Qatar: Failure to Investigate Migrant Worker Deaths Leaves Family in Despair
11/16/2021
Qatari authorities have failed to investigate the deaths of thousands
of migrant workers over the past decade, despite evidence of links
between premature deaths and unsafe working conditions, Amnesty
International said today. The organization’s new report, In the Prime of their Lives,
documents how Qatar routinely issues death certificates for
migrant workers without conducting adequate investigations, instead
attributing deaths to “natural causes” or vaguely defined cardiac
failures. These certifications – described by one leading pathologist as
“meaningless” – rule out the possibility of compensation for bereaved
families, many of whom are already facing financial difficulties after
losing their main breadwinner.
Amnesty International highlighted the risks posed
to workers by Qatar’s extreme climate, especially when combined with
excessive and physically strenuous working hours. Qatar recently introduced some
new protections for workers, but major risks remain and authorities
have done little to investigate the scale of heat-related deaths. As
well as consulting leading medical experts and reviewing government data
relating to thousands of deaths, Amnesty analysed 18 death certificates
and interviewed the families of six men, all of whom were between 30
and 40 when they died.
Continue reading this article at Amnesty International
Share