February 6: With less than four years to go until the 2022 World Cup, the Qatari authorities risk falling behind on their promise to tackle widespread labour exploitation of thousands of migrant workers, Amnesty International said on Tuesday, February 5.

Amnesty International said it has urged Qatar to fully abolish the abusive kafala sponsorship system which, despite a few recent changes, continues to tie workers to unscrupulous employers for up to five years.

In November 2017, Qatar signed an agreement with the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) to revise its laws in line with international labour standards.

Since then, the authorities have passed several pieces of legislation aimed at benefiting migrant workers, including introducing a temporary minimum wage, introducing a law for domestic workers, setting up new committees to address labour disputes and establishing a workers’ support and insurance fund.

The authorities also ended the requirement for employees to obtain an “exit permit” requiring their employer’s permission to be able to leave the country for most migrant workers.

However, limitations in some of the reforms introduced so far mean many migrant workers in Qatar are still at risk of forced labour, restrictions on their movement and other abuses.

Under the kafala system, which remains firmly in place despite partial reforms, workers still cannot change jobs without their employers’ permission. They face criminalization for ‘absconding’ and risk having their passports confiscated.

The temporary minimum wage is just over $200 per month, while new labour courts intended to tackle cases of abuse including non-payment of wages are overwhelmed with cases and hundreds of workers have returned home without justice or compensation.

Domestic workers, meanwhile, are still required to obtain an “exit permit” in order to leave the country, and a weak domestic workers law introduced in 2017 means many remain vulnerable to abuse.