Workers' rights violations in Qatar 2022 hotels that will host Brazil and England

August 1 - Human rights group Equidem has found labor rights abuses at the hotels of the teams that will host England and Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar.

Equidem and its investigators interviewed 69 staff members from 29 FIFA-approved hotels and wrote in a report: "Our investigations have documented significant labor and human rights violations perpetrated against migrant workers, including discrimination based on nationality, wage theft, health and safety risks and sudden loss of employment as well as surveillance and retaliation against migrant workers who have provided information on violations."

“These findings raise serious concerns about the risk of violations of international labor standards and international human rights standards at Qatar World Cup hotels before, during and after the 2022 tournament. ."

At the Westin hotel in the city center, where the Brazilian team will stay during the World Cup, Equidem observed wage discrimination based on nationality, higher wages promised upon hiring and the practice of recruitment costs. A Marriott spokesperson for the Westin Doha hotel said the group had made considerable efforts to improve conditions.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said: "The hotel and training facility options for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 are pre-arranged and approved by the competition organization. The CBF chose the accommodation and training center based on this list.”

At the Souk Al-Wakra hotel, England's base camp during the World Cup, wage discrimination based on nationality, difficulties in obtaining CNP for contract workers, recruitment fees charged to contract workers, wage deductions workers below minimum wage and exposure to COVID-19 despite workplace precautions were discovered.

He responded to questions from Insideworldfootball saying, "FIFA provides competing nations with a list of hotels that can be used during tournaments. Therefore, any questions relating to hotels should be directed to FIFA, who carry out an audit process on the accommodation offered.We carry out our own human rights due diligence and will have separate conversations with hotel management and staff at our preferred hotel in England, to ensure that we understand the steps they have taken to comply with their legal obligations and to meet the required standards on workers' rights.”

Last month, FIFA confirmed all team base camps and training centers for the 32 World Cup finalists. Host country Qatar, which was awarded the tournament's hosting rights in 2010, has been heavily criticized for its human rights record and labor abuses in infrastructure construction related to the World Cup and in the service industry in general.

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