Macabre preparations of the World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Thousands of employees are threatened with death on construction sites

Saudi Arabia is preparing to organize one of the world's greatest sporting events. Interest in the scale of investment is growing with each subsequent construction project, but also questions about what cost they are implemented. International organizations are increasingly looking towards construction sites.

Institutions dealing with this topic warn that thousands of migrants will probably die in Saudi Arabia as a result of a construction boom powered by preparations for the World Cup in 2034 and other large infrastructure projects.

Saudi Arabia has recorded a rapid increase in the demand for cheap labor. From 2021, the number of foreign employees increased significantly, when preparations for the World Cup began and work on projects such as the futuristic megamiasto neom began.

“Tournament will cost many human lives “

In two reports published on May 14, organizations indicate that employees are exposed to serious threats to life, and the Saudi Arabian authorities are criticized for the lack of transparency in the death of migrants.

James Lynch, co -conductor of the Fairsquare organization, who prepared a report on the risk of employing migrants, said:

“Hundreds of thousands of young men are thrown into a work system, which is a serious threat to their lives. While FIFA praises Saudi Arabia to the heavens, children in Nepal grow up without fathers and never even learn how they died.”

In a separate report on the deaths of migrants in Saudi Arabia, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization accused FIFA of “conscious risk of another tournament, which will unnecessarily cost many human lives.”

Michael Page Deputy Director Human Rights Watch to the Middle East stated:

“Macabre accidents at the workplace, in which employees migrating in Saudi Arabia die, should be a huge warning signal for enterprises, football fans and sports associations that want to cooperate with FIFA in the organization of the World Championships in 2034, considering that the authorities of Saudi Arabia do not provide migratory employees with adequate security and social security, Local and international companies have more responsibility to take care of it. “

Decapitation, electric shock and falls from a height

At the beginning of this year, The Guardian revealed that a Pakistani employee died, falling from a height during the construction of the stadium to the World Cup in Al-Chubar.

The HRW report documents a series of deaths caused by “macabre, but to avoid accidents in the workplace” in Saudi Arabia – including decapitation, electric shock and falls from a height – leaving the families of victims in mourning and poverty.

According to Saudi Arabia law, if the employee dies during work, his family should receive compensation from state insurance or directly from the employer. However, HRW described this process as “long and burdensome” and documented many cases in which families received small or no support.

Saudi Arabia hides the actual number of death caused by working conditions?

Saudi authorities claim that the number of accidents and deaths at work has dropped significantly.

However, organizations such as Fairsquare raise concerns about “serious shortcomings in the way Saudi authorities study and classify migrants' deaths.” Many deaths may be incorrectly classified as “natural”, although they probably have a direct or indirect relationship with the conditions of work and life of employees.

Fairsquare emphasizes that the term “natural” does not give any real explanation of the cause of death. In its report, the organization points out:

“It seems that the Saudi Arabian authorities use this term as a shortcut for all deaths that do not result from accidents in the workplace, road collisions or other violent causes.”

FIFA claims that he monitors the situation

This position is confirmed by a study from 2019 conducted by a Saudi pathologist who analyzed all death acts from the hospital in Riyadh in 1997–2016. He determined that in each case the cause of death was “either wrong or not given at all”, and 75% of cases was not given any cause of death.

In response to the request of The Guardian, FIFA made a letter sent to the HRW, in which we read:

“FIFA is trying to play its role in ensuring strong protection of employees employed by subcontractors at the construction sites related to the world championships. This work includes close cooperation with Saudi partners and contacts with relevant international employee organizations. We are convinced that implemented funds can set new standards of employee protection.”

JS

Source: