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Low-wage migrant staff have been compelled to pay billions of {dollars} in recruitment charges to safe their jobs in World Cup host nation Qatar over the previous decade, a Guardian investigation has discovered.
Bangladeshi males migrating to Qatar are prone to have paid about $1.5bn (£1.14bn) in charges, and presumably as excessive as $2bn, between 2011 and 2020. Nepali males are estimated to have paid round $320m, and presumably greater than $400m, within the 4 years between mid-2015 to mid-2019.
The entire price incurred by Qatar’s low-wage migrant workforce is prone to be far larger as a result of staff from different labour-sending nations in south Asia and Africa additionally pay excessive charges.
Migrants from Bangladesh and Nepal, who make up round a 3rd of Qatar’s 2-million robust international workforce, sometimes pay charges of $3,000 to $4,000 and $1,000 to $1,500 respectively. Because of this many low-wage staff from Bangladesh – who can earn as little as $275 a month – should work for at the least a yr simply to repay their recruitment charges.
With simply months to go till the World Cup kicks off, the findings reveal the dimensions of exploitation endured by a few of the world’s poorest staff, together with many who’ve been employed on World Cup-related development and hospitality tasks.
The figures, which have been calculated by the Guardian and corroborated by a variety of labour rights teams, are an estimate primarily based on the prevalence and value of recruitment charges and associated bills reported by quite a few human rights teams and labour consultants between 2014 and 2022.
The charging of recruitment charges is unlawful in Qatar and – past a most restrict – in Nepal and Bangladesh, however the follow is widespread and deeply entrenched. It’s commonplace in all of the Gulf nations. The figures calculated by the Guardian embody all charges, together with these throughout the most restrict.
It takes completely different types, however typically sees corporations or brokers in Qatar and recruitment brokers in labour-sending nations colluding to power staff into paying for their very own recruitment. The charges are paid to brokers in staff’ residence nations earlier than departure.
Employees typically should take out high-interest loans or promote land to afford the charges, leaving them susceptible to debt bondage – a type of fashionable slavery – as they’re unable to depart their jobs till the debt has been repaid.
Regardless of the prices, tons of of 1000’s of Bangladeshi and Nepali staff proceed to hunt work within the Gulf and past every year, largely on account of an absence of jobs and low wages at residence. Many pay the charges understanding the dangers however calculating that it’s going to repay in the long run.
Their dilemma was plain to see within the departure corridor at Kathmandu’s worldwide airport, the place staff made hurried video calls to their households, thick purple “tikka” smeared on their foreheads; a logo of excellent needs from associates.
“I’m feeling actually fearful,” mentioned one employee, going overseas for the primary time. “However I’ve to go. I’ve cash issues.”
One other, taking over a development job in Qatar, waved goodbye to his child son on his telephone. “I’m so unhappy to be leaving my kids,” he mentioned. “I paid 150,000 [Nepalese] rupees [NPR] [$1,230]. The agent instructed me, ‘If you wish to go, you must pay’.”
The Qatari authorities say they’ve taken steps to deal with the issue by opening recruitment centres in eight nations, beginning in 2018, the place staff should go to finish numerous administrative duties and signal their contracts earlier than departure.
Whereas the centres could have lowered the incidence of “contract substitution” – the place staff discover completely different phrases and situations in Qatar to what they have been promised at residence – consultants mentioned they’ve performed little to curb recruitment charges, as a result of these are paid a lot earlier within the recruitment course of.
A 2021 report on recruitment between Nepal and Qatar led by migrant rights group FairSquare mentioned Qatar has “largely seen recruitment and charge fee as an origin state concern, and recruiters have usually been topic to comparatively restricted regulation”.
Nonetheless, the native organising committee of the World Cup launched a scheme in 2018 to make sure corporations with stadium contracts repay the recruitment charges of their staff, in addition to some staff on different tasks. Employees should not required to indicate proof that they’ve paid charges, which is sort of not possible to do on condition that the follow is unlawful. Corporations have pledged to repay roughly $28.5m to about 49,000 staff. To this point round $22m has been reimbursed.
The variety of staff who will profit, nevertheless, is barely a tiny fraction of the entire in Qatar. In lots of circumstances, the repayments solely cowl a part of the recruitment charges, and don’t present any extra compensation or account for the price of the employees’ loans.
