Introduction
World Cup is a famous football competition organized every four years by the International Association of Football Federation (FIFA) and held in various countries. It is one of the most popular sporting events that attract millions of viewers worldwide, along with the numerous tourists who come to a hosting country, thus creating substantial market value and investment opportunities (Hundt & Horsch, 2018). Since football has expanded its popularity globally, many countries, including ones in the Middle East, aspire to host such an important event. Qatar is a small Middle Eastern country with a population of about 2.7 million, most of whom are expatriates from other regions (Human Rights Watch, 2019). The 2022 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in Qatar, has been mired in controversy since the news of the nation’s successful bid was announced in 2010. Therefore, the theme of this essay is the impact of the World Cup in Qatar on human lives. The question is whether the lives lost from 2010 to up to now during the construction of necessary infrastructure for the event were worth it. Qatar has displayed a low level of responsibility for the workers’ safety and lives, but the cause of construction-related deaths in the country is not exclusive to the event of the World Cup. Thus, the country should not deny the opportunity of hosting the event, but more efforts must be put into increasing and monitoring the safety standards.
The Impact of the World Cup in Qatar on Human Lives
Qatar has faced significant criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of construction workers. According to Amnesty International (2019), Qatar’s labor system ensures that migrant workers are tied to their employers, denying them the right to leave the country or change jobs without their employer’s consent. That has led to reports of workers being subjected to dangerous working conditions and low pay. Eventually, the various media share estimations of 6,500 to 15,000 deaths related to the World Cup construction activities (Walter & Ford, 2022). In response, Qatar has increased its efforts to reform its labor laws and improve the safety of its workers. In particular, the government has passed a new labor law and ratified two international labor conventions as evidence that it is taking the issue seriously (Qatar News Agency, 2019). Despite Qatar’s progress towards reform, there are still concerns that migrant workers are being exploited and that the lives lost in constructing the World Cup groundwork from 2010 were not worth the cost. According to a recent study, construction workers in Qatar display a low level of safety awareness and safety gears knowledge, while employers tend to put “production ahead of safety” (Ajayi, Adegbenro, Alaka, Oyegoke, & Manu, 2021). Therefore, Qatar’s government and world agencies should intervene in the matter and influence the developers to ensure the proper safety conditions for construction objects.
Furthermore, the 2022 World Cup preparations in Qatar since 2010 have raised numerous concerns about migrant labor in the state. In particular, most construction employees in Qatar are primarily from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other emerging economies (Walter & Ford, 2022). The migrant workers were subject to various forms of systemic exploitation, including withheld wages, withheld passports, and false promises of better wages and working conditions (Human Rights Watch, 2019). The International Labor Organization has urged Qatar to reform its labor laws, but the country has so far failed to do so. That has led some to argue that these lives were not worth the cost of hosting the World Cup (Human Rights Watch, 2019). However, proponents of the World Cup in Qatar argue that the country has a right to host the tournament and that the event will bring much-needed economic development to the region. They have also contended that the migrants are willing participants in their exploitation and benefit from the opportunity to work and make money in Qatar (Human Rights Watch, 2019). On the other hand, regardless of one’s opinion on the matter, it is clear that these workers’ deaths are a tragedy and a reminder of the need for greater regulation of working conditions. Therefore, the Qatar government must ensure that these workers are adequately protected, compensated, and treated with respect and dignity.
Besides, accidents on construction sites in Qatar have been a major problem in recent years, particularly in the context of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In the run-up to the tournament, the number of construction-related fatalities rose to an alarming level, with an average of one worker dying every two days in 2019 (Amnesty International, 2019). Therefore, the International Labor Organization has condemned Qatar for failing to protect migrant workers and has called for immediate reforms to the kafala system. The kafala system is the labor-regulation system used in Qatar and other countries in the region. Under this system, all foreign workers must be sponsored by their employer and cannot leave the country or change jobs without their employer’s permission (ter Haar, 2019). The system has been criticized for creating an environment where workers are vulnerable to mistreatment and abuse. However, in response to the criticism, Qatar has implemented several reforms to improve the labor conditions of migrant workers. That includes a new minimum wage law, the abolition of the kafala system, and the introduction of independent labor courts and labor unions (Amnesty International, 2019). Abolishing the kafala system has helped to ensure that workers’ rights and freedom are respected, including the right to equal pay, freedom of movement, and the right to change jobs. Additionally, it has made it easier for migrants to access legal redress when they face abuses or exploitation. Without the kafala system, workers can report their employers and seek protection from the state. While human rights organizations have welcomed those reforms, there is still much work to be done to ensure that the rights of migrant workers are adequately protected.
Furthermore, the ethical considerations of the extensive loss of lives are complex and multifaceted. On the one hand, obvious human costs are associated with the lives lost due to accidents on construction sites in Qatar. Those losses cannot be taken lightly and should be weighed heavily in any ethical evaluation of the situation. On the other hand, the recent fact-checking material by Walter and Ford (2022) suggests that among all 15,799 migrants who died in Qatar in 2011-2020, only 40 worked at the World Cup sites. In addition, there are potential benefits associated with hosting the World Cup. These include the potential for economic development, increased tourism, and international recognition. The government estimates that the World Cup would add $20 billion to Qatar’s GDP (Amnesty International, 2019). That involves investments in new stadiums, hotels, and other infrastructure and increased spending from tourists and media. The World Cup would also boost tourism, with an estimated 1.5 million people visiting during the tournament (Amnesty International, 2019). That influx of visitors could provide a major economic boost for Qatar’s hospitality industry. Finally, hosting the World Cup would bring international recognition and prestige to Qatar, as it would be the first country in the Middle East to host the tournament.
Conclusion
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been surrounded by controversy since its inception in 2010. The main point of contention is human rights abuses and numerous reported worker deaths due to harsh working conditions. The lives of those workers cannot be accounted for in money, yet the potential for economic development, increased tourism, and job opportunities that the World Cup brings are undeniable. The human cost of the World Cup in Qatar has been heartbreaking; hence, the decision to award the tournament to Qatar has been widely criticized. However, hosting the World Cup is an opportunity for Qatar to showcase its culture, strengthen its ties with the international community, and provide an economic boost. Qatar has also taken steps to improve working conditions, and it is hoped that the World Cup will act as an impetus for further reforms. Therefore, it may be impossible to account for the human cost in economic terms, yet it is clear that the World Cup has the potential to bring positive change to Qatar and its citizens. The World Cup may bring attention to the plight of the workers and inspire further reforms.
References
Ajayi, S. O., Adegbenro, O. O., Alaka, H. A., Oyegoke, A. S., & Manu, P. A. (2021). Addressing behavioural safety concerns on Qatari Mega Projects. Journal of Building Engineering, 41, 102398. Web.
Amnesty International. (2019). Qatar: Migrant workers’ rights at risk. Amnesty International, Web.
Hundt, S., & Horsch, A. (2018). Sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup, shareholder wealth, and the impact of corruption. Applied Economics, 51(23), 2468–2491. Web.
Human Rights Watch. (2019). Qatar: Rights at risk ahead of 2022 World Cup. Human Rights Watch, Web.
ter Haar, B. (2018). FIFA, Qatar, Kafala: Can the World Cup create a Better World of work? International Labor Rights Case Law Journal, 4(1), 128–132. Web.
Qatar News Agency. (2019). Qatar ratifies two international labor conventions. Qatar News Agency, Web.
Walter, J. D., & Ford, M. (2022). Fact check: How many people died for the Qatar World Cup? Deutsche Welle, Web.