In what can only be described as shocking, a new report from the Guardian has recorded more than 6,500 construction deaths in Qatar’s rush to build soccer stadiums and infrastructure for FIFA’s World Cup in 2022.
The dead migrant workers mostly came from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Government sourced data shows that on average, 12 migrant workers have died each week since December 2010 when Qatar celebrated their win to host the FIFA 2022 tournament.
The total death toll is expected to be much higher as these figures do not include deaths from a number of smaller countries.
“While death records are not categorised by occupation or place of work, it is likely many workers who have died were employed on these World Cup infrastructure projects, says Nick McGeehan, a director at FairSquare Projects, an advocacy group specialising in labour rights in the Gulf.
Recent research commissioned by the UN’s International Labour Organization found that for at least four months of the year workers faced significant heat stress when working outside.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.