Migrant workers are victims of serious abuse on Saudi Arabia’s flagship construction sites, particularly those supporting the Saudi candidacy to host the 2034 Football World Cup, Human Rights Watch denounced this Wednesday, December 4 in a 79 report. pages titled “Die First, and I’ll Pay You Later.”
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In its 79-page report, the NGO details working conditions sometimes resembling forced labor, particularly on the sites of the Vision 2030 plan, the ambitious reform project led by Mohammed ben Salman, crown prince and leader of facto of the country.
Among the abuses identified during 155 interviews conducted by the NGO: exorbitant recruitment fees imposed on job candidates, unpaid salaries, exposure to extreme heat and restrictions on professional mobility. According to HRW, these abuses affect migrant workers at every stage of their journey.
“Every day, one or two workers faint”
The pressure to meet unrealistic deadlines compounds the risks. “ Every day one or two workers faint “, an employee of the Neom project, a futuristic megalopolis which is to see the light of day in the desert, told HRW.
Like other Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia has millions of Indian, Pakistani and Filipino workers, occupying menial jobs with low wages, largely shunned by nationals. Despite labor law reforms introduced in 2021, workers say they continue to depend on their employers to change jobs or leave the country, a system that HRW calls exploitative.
Between January and July 2024, 884 Bangladeshi workers died in Saudi Arabia according to information obtained by the NGO, including 80% of “ natural causes » not sought, according to HRW. These unexplained deaths often leave families without compensation or financial support.
“Fifa turns a blind eye”
For HRW, if Fifa awards the organization of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, the sole candidate, at the beginning of December, it will have decided to ignore these abuses.
The construction of the necessary infrastructure, including around ten new stadiums and hundreds of thousands of hotel rooms, risks aggravating the violations already documented, says the NGO. “ Fifa turns a blind eye “, deplores Michael Page, deputy director of HRW for the Middle East.
In its evaluation report published on Saturday, FIFA describes the Saudi candidacy as “ solid “, while emphasizing that Saudi Arabia’s human rights commitments will require ” a significant effort in time and energy » before the 2034 World Cup.