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suspended from work by his sponsor, his financial resources stalled, and his livelihood lost. To overcome this difficulty, the state and particularly the Interior Ministry, as the competent body on matters of sponsorship transfer, created new legal statutes under which the worker’s sponsorship may be temporarily transferred pending the resolution of the dispute with his sponsor, in order to enable him to care for himself and his family. The Ministry had applied these measures for some time, until they were legalized in Law 4/2009 regulating the entry, exit, residence, and sponsorship of migrants, according to the provisions of Article 12 of the law. Based on the foregoing, it is clear that Qatar, represented by the Interior Ministry, resolves and amends the status of workers in legal, work-related disputes with their sponsors as a result of which the worker is suspended from work. This is done until the dispute is resolved as discussed above. These measures do not distinguish or discriminate between workers subject to the labor law and domestic workers and other similar categories who are not subject to it. 119 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | JUNE 2012
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH 350 Fifth Avenue, 34 th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 Tel: 212-290-4700 Fax: 212-736-1300 Human Rights Watch Letter to the Qatar Supreme Committee – May 15, 2012 MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH A FRICA DIVISION A DVISORY COMMITTEE Hassan Elmasry, Co-Chair Kathleen Peratis, Co-Chair Asli Bali, Officer Prince Moulay Hicham, Officer Bruce Rabb, Officer Gary G. Sick, Officer Gamal Abouali Wajeha Al Huwaider Ghanim Alnajjar Lisa Anderson Shaul Bakhash M. Cherif Bassiouni David Bernstein Nathan Brown Paul Chevigny Ahmad Deek Hanaa Edwar Mansour Farhang Fadi Ghandour Aeyal Gross Amr Hamzawy Asos Hardi Bahey El Din Hassan Rita E. Hauser Salah al-Hejailan Shawan Jabarin Robert James Mehrangiz Kar Edy Kaufman Marina Pinto Kaufman Ann M. Lesch Robert Malley Ahmed Mansoor Stephen P. Marks Rolando Matalon Habib Nassar Abdelaziz Nouaydi Nabeel Rajab Victoria Riskin Charles Shamas Sid Sheinberg Sussan Tahmasebi Mustapha Tlili Andrew Whitley James Zogby Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth, Executive Director Michele Alexander, Deputy Executive Director, Development and Outreach Carroll Bogert, Deputy Executive Director, External Relations Emma Daly, Communications Director Barbara Guglielmo, Director of Operations (Acting) Peggy Hicks, Global Advocacy Director Iain Levine, Deputy Executive Director, Program Dinah PoKempner, General Counsel James Ross, Legal & Policy Director Joe Saunders, Deputy Program Director James F. Hoge, Jr., Chair May 15, 2012 Hassan Abdullah Al-Thawadi Secretary-General Supreme Committee for Qatar 2022 Via Fax: + Dear Mr. Mr. Al-Thawadi, I am writing to you on behalf of Human Rights Watch to raise our concerns about workers’ rights in advance of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. We also wish to inquire about steps the Supreme Committee for Qatar 2022 has taken or plans to take to ensure that all public and private entities involved in construction related to the 2022 World Cup fully uphold human rights, including labor rights, in keeping with the obligation of the government of Qatar to protect human rights and the widely-recognized principle that businesses also have a responsibility to respect human rights. We have written the government of Qatar, including His Highness the Emir as well as the Minister of Labor, regarding our concerns and are writing to you as well in view of your key role as the local organizing committee for the 2022 World Cup. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international nongovernmental organization that monitors human rights in more than 90 countries worldwide. We have been monitoring the human rights of migrant workers in the Middle East, and in particular the Gulf states, for many years. In previous reports, we have documented widespread abuse of migrant workers’ rights arising from restrictive immigration policies, heavy migration and recruitment fees, a lack of legal protections in countries of employment, and inadequate enforcement of those protections that do exist. We have urged reform of government policies and practices that BEIRUT BUILDING · BERLIN A BETTER · BRUSSELS WORLD · CHICAGO CUP · GENEVA · JOHANNESBURG- LONDON 120 · LOS ANGELES · MOSCOW · NEW YORK · PARIS · SAN FRANCISCO - TOKYO · TORONTO · WASHINGTON
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H U M A N R I G H T S W A T C H Bui
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Copyright © 2012 Human Rights Watc
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To Construction, Labor-Supply, and
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Based on interviews with 73 migrant
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employers to ensure potable water,
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whether they forfeit their rights i
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Necessary Steps Qatar’s Governmen
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secretary-general of FIFA, stated t
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ather than directly by the companie
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(above) Massive construction projec
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(above) A migrant construction work
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Hallway lights illuminate a worker
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20 Building a better world cup
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This Bangladeshi migrant worker tol
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Migrant workers housed in Doha’s
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26 Building a better world cup
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Methodology Human Rights Watch cond
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I. Background Qatar, a Gulf country
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Meanwhile, migrant workers’ labor
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labor is temporary. Once their job
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“mandatory contract language and
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of 2004 set a maximum prison term o
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However, the lack of official compl
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Even on its face, the Labor Law lac
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The Sponsorship Law requires reside
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Qatar has not ratified conventions
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if they occur. 90 Former UN Special
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usiness with subcontractors, suppli
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or who have learned of job opportun
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written agreements into real, effec
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offered himself voluntarily.” 114
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after their arrival), or penalizes
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The New Doha International Airport
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disciplinary purposes, and up to 50
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Qatar for three years, and that his
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people [have to share] one bathroom
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Page 75 and 76: matters that the foreigner has to r
Page 77 and 78: Aspire Zone The Aspire Zone is the
Page 79 and 80: [an] emergency exit [from the count
Page 81 and 82: While their response also states th
Page 83 and 84: Qatar’s labor ministry has taken
Page 85 and 86: Without available translators or in
Page 87 and 88: would terminate the employment rela
Page 89 and 90: Qatar’s Sponsorship Law states th
Page 91 and 92: etween January 2009 and September 2
Page 93 and 94: notarized undertakings in workers
Page 95 and 96: • Ensure that courts reviewing la
Page 97 and 98: • Finance a public awareness camp
Page 99 and 100: Acknowledgements This report was re
Page 101 and 102: Qatar from charging workers fees, b
Page 103 and 104: interviewed for this report said th
Page 105 and 106: Qatar, local employers and recruitm
Page 107 and 108: Request for Information Human Right
Page 109 and 110: Sponsorship-related problems: • A
Page 111 and 112: The administration has received no
Page 113 and 114: Regarding healthcare, it is well kn
Page 115 and 116: Qatari laws do not permit charging
Page 117 and 118: Qatar, which require the approval o
Page 119 and 120: 4. Asks the employer or his represe
Page 121 and 122: Regarding training, Article 99 of t
Page 123: Regarding the second question, on t
Page 127 and 128: process of writing to relevant comp
Page 129 and 130: • arrange for independent monitor
Page 131 and 132: BUILDING A BETTER WORLD CUP 126
Page 133 and 134: World Cup. We have enclosed a summa
Page 135 and 136: deception and the disparity between
Page 137 and 138: CH2M HILL Response to Human Rights
Page 139 and 140: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH 350 Fifth Avenue
Page 141 and 142: We would like to take this opportun
Page 143 and 144: Aspire Logistics Response to Human
Page 147 and 148: construction industry as a whole an
Page 149 and 150: • show that you have taken all po
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