Target: Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA
Goal: Protest against alleged modern-day slavery in Qatar FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA world cup was a globally celebrated event. However, beneath the glitz and excitement of the sport, there have been reports of unforeseen human rights abuse. Migrant workers from several third-world countries have been forced to participate in a system of employment that critics have compared to modern-day slavery. According to a Guardian report, more than 6,500 workers are said to have died in the years since Qatar won the bid for the world cup. Amnesty International had termed the event the ‘World Cup of Shame’ due to the allegedly severe human rights abuse.
Notably, the alleged incidents of abuse are not isolated, but are integral to a highly biased labor code known as the ‘Kafala System.’ It is a sponsorship program that entraps migrant workers into debt bondage, leaving them at the whims of a sponsor. Workers are unable to file a complaint against the employer without fear of retribution. Unless the worker gets a sponsor, he can’t get a visa to work in the destination country. In addition, the sponsor holds the power of renewing the visa, but on the failure of timely renewal of the visa, the worker is held responsible and penalized. The system also involves other rights abuse parameters such as excessive recruitment fees, passports confiscation, and poor living conditions. Qatar claims to have abolished certain elements of the kafala, but rights groups claim that it persists, although informally.
Top officials of FIFA are about to meet in Rwanda for the annual conference. Activists and human rights groups around the world have demanded that the sports body compensate the families of the migrant workers who lost their lives in Qatar setting the stage for the blockbuster event. Reportedly, several members of the organization are against the alleged human rights abuse incidents in Qatar. Before the tournament, the governing body pledged to establish a legacy fund but there was no commitment to using the fund to divert money for worker welfare. According to reports, FIFA generated approximately $7.5 billion in revenue through commercial deals during the sporting event.
Sports entertainment should not amaze at the cost of human rights abuse. Sign the petition below to demand FIFA compensate the families of migrant workers who lost their lives in Qatar and stop this alleged modern-day slavery.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President Infantino,
There have been confirmed reports of major human rights abuse in the preparation for the Qatar World Cup. Allegedly, more than 6,500 migrant workers have lost their lives in developing infrastructure projects for the global sporting event. FIFA is yet to acknowledge these claims.
Your organization has pledged to establish a legacy fund at the commencement of the event. However, the details of the legacy fund are yet to be made public. We demand that FIFA acknowledges the human cost of the global sporting tournament, compensates the families of migrants, and works to abolish any human rights abuses within its organization.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Tasha Jolley
Compensate all of the black families that died during slavery that America legalized.