The Guardian understands the scheme has additionally not been prolonged to 1000’s of staff within the hospitality sector who’re taking part in a direct position within the World Cup. Final yr, the Guardian interviewed staff in Fifa-endorsed lodges who mentioned they’d paid recruitment charges of as much as $2,750.
The supreme committee organising the World Cup mentioned in a press release, “We stay dedicated to delivering the legacy we promised. A legacy that improves lives and lays the inspiration for truthful, sustainable, and lasting labour reforms.”
Narad Nath Bharadwaj, a former Nepal ambassador to Qatar, referred to as the follow a “grotesque story”, saying greater than 90% of staff pay charges.
“Fee is unlawful and largely takes place beneath the desk, so the employees haven’t any proof they’ve paid. However they’re unable to get a job if they don’t pay 150,000 or 200,000 NPR. For higher jobs the speed is larger,” he mentioned.
Whereas some staff are recruited without cost or minimal price, the overwhelming majority are compelled to pay; typically victims of offers between employers and brokers in Qatar and a series of recruiters and brokers in Nepal and Bangladesh.
In some circumstances, employers or brokers in Qatar safe visas to recruit staff after which demand kickbacks of about $300 to $500 for every employee from brokers in labour-sending nations in alternate for the visas, the price of which is handed on to staff.
A report for the Qatar Basis mentioned: “The prices borne by staff … are basically ‘bribes’ demanded (extorted) by recruitment brokers to safe the roles in Qatar for which they enter into debt with high-interest charges.”
Bangladeshi staff, like Aman Ullah, pay by far the best charges. In 2016, Ullah was charged 360,000 taka ($4,190) for a job in Qatar. He was promised work as a welder on a month-to-month wage of two,500 Qatari rial ($686), however on arrival, he was taken out to the desert to work on a farm for 800 rial.
“There was no restrict to the work,” he mentioned. “We had no electrical energy or air-conditioning and weren’t allowed to depart the compound.” His employer wouldn’t let him return residence till he begged for permission to go to his sick mom. Again in Bangladesh, with nothing to indicate for his time in Qatar, his debt had ballooned to 800,000 taka forcing him to take out additional loans to repay the unique debt.
Even in dying, staff should not launched from their recruitment debt. Hoping to earn cash for his daughter’s dowry, Mahamad Nadaf Mansur Dhuniya, from Nepal, paid an agent 150,000 NPR for a development job in Qatar in 2018. He might solely afford the charge by taking out a mortgage with an annual rate of interest of 48%. Final yr, he was discovered hanging in his office.
His spouse, Mairul Khatun, is uncertain why he killed himself. “I feel it could have been the stress of the mortgage, his daughter’s marriage, the necessity to take care of his household,” she mentioned, from her residence in southern Nepal.
Her arms and ft are smeared in mud from labouring within the close by fields, for which she earns 300 NPR a day and some potatoes, which lie on the bottom beside her.
She could have misplaced her husband, however his debt stays. “I’ve a number of stress now. Earlier than, we generally ate meat and milk however we’ve stopped now. How can we afford these items?” Khatun mentioned. “I can’t sleep at evening.”
The Qatar authorities mentioned corporations concerned in unlawful recruitment practices have been severely punished. Twenty 4 recruitment businesses have been not too long ago shut down and had their licences revoked for breaking Qatar’s legal guidelines.
A spokesperson mentioned: “There are advanced challenges that should be overcome to guard financial migrants globally, together with in Europe. For its half, Qatar is dedicated to eradicating unlawful recruitment practices in its labour market and supporting efforts to sort out abuse and exploitation all through the worldwide economic system.”
Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen of Bangladesh’s ministry of expatriates’ welfare and abroad employment mentioned: “The federal government of Bangladesh is strongly dedicated to making sure secure, orderly, common and accountable work migration.”
He blamed “visa buying and selling” by middlemen in each the nation of origin and vacation spot for the excessive price of recruitment and mentioned authorized motion was instantly taken in opposition to recruitment businesses when complaints of unfair recruitment practices have been obtained.
The Nepal authorities didn’t reply to repeated requests for remark.
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