‘Clock kid’ Ahmed Mohamed and his family will move to Qatar

[oberliner]

105. Revealed: Qatar's World Cup 'slaves'

Dozens of Nepalese migrant labourers have died in Qatar in recent weeks and thousands more are enduring appalling labour abuses, a Guardian investigation has found, raising serious questions about Qatar's preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.

This summer, Nepalese workers died at a rate of almost one a day in Qatar, many of them young men who had sudden heart attacks. The investigation found evidence to suggest that thousands of Nepalese, who make up the single largest group of labourers in Qatar, face exploitation and abuses that amount to modern-day slavery, as defined by the International Labour Organisation, during a building binge paving the way for 2022.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/25/revealed-qatars-world-cup-slaves

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2014/15

Employers continued to abuse and exploit foreign migrant workers, who comprised more than 90% of Qatar’s total workforce. The authorities failed to adequately enforce the 2004 Labour Law and related decrees, which contained some protective provisions.

Workers’ living conditions were often grossly inadequate and many workers said they were made to work excessive hours beyond the legal maximum or were paid far less than agreed when they were contracted. Some employers failed to pay workers their wages, and some did not issue residency permits to employees, leaving them undocumented and at risk of arrest and detention. Few workers possessed their own passports and some employers denied workers the exit permits they required to leave Qatar. Construction workers were exposed to hazardous conditions. Under the Labour Law, migrant workers were prohibited from forming or joining trade unions.

Women’s rights

Women remained unable to fully exercise their human rights due to barriers in law, policy and practice. The absence of a law specifically criminalizing domestic violence exposed women to abuse within the family, while personal status laws discriminated against women in relation to marriage, divorce, nationality and freedom of movement.

Freedom of expression

Freedom of expression remained strictly controlled and the press routinely exercised self-censorship.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/

I've never encountered anyone who thought Qatar was more progressive than the United States.