Poor conditions for migrant workers in Qatar

World Today

The 2022 World Cup is still set to take place in Qatar despite the growing controversy surrounding the decision. Before awarding the tournament, football’s governing body, FIFA, classified Qatar as “high risk” for a terrorist attack.

There are also allegations of corruption. And on the ground in Qatar there are even more problems for migrant workers.

A familiar sight at Kathmandu’s airport coffins from the Gulf bearing the bodies of Nepalese workers.

Every day, hundreds of workers leave Nepal, many heading for Qatar where demand for labor has skyrocketed in the run-up to the 2022 football World Cup.

According to the embassy of Nepal in Doha, at least 360 of these workers have died in Qatar in the last two years with heart failure being the main cause of death. But this has done little to dissuade others from leaving the Himalayan nation.

Former migrant Bhupendra Malla nearly died when his legs were crushed in a workplace accident three years ago.

His Qatari employers refused to pay any compensation and he took them to court. Malla was one of the “fortunate” ones, managing to secure $33,000 in damages. Meanwhile, campaigners say, many others endure harsh working conditions.

Nepal’s government says it wants to resolve the problem but argues that it can’t do much on its own.

Six months after Malla returned to Nepal, he still hasn’t found a job but says nothing could persuade him to go back to Qatar. CCTV’s Ellen Scott reports.

Poor conditions for migrant workers in Qatar

The 2022 World Cup is still set to take place in Qatar despite the growing controversy surrounding the decision. Before awarding the tournament, football's governing body, FIFA, classified Qatar as "high risk" for a terrorist attack.