Protecting the most fundamental human right
Two of the biggest sporting events in the world are the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. They require the host country to establish an infrastructure fit to accommodate not only athletes from around the world but also make sure the tourists are taken care of. Being a sports enthusiast and having played multiple sports, I not only enjoy watching such events but I eagerly look forward to them; the question is should I do so being fully aware of the human rights violations that accompany such events?
In the history of such mega events rampant human rights violations have been recorded. In Brazil, the Favela residents of Rio de Janeiro were displaced to build stadiums and infrastructure, and now most of the stadiums built for the World Cup are empty or being used for wedding ceremonies, birthday parties and parking lots. During these events increased incidents of child sexual abuse, trafficking of women and children, forced evictions, violence by government authorities against the homeless, etc, have also grievously gone unnoticed.
The most appalling human rights violations are being reported during preparations for the Qatar World Cup in 2022 against migrant workers working on building stadiums and other facilities for the event
The most appalling human rights violations are being reported during preparations for the Qatar World Cup in 2022 against migrant workers working on building stadiums and other facilities for the event. Since 2010, when Qatar was granted to host the Cup, 1200 migrant workers have lost their lives, mostly Nepalese, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi. Nine workers have been killed in the run up to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and sixty workers died in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Majority of the deaths in Qatar are a result of extremely unfavourable and hot conditions which usually lead to a heat stroke causing cardiac arrest. It is estimated that an astonishing 4000 workers will lose their lives by the 2022 World Cup if Qatar fails to act upon it.
More than 90 percent of the work force (construction/domestic sectors) in Qatar belongs to Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The system through which they monitor migrant workers is known as the Kafala system. All workers have a local Qatari sponsor who is usually their employer and handles their paper work and visa issues. Sponsors are also known to keep migrant workers passports so that the workers are unable to move back to their native countries. This system is applicable in most of the Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, etc. After a lot of pressure from human rights organisations the most recent country to repeal the Kafala system is Bahrain in 2009.
Qatar has vowed to reform this archaic Kafala scheme by getting rid of the sponsorship and exit permit requirements. They have allegedly made a solid commitment to improve on the working conditions for migrant workers, but, sadly all they have to show for it are blanket statements like “We believe that the people helping us build our country deserve to be fairly paid, humanely treated and protected against exploitation that is why we are reforming our labour laws and practices.”
To add fuel to the fire, a recent US investigation has revealed that Sepp Blatter and 14 other members of FIFA were involved in racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering at the time of allocating the World Cup hosting countries. A separate Swiss investigation is also underway on how the allocation process took place with regards to the 2018 and 2022 world cups. If corruption did take place during the process then it is suffice to say that a few selfish men caused the deaths of thousands in Qatar.
The General Assembly adopted a Resolution with the Human Rights Council in 2013 which emphasised the importance of promoting human rights through sport and the Olympic ideal.
The General Assembly adopted a Resolution with the Human Rights Council in 2013 which emphasised the importance of promoting human rights through sport and the Olympic ideal. This Resolution stresses the need to encourage host states to be aware of human rights when planning events as big as the Olympics and World Cups. Host countries with the help of stakeholders like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or FIFA should help improve and set up assessment and risk mitigation measures to stop the exploitation of migrant labourers in the Middle East.
The IOC is in the process of enacting reforms known as “Agenda 2020”. These reforms require hosts to “take all necessary measures to ensure that development projects necessary for the organisation of the Games comply with local, regional and national legislation and international agreements, standards and protocols, applicable in the Host Country with regard to planning, construction, protection of the environment, health and safety and labour laws.” Perhaps the language has a tinge of high flying ambition, however, it certainly is a step forward in promoting and protecting the most fundamental and basic human rights.
