Qatar Continues To Flaunt Human Rights Of Migrant Workers

Last updated on November 23rd, 2020 at 11:18 am

Atrocities against migrant workers remains the worst in Qatar as fresh news has come in that an Indian worker was shot in the face when he asked for leave from his Qatari employer.

While Saudi Arabia is said to have altered its employment rule to facilitate better migrant worker working conditions, Qatar has not done anything significant in the same area of concern.

The migrant worker had been working for his employer cum sponsor for close to six years. He had not seen his family since 2018. His father is a heart patient and therefore the Indian welder hailing from Bihar had asked for leave to visit his family.

But the employer shot at his face point blank injuring him fatally. The migrant worker is out of danger and recovering in a Doha hospital. The local consulate has been informed about his maltreatment.

Most Middle eastern countries use a unique method of employment. Once a migrant worker comes to do work for an employer, he cannot shift or alter his or her terms of employment. The individual finds himself at the mercy of his/her employer, and cannot go back home. His passport is most cases is confiscated and working conditions are kept bare minimum. There are no leaves, access to recreation or a social life either. Most are treated as bonded labour and can be deported if found to escape this kind of inhuman living conditions.

Qatar has been repeatedly pulled up by human rights groups for its atrocious and exploitative migrant employment rules. Doha has continued to evade its responsibility towards the millions of migrant workers that come to work in Qatar every year in hope of earning well and sending back home fat sums on remittance pay. However, they do this at the expense of human rights violation and risk to their personal life.