Qatar 2022 plans welfare standards for contractors

November 19, 2013 - The organizers of the 2022 Soccer World Cup have responded to a critical report on the conditions for migrant workers in Qatar by saying they are formalizing welfare standards that contractors must implement. The rights group Amnesty International on Sunday condemned human rights abuses in Qatar, cataloging the alleged exploitation of migrant workers building the infrastructure required for football's showpiece tournament. "Our findings indicate an alarming level of exploitation in the construction sector in Qatar," Amnesty International Secretary General, Salil Shetty said, releasing the report, “The Dark Side of Migration: Spotlight on Qatar’s construction sector ahead of the World Cup." Qatar's World Cup organizers said in a statement that they updated Amnesty on Sunday about the formation of a worker welfare committee, and plan to publish workers' welfare standards by next month. Qatar 2022 says the standards will be aligned with Qatari law and international best practices and ``set clear guidelines from recruitment to repatriation'' that will be a contractual obligation for companies working on World Cup projects. (Source: AP)