13.21 http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/qatar

Amnesty International. (2014). Foreign domestic workers in Qatar: Shocking cases of deception, forced labor, violence.Retrieved from amnesty.org Website, 25 May 2014 13.50 http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/foreign-domestic-workers-qatar-shocking-cases-deception-forced-labour-violence-2014-04-23