The long shadow of Qatar’s human rights abuses
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By Cathryn Grothe
A spotlight on Qatar
The international spotlight is on Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. It’s not only the football matches that are receiving global attention, but also Qatar’s harrowing human rights record. To fully appreciate the controversy surrounding this year’s host country, it is important to understand the long history of repression.
Qatari citizens only make up about 10% of the population, while the majority of people living in the country are foreign nationals, largely migrant workers from South Asia. This disparity is not uncommon in the Arab Gulf, where migrant workers flock for employment opportunities.
While Qatari citizens are among the wealthiest in the world, the large portion of noncitizens not only earn low wages but also lack the same political rights and civil liberties awarded to Qataris; exploitative foreign labour laws box out noncitizens from realising the same economic opportunities as citizens. This discrimination and labour exploitation wa...
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