DOHA: Security guards in Qatar are working in conditions which amount to forced labour, including on projects linked to the World Cup finals, claims a new report from Amnesty International.

The investigation documented the experiences of 34 current or former employees of eight private security companies in Qatar.

The security guards, all migrant workers, described routinely working 12 hours a day, seven days a week – often for months or even years on end without a day off.

Most said their employers refused to respect the weekly rest day which is required by Qatari law, and workers who took their day off anyway faced being punished with arbitrary wage deductions. One man described his first year in Qatar as “survival of the fittest”.

In 2017 Qatar embarked on a promising agenda to tackle labour issues. It has introduced important legal reforms including a new minimum wage and improved access to justice, and repealed key aspects of the abusive kafala system. However, these reforms are not being effectively implemented. What’s more, many of the abuses Amnesty International documented are violations of Qatari laws and regulations predating the reforms.

Many guards knew their employers were breaking the law but felt powerless to challenge them. Physically and emotionally exhausted, they kept reporting for duty under threat of financial penalties or even deportation

Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice: “The abuses we uncovered can all be traced back to the massive power imbalance that still exists between employers and migrant workers in Qatar, indicating that there are still major gaps in the authorities’ enforcement of labour laws.

“Many of the security guards we spoke to knew their employers were breaking the law but felt powerless to challenge them. Physically and emotionally exhausted, workers kept reporting for duty under threat of financial penalties – or worse, contract termination or deportation.”

Amnesty wants Qatar to urgently investigate abuses in the private security sector, publish its findings, and offer redress for workers, including ensuring they get adequate rest and pay. Qatar should also publish a detailed action plan for effectively tackling forced labour practices in the sector.

Since 2017, Qatar has implemented restrictions on outdoor working during the hottest months. In 2021 the summer working hours ban was extended and migrant workers were given the right to stop working if they believe the heat is threatening their health.

FIFA and the Supreme Committee did not renew the contracts of two of the three companies that were providing security to World Cup sites and reported them to the Ministry of Labour after they found evidence themselves of some of the issues Amnesty International documented.

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