Qatar’s Migrant Workers Face Serious Abuse

A report by Human Rights Watch yesterday raised serious concern of abuses faced by migrant workers in Qatar. The report called on the football governing body FIFA, international contractors, and the Qatari government to ensure that the cutting-edge stadiums being built for the tournament “will not be built by abused and exploited workers.” Qatar has embarked on a huge building program in the run-up to the World Cup, and plans to spend tens of billions on new projects. Meanwhile, migrant workers face issues that include excessive recruitment fees, unpaid wages, poor living conditions and a sponsorship system that gives employers inordinate control over their employees, the report says.

In nearby Kuwait, a report issued Tuesday indicated that, following the resignation of Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Ahmad Al-Rujaib, seven other ministers have followed suit. Al-Rujaib is the second minister to step down in the five-month-old cabinet after former finance minister Mustafa Al-Shamali resigned following an intense grilling in parliament by the opposition, who accused him of  committing numerous irregularities. Opposition lawmakers called on Tuesday for the formation of a national salvation cabinet including many MPs from their ranks, amid reports of the imminent cabinet resignation. The developments fuel speculation of a cabinet reshuffle Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak could be mulling in the near future.