Human rights watchdog asks how FIFA can "seriously consider" Saudi Arabia as World Cup host

A human rights watchdog group is accusing Saudi Arabia of systematically violating the dignity of migrant workers, saying the kingdom is failing to meet the stated human rights requirements of soccer's world governing body, despite being presumptive hosts of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

In a report released Tuesday, the human rights organization Equidem reveals what it alleges are significant human rights and labor violations to migrant workers in the sectors of hospitality, maintenance and construction. After a wealth of migrant worker abuse was revealed in the lead up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the group warns that FIFA could be on the verge of choosing yet another host that does not protect the rights of migrants.

Saudi Arabia was the only country to submit a bid in time for the 2034 World Cup.

“The report raises one simple question: How on earth could FIFA seriously consider Saudi Arabia as a host for its marquee event, given its human rights record?” Equidem CEO Mustafa Qadri said at a press conference Tuesday.

Other organizations, including Amnesty International and Building Wood Workers International, have similarly warned of potential human rights abuses should Saudi Arabia win the bid. 

Migrant workers make up 37.3% of Saudi Arabia’s population — the third largest per capita migrant population in the world — but the country offers very little protections for them. Saudi Arabia uses the "kafala" system, which gives private citizens and employers complete control over migrant workers' lives through a binding contract. Migrants are excluded from any legal human rights framework or protections; many have equated the kafala system to modern day slavery. 

Through one-on-one interviews with dozens of migrant workers, Equidem researchers found that 70% of migrant workers were deceived about the terms and conditions of their employment, 42% said they faced nationality-based discrimination from their employer and 35% reported there was no mechanism to file complaints about their workplace.

“What is happening in Saudi Arabia right now can be addressed. We’re not talking about earth-shattering solutions. But failure to address them is something that all of us should be very, very concerned about,” Qadri said.

The country has an extensive history of human rights abuses and criminalization of human rights defenders. Human rights organizations cannot operate within the country, either. This makes it difficult for FIFA to fully evaluate the potential risk of migrant worker abuse, which should be an essential prerequisite for approving Saudi Arabia’s bid, Saudi human rights activist Lina al-Hathloul said at the the press conference. 

“To show its honest and genuine willingness to respect its human rights engagements, FIFA should ensure that the main risks associated with the bid are fully addressed,” she said. “This would entail, among more conditions, releasing all political prisoners ahead of the events, lifting all restrictions, including travel bans, on human rights defenders and their families, decriminalizing freedom of association and assembly, and allowing human rights organizations to operate freely without fear of defamation, prosecution or reprisal.”

FIFA did not immediately respond to Salon's request for comment.

Martha Waithira, a former migrant worker in Saudi Arabia and now a researcher at Equidem, experienced workplace abuse firsthand. She worked as domestic worker in the country from 2014 to 2017, where she said she was subject to 15-18 hour workdays, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual harassment. Her passport was also confiscated by her employer, an experience shared by 12% of workers interviewed by Equidem. 

“If Saudi Arabia hosts the World Cup 2034, workers will leave their homes with the hopes of improving their lives and those of their families. I am here to make sure they don’t find themselves in quicksand,” Waithira said.

The country must "make a drastic effort to stop the abuse of migrant workers,” or another international sporting event could be “tainted with suffering,” Waithira said, referencing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

To protect migrant workers, Equidem is calling upon FIFA to make a public and “actionable commitment” to address the risk of human rights violations among migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. If the country does not comply with human rights regulations, it should not be able to host the 2034 World Cup.

“Saudi Arabia cannot guarantee compliance with international human rights and labor standards without taking significant measures to dismantle the kafala system, protect freedom of association, extend labor rights to migrant workers and address nationality-based discrimination, unfair hiring practices, workplace violence, exploitative wages, overwork, and exposure to occupational health and safety risks,” states the Equidem report.

Equidem shared its findings with both FIFA and the Saudi Arabian government, but neither party responded.