Ever since football's biggest competition was awarded to Qatar in 2010, it has been shrouded in controversy. Several social and sports organisations, as well as individuals, have denounced the human rights violations taking place in this country, which have cast a shadow over the organisation of the FIFA World Cup.

Violation of migrant workers' rights

According to Human Right Watch, significant labour changes have been implemented in Qatar following the signing of an agreement between the Qatari government and the UN International Labour Organisation (ILO) in November 2017, allowing migrant employees to change occupations without the consent of their employers and establishing a higher, non-discriminatory minimum wage. The measures, however, have shown to be woefully insufficient in preserving workers' rights and are not effectively implemented.

Seven of the eight stadiums being used for the tournament have been built from scratch, with the eighth undergoing major renovation. Most people involved in construction have been workers from abroad.

Foreign workers work under the Kafala System. The Kafala (sponsorship) system, defines the relationship between foreign workers and their local sponsor, or kafeel, which is usually their employer. Over the past 10 years, Human Rights Watch, other human rights and migrant rights organizations, United Nations experts, trade unions, and media organizations have documented how this system across the region underpins migrant workers’ vulnerability to a wide range of abuses, including forced labor, such as charging recruitment fees that trap workers in debt, confiscating their passports, stealing their wages, and providing unsafe working conditions and crowded and unsanitary labor camps.

Another cause for alarm with regard to the workers is the high temperatures to which they are subjected. The feasibility of the World Cup in the scorching heat of the Qatari desert raised concerns for both spectators and players, who are prohibited by FIFA regulations from playing in temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius. However, the conditions of the millions of migrant workers who would have to build the extensive infrastructure and stadiums for the World Cup in the intense heat were given little or no consideration by sports and state authorities, as denounced by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

All this culminates in the most worrying, according to international organisations, deaths of foreign workers. In the 12 years leading up to the event, there have been reports of migrant worker deaths ranging from a few dozen to several thousand. By the time the competition begins, the International Trade Union Confederation estimates that there would be 7,000 deaths, although the Qatari authorities report 34 non-work-related deaths and three work-related deaths during that time.

Despite the increased public attention that the FIFA World Cup 2022 brings, and its intention to compensate workers and their families for being injured or killed during the construction of World Cup projects, migrant workers are still subjected to wage theft and extortionate hiring costs, and their deaths are not looked into or compensated.

LGBTQ+ Community (see advice in this guide)

Same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under the Penal Code 2004, which criminalises acts of ‘sodomy’ and ‘sexual intercourse’ between people of the same sex. These provisions carry a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment. Both men and women are criminalised under this law.

The Constitution of Qatar designates Islam as the state religion, and Islamic law as the main source of legislation. As such, in addition to the Penal Code, Qatar operates an interpretation of Sharia law which criminalises sexual activity between men, under which it is possible that the death penalty can be imposed.

One month before the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Human Rights Watch reported that security forces have been arbitrarily arresting LGBT people and subjecting them to ill-treatment in detention in the country. Human Rights Watch interviewed six LGBTQ+ Qataris, including four transgender women, one bisexual woman, and one gay man.

Women

There is a very high ratio of men to women in Qatar society; men outnumber women by more than three to one. This is primarily due to the number of expatriate male workers. Gender imbalance is a challenge to Qatari society because it perpetuates gender culture and, subsequently, unequal gender rights between men and women.

Human Rights Watch found that women in Qatar must obtain permission from their male guardians to marry, study abroad on government scholarships, work in many government jobs, travel abroad until certain ages, and receive some forms of reproductive health care. The discriminatory system also denies women the authority to act as their children’s primary guardian, even when they are divorced and have legal custody. These restrictions violate Qatar’s constitution and international law.

Women in Qatar are becoming more vocal about their rights, especially online. But laws limiting freedom of expression and association, government intimidation, and online harassment remain serious obstacles, Human Rights Watch found. There are no independent women’s rights organizations.

In the Gender Progress Index, Qatar ranked in the bottom five for gender equality; at 117 out of 122 countries evaluated. This classifies Qatar as one of the most unequal societies in the world.

These situations of social injustice and human rights violations have led to the mobilisation of numerous sports and social organisations, as well as individuals, who have called for various actions and protests. Examples include:

Following the initiative launched by Human Rights Watch, German FA started pressuring FIFA to create a compensation fund for the families of workers who died on construction sites for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to its president, Bernd Neuendorf.

This action triggered other initiatives. England's Harry Kane and the football captains of nine other countries will wear armbands this season as part of an anti-discrimination campaign. The English FA has joined the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales in taking part in the OneLove initiative (originally started by the Netherlands, which aims to use football to promote inclusion and "send a message against discrimination").

Another example is the use of the hashtag #BoycottQatar2022 through which fans all over the world can show that they do not agree with FIFA's corrupt system and with the World Cup being held in the unjust state of Qatar.

Or the This Isn’t Football Initiative.
Peter Tatchell, British LGBT rights campaigner, protested against the country's treatment of LGBT people ahead of the World Cup, under the slogan #QatarAntiGay, for which he was arrested and sent back to the UK.