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Qatar prep marred by abuse

Interview: Neil King / alsNovember 23, 2013

Amnesty International points to modern-day slavery in Qatar as it prepares for the 2022 World Cup.

https://p.dw.com/p/1AMVZ

The EU parliament has responded to reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Trades Union Congress by calling on Qatar to crack down on companies abusing and exploiting migrant workers' rights involved in soccer World Cup preparations.

Amnesty's report was based on interviews with over 70 laborers, mainly from Nepal and Sri Lanka. Earlier this year, documents from the Nepalese embassy in Doha revealed that dozens of workers had died from heart attacks, heart failure or workplace accidents on sites preparing for the FIFA World Cup. Other evidence suggested that labor was forced - with workers not receiving pay or facing confiscation of ID cards or passports.

Other information showed that thousands of Nepalese could be facing this modern-day slavery in the haul to gear up Qatar for the 2022 Cup. Nepalese make up the single largest group of laborers in Qatar.