Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has quizzed 100 construction companies operating in Qatar and the UAE on the measures they are taking to stop exploitation of migrant workers. Only 22 responded, indicating a shocking level of inaction.

Despite increasing public pressure, companies involved in flagship projects for the Qatar World Cup and the 2020 World Expo in Dubai failed to respond to this outreach. Even beyond the survey, only 39% have publically available human rights commitments.

This lack of commitment is alarming given the widespread exploitation and abuse faced by the large numbers of migrant workers employed in the construction industry in Qatar and the UAE. The appalling treatment of migrant workers in the region has been widely publicised, so no company has an excuse for inaction.

The responses we did receive reveal the wide gulf of understanding and commitment between a few pioneering companies and a long tail of laggards. Of the 100 companies contacted, only a handful reported important steps in areas such as recruitment, worker voice and subcontracting, providing examples that others can follow. Selected examples of better practice are highlighted in the briefing.

The risks inherent in accepted business models and complex supply chains, however, can not be resolved by companies acting in isolation: collective industry-wide efforts are needed. As it stands, the current lack of industry transparency limits the ability of companies to tackle shared challenges and move forward together on the basis of agreed-upon standards and good practice.

Summary recommendations:

  • Business partners and civil society actors should press for increased transparency from companies, rewarding those that take a responsible approach to the recruitment and employment of migrant workers and drawing attention to company inaction.

Companies should:

  • Adopt a public human rights commitment and conduct robust due diligence.
  • Take urgent action to protect migrant workers in key risk areas.
  • Ensure workers have access to individual and collective grievance mechanisms.

Click here to view the companies’ responses to the 2016 survey

A Wall of Silence: The Construction Sector's Response to Migrant Rights in Qatar and the UAE - BHRRC, 2016 DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region: The Evidence
Publications

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has instituted an unprecedented system of state-sponsored forced la- bor for Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other minoritized citizens in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (or XUAR or Uyghur Region, also known...Read More

TAGS:
National Hotline 2018 Illinois State Report
Graphics & InfographicsPublications

The data in this report represents signals and cases from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 and is accurate as of July 25, 2019. Cases of trafficking may be ongoing or new information may revealed to the National Hotline over time. Consequen...Read More

A Human Rights Primer for Business: Understanding Risks to Construction Workers in the Middle East
Publications

Employment in the construction industry is characterised by low wages and precarious working conditions, with aspects of the business model contributing to widespread violations of workers’ labour rights. These include: a narrowmargin, least-cost ...Read More

ITUC Global Rights Index 2016: The World’s Worst Countries for Workers
Publications

The 2016 ITUC Global Rights Index shows workers’ rights were weakened in almost all regions of the world, including through severe crackdowns on the right to free speech and assembly. Part I of this publication provides a more detailed analysi...Read More

TAGS: Global