What The Guardian did not understand about Qatar workers
“The majority of the people involved in the exploitation of Nepali workers and leading them to forced labour in Qatar are actually Nepalis themselves" - Read more: What The Guardian Did Not Understand
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A recent investigative article by The Guardian on the abuse and exploitation of Nepali migrant labourers preparing Qatar for the 2020 World Cup has generated a media frenzy. But the issue that prompted such fury doesn’t really reveal anything new.
The strange wave of rage in social media, fuelled by The Guardian’s facts and statistics, fails to comprehend the core issue. While such descriptive phrases as “Nepalis [in the Gulf] living in deplorable conditions”, “Qatar indeed is an open jail [for Nepalis]”, “Ambassador Maya Kumari spoke the truth”, and “The ugly face of modern day slavery” were being used in English newspapers to general acclaim, many experts found it in their interest to sweep some of the more delicate issues under the carpet.
On the same day The Guardian published its investigation on labour exploitation, a Nepali newspaper carried a piece titled “Labour Ministry in the grip of manpower lobby”.
No one, nowhere, raised a single question about the notorious nexus of manpower companies and agents – something that is at the heart of the problem.
An Amnesty International report on overseas employment published two years ago, titled “False Promises”, documented many grievous cases of labour abuse not dissimilar to those included in The Guardian article.
The report exposed the disconnect between what labourers were promised and what actually happened, from labour consent to job contracts. Manpower companies publicly protested against the report.
Over the last six years, statistics indicate that the corpses of almost 1000 Nepali labour migrants are sent back every year from Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman in the Gulf; and from Malaysia in Southeast Asia.
This is not a new phenomenon. These are not new statistics. The majority of such “sleeping deaths” are officially classed as “heart attacks”. Post-mortems are rarely carried out.
The highlighting of the situation in a destination country without any understanding of, or inquiry into, the real issues in the workers’ country of origin is new in itself. Other South Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are also “countries of origin” for the kind of migrant labour in question.
A large number of unskilled and illiterate workers from these South Asian countries face similar burdens of “heart attack” deaths, and forced and bonded labour.
The fact is, our manpower companies, their agents, and brokers and middlemen are more responsible for creating this trap of forced labour than the governments in Gulf countries or their kafala (sponsorship system).
Then it’s the mudir – usually Indian, Bangladeshi, Egyptian or Sri Lankan managers – who exploit the workers further. In fact, the Arab kafil (owners) are not even aware of how much money the workers get paid, or the conditions they work under.
“The majority of the people involved in the exploitation of Nepali workers and leading them to forced labour in Qatar are actually Nepalis themselves,” according to Nepal’s former ambassador to Qatar, Dr. Surya Nath Mishra.
“Gulf countries have provided Nepal’s unskilled labour force with an opportunity for employment, but the manpower agents have completely misused, and misrepresented the opportunity.”
The condition of stranded Nepali housemaids in Kuwait seems to validate Mishra’s assertion. There are about 200 housemaids currently taking shelter in the Nepali Embassy in Kuwait, and 180 Nepali manpower agents and middlemen are known to be responsible for their condition.
A significant number of well-to-do Nepalis in Gulf countries are also involved in making false promises to workers and luring them into illicit “supply jobs”.
This group of more educated and privileged “Nepali suppliers” in the Gulf is also responsible for the enslavement of many fellow Nepalis.
There are also groups of people involved in trafficking workers and forcing them to work without visas, legal documents, healthcare or any basic services in Gulf countries, including Qatar.
The Guardian article did not even identify the tip of the iceberg in this regard.
Read more: What The Guardian Did Not Understand
since the qataris decided not to work what do they expect from their so called sub contractors. qataris should better stop behaving like they don't know that their country exists, get out of that their houses and cars, and inspect their works themselves before water pass garri. and stop dealing wit stupid minor issues especilly issues pertaining to their women
Ignorance of the law excuses no one...even the owners! Their eyes chooses what they want to see??
Guys! don't worry, this is not about 2022. Read again it's written "preparing Qatar for the 2020 world cup"
It seems a new world cup is taking place or the QL team needs to hire a new person who reviews the content before it is posted online.
This is completely ridiculous. It must be so easy to direct the blame at someone else.
Ya I agree with your points but not only HR's persons in other post are also the same.
There is a simple way to deal with this and the hiring companies can take action. The same way I did at a previous company in Qatar. I told the manpower agencies if I found out they were charging placement fees for any of the workers then their business with my company would stop. We also paid a decent finders fee so the agent had no excuse to rip his countrymen off.
I think the focus of those articles and all the talk was that Qatar should avoid such things happening in their country esp, for the World Cup 2022.
Whatever the middle men do, it is happening in Qatar. Whatever happens in the country by whomsoever it is upon the government and the local bodies to control. But when you go down to seek help, these bodies put the entire blame on the weak workers.
These workers who have no idea about the system here and about the law are forced to face all the miseries.
I urge all Qatarliving users, not to put blame on each other's nationalities but on the plight of these workers.
Labour laws be reformed and the responsible, whatever citizen, be punished.
Doha Socialite- hi.
Don't blame the Locals for all the troubles.. sometimes they don't even have a clue of whats going on within the organization. More often then not it is the Indian (mallus) and Sri Lankan managers who have been abusing, ill treating and withholding NOC's from the workers. There was this Swedish logistics company where people have been removed for no rhyme or reason giving imaginary excuses of recession and then filling the organization with their brothers in law and relatives from Sri Lanka. Perhaps this helps this guys in the self enrichment process
Do not just put the blame on Asian country managers(Mudirs),specially Srilankans, we don't have such cheap and ruthless mentality while managing labor force. Asians have a very humble approach on doing things because they have good values, habits and traits unlike others.Don't simply try to escape from your duty by simply putting the blame on others..
http://www.hrw.org/middle-eastn-africa/qatar
http://dohanews.co/post/52697200862/three-qatar-based-expats-arrested-in-kenya-over
when they are already here, let them work for peanuts .. and these agents with a gold tooth walk freely around and no one monitors, so why would it when they make service to all, cheap labor-cheap projects, even cheaper if you do not pay ... All middleman can expect the same circle of the hell.
Well thanks for the clarification... I was obviously misinformed..
Just as an aside.. This year, there were fires at Bangladeshi garment factories where many women died. The companies who buy from these suppliers put their foot down and refused to buy till conditions were improved.
This is only a suggestion, but perhaps Qatar could take a leaf out of their book..
oh for Gods sake ,,, are you kidding ? What a cop out . We didnt know ,,,
Tell me who wouldn't actually see thru this rubbish ?