Under pressure from international community and civil rights
groups, Qatar has pledged to introduce new labour legislation by 2015 to
improve the rights of its migrant workers.
The international community considers Qatar’s current
sponsorship system as similar to modern-day.
The sponsorship law, known as “Kafala”, limits the rights of
movement of foreign workers. According to reports by different groups, Kafala
has led to widespread exploitation of foreign workers.
According to the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry of
Qatar, a new legislation is currently under review and they expect to make
announcements by early next year.
In May, Qatar’s government said that it would change the
sponsorship system and will begin to use employment contracts.
The current labour legislation also prevent foreign workers
to change their jobs by the end of their contract. The new legislation would
remove this, along with the certificate of non-objection needed by these
sponsored migrant workers to change their occupation.
Because of its harsh working conditions, Qatar had almost
lost its 2022 FIFA World Cup deal after reports of ill-treatment of workers had
caused deaths in constructing the arena.
Most migrant workers in Qatar come from Southeast Asia and
other areas in Eurasia.
