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The report, which came out on Tuesday, reveals how guestworkers in Qatar have been taken to the extreme by extreme overtime, lack of rest, abuse and degrading treatment.
Amnesty has interviewed 105 women who are guest workers at the World Cup organizer in two years. The findings show that despite the new reforms that have been introduced, workers’ rights are being violated and abused.
In 2017, Qatar introduced a separate law for guest workers that, among other things, sets a maximum limit on the number of working hours, requirements for daily breaks, a weekly day off and paid holidays. Three years later, Amnesty International reveals that nine out of ten women suffer rape and even abuse, beatings and abuses of their rights at work.
One woman says she is “treated like a dog,” writes Amnesty.
– Somehow it is not surprising, but it is sad news. Despite some reforms, we see abuse of guest workers in Qatar continuing, Amnesty Norway’s Secretary General John Peder Egenæs tells Dagbladet.
– It is obvious that although a series of reforms have been introduced, they are not followed up. Of course, it is difficult to inspect everyone’s home, but if authorities do not follow up, there is little indication that these employers will follow these relatively modest laws, Egenæs continues.
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Crashed from lack of sleep
Today, more than two million guest workers work in Qatar. The new Amnesty report claims that the most common form of abuse was long working hours and poor rest.
On average, women worked 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is a 112 hour work week. Almost three times the length of a normal Norwegian work week.
Reina, a 45-year-old Filipino woman, talks about how little sleep caused a car accident.
– I went to bed at 01:00, and at 03 the boss’s daughter woke me up, who asked me if I could buy her a Red Bull. At 05:30 I started my normal work day and at 10:00 am I crashed the car into a wall, the woman tells Amnesty.
– We have to talk about this
Threatened with death
The Guest Work Law establishes that you cannot work more than ten hours a day, but this can be extended if agreed with the employee. But according to Amnesty, the power relationship makes this loophole easy to exploit. Several women say they are afraid to say no to constant requests from employers.
– The lady (employer, editor’s note) will say that you are a monster and that she will cut out my tongue. I fear that. She tells me she wants to kill me. I’m just a maid and I can’t do anything, says the woman Amnesty calls Emily.
All women cited by Amnesty are anonymized.
Several women report physical abuse and a small group of women report sexual abuse by employers and their families. Most of the women tell Amnesty that they do not dare to report the situation for fear of revenge from the employers.
– It must have consequences
Amnesty concludes the report by saying that Qatar has failed to hold abusive employers accountable and that there is little to suggest that it will prevent future abuse.
– We must put pressure on the Qatari authorities to monitor and improve their own laws. These laws should be followed up with inspections and there should be consequences when you encounter the conditions we have discovered, recommends Egenæs.
– We believe that the focus that is on Qatar in relation to the World Cup, contributes to worrying about doing something with its reputation. They have taken some action and they should be honored by it, but there are still so many guest workers who are not treated as they should. Now we must pressure the Qatari authorities to make a change, concludes Amnesty Norway’s Secretary General.
