The European Parliament (EP) on Thursday asked Qatar and the International Football Federation (FIFA) to compensate the families of thousands of migrant workers who have died in the country since construction of the World Cup infrastructure began.
In a resolution passed in the plenary session in Strasbourg (France), the EP also noted that Qatar has won the race to host the world championship “amid credible allegations of bribery and corruption”.
MEPs described FIFA’s corruption as “rampant, systemic and entrenched” and regretted that the process of awarding the World Cup to Qatar was not transparent.
FIFA “has seriously damaged the image and integrity of football worldwide,” MEPs said in the resolution, calling for reforms in the international body.
These reforms are expected to include the introduction of “democratic and transparent procedures” in the awarding of football World Cups.
MEPs also defended the tournaments’ “rigorous application of human rights and sustainability criteria for host countries”.
In this call they highlight EU countries with major national football competitions, such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
The EP also defended that international sporting events “should not be awarded to countries where fundamental and human rights violations are taking place and where there is systematic gender violence”.
In the resolution, the EP acknowledged that Qatar has allocated USD 320 million (more than EUR 307 million, at current exchange rates) to victims of wage abuse, through the so-called “Workers Support and Insurance Fund”.
However, many workers and their families were excluded from the application of the fund, so MEPs defended its extension to all affected since the start of work related to Qatar2022.
According to the resolution, enlargement should also cover workers’ deaths and other human rights violations.
MEPs also called on FIFA to contribute to a program to help working-class families and compensate them for “the conditions they were subjected to”.
In the resolution, MEPs recognized the “significant contribution of migrant workers” to Qatar’s economy and the FIFA World Cup.
According to the EP, the foreign workforce in Qatar is more than two million people, representing about 94 percent of the country’s workforce.
MEPs called on Qatar to “investigate thoroughly into the deaths of migrant workers”, while acknowledging the country’s efforts to “improve the working conditions and rights of migrant workers”.
They also acknowledged that the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) “believe that the reforms implemented in Qatar are an example for the Gulf region”.
They therefore asked that Qatar continue to cooperate with the ILO in reforming its legislation.
MEPs also reminded European companies operating in Qatar to respect workers’ rights through “the same level of due diligence as required in the EU”.
In the resolution, MEPs also deplore the abuses committed by the Qatari authorities against the LGBTQ+ community.
These abuses include resorting to legislation that allows for the pre-trial detention of LGBTQ+ people “without charge or trial for a period of up to six months,” they said.
Source: DN
