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November 11, 2013

U.N. Expert Urges Qatar to Improve Conditions for Migrant Workers 
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In Qatar, a U.N. expert is calling for reforms in the labor conditions
of foreign workers. Francois Crepeau, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on
human rights of migrants, said guest workers in Qatar are being housed
in squalor.

Francois Crepeau: "I have seen dwellings by migrant workers and these
are slums. And I think this is a stain in the reputation of Qatar, which
is the richest country per capita. I think Qatar should not tolerate
slums to be created on its territory. And there are means of making this
better, probably relatively quickly."

Qatar has the world’s highest proportion of migrant workers with 90
percent of the workforce coming from outside of the country. The country
is hosting soccer's World Cup in 2022.

 

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