FIFA must reject men’s World Cup hosting bids that risk human rights abuses
Countries bidding to host the men’s FIFA World Cup have troubling human rights records, car makers face forced labour risk in their supply chains, and Filipino farmers say they were tricked by fraudulent job offers under a South Korean seasonal worker scheme.
Bidders hoping to host the 2030 and 2034 men’s FIFA World Cup tournaments have failed to consult civil society organizations and human rights groups, despite FIFA’s insistence they do so, according to a new report by Amnesty International with additional research by partners from the Sports & Rights Alliance. The report assesses the human rights risks related to the bids – a joint offer from Morocco, Spain and Portugal with additional games to be played in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay for the 2030 World Cup finals, and another from Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 tournament. Detailed bid offers, including human rights strategies, are expected to be submitted to FIFA – football’s governing body – within weeks, with the hosts due to be confirmed in December.
FIFA’s failure to fully ensure human rights were safeguarded when awarding previous World Cups has often facilitated abuses, says the report – at the 2022 finals in Qatar, workers delivering the tournament suffered grievous harms, including death and injuries. Now FIFA must rigorously and transparently ensure that bids for upcoming competitions fully safeguard rights and reject any offer that risks abuses once again tainting the world’s largest sporting event, Amnesty says, adding that, with major human rights concerns surrounding both the 2030 and 2034 bids, there are major questions about FIFA’s willingness to stand by the pledges and reforms it has made in recent years.
The 2030 joint bid from Morocco, Portugal and Spain carries human rights risks primarily related to labour rights, discrimination, freedom of expression and assembly, policing, privacy and housing. In the three nations, migrant workers are at risk of exploitation and other harms, including trafficking – injuries in the workplace in Spain and Portugal are higher than the EU average and migrant workers were abused and suffered wage theft enlarging FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium in 2023. And an independent FIFA evaluation of Morocco’s previous bid, to host the 2026 World Cup, noted the country’s criminalization of same-sex acts and the risk of gender-based discrimination against female workers and attendees at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s bid carries a broad range of very serious risks, the report states. Hundreds of thousands of workers will be required for construction and delivery of the tournament, most of whom are likely to be foreign nationals who already comprise most of the private sector workforce and are at serious risk of labour abuses. The kafala system, which legally binds a migrant worker’s immigration status to an employer or sponsor, leaves workers with limited recourse when subjected to wage theft, violence or other abuses. No independent human rights organizations, political parties or trade unions are permitted, and there have been sweeping arrests of journalists, human and women’s rights defenders, political activists, and writers, the authors add. Almost all human rights defenders are now either on trial, serving prison terms, under travel bans, or in exile.
Labour rights abuses are so common in the region that a number of organizations have come together to launch the Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf, the first ever global labour coalition to demand fundamental labour and human rights for the millions of migrant workers in Gulf countries. Meanwhile, in a complaint filed last week under the International Labour Organization constitution, the 12 million-member-strong Building and Wood Workers’ International Union (BWI) highlighted the exploitative living and working conditions faced by Saudi Arabia’s vast migrant workforce, including widespread wage theft, which Human Rights Watch described as a wake-up call for Saudi authorities to course-correct and remedy past abuses.
The report’s key recommendations include that FIFA conducts independent human rights risk assessments of each bid, and secures binding commitments from host nations to prevent human rights violations with rigorous systems to monitor and enforce their implementation, including grievance mechanisms and access to redress. It must also ensure the meaningful participation of civil society organizations, trade unions, fans’ representatives, players’ unions, and groups facing discrimination, throughout the bidding process and tournament preparation. The report adds that FIFA must not award the World Cup to any bid which fails to guarantee human rights – and terminate any agreement to host the tournament if human rights are jeopardized or violated.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
The Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) published its reports on Germany, Finland and Monaco last week, calling on the countries to strengthen their the criminal justice response to human trafficking and provide victims with specialized assistance and compensation.
Siobhán Mullally, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, has published a report highlighting the Central African Republic (CAR) government’s commitment to combating trafficking and calling for strengthened measures to protect victims, enhance prevention, and ensure accountability amid ongoing conflict and humanitarian challenges. Mullally visited the country last year to assess the situation and provide recommendations.
In this blog post, Anti-Slavery International emphasizes the critical need to uphold human rights and prevent slavery during conflicts, focusing on the severe situations in Gaza and Sudan. The organization highlights how conflict exacerbates risks of human trafficking, forced labour, and other forms of exploitation, urging all parties to cease hostilities and ensure access to humanitarian aid, while stressing that ignoring international human rights frameworks weakens global protections and endangers vulnerable populations.
Migrant workers have spoken out about the high recruitment fees they pay to secure employment at a Taiwanese auto parts manufacturer which supplies Japanese and American companies, and the harsh working conditions they face when there. And the head of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee has expanded an investigation into BMW after the car maker was found to have imported vehicles to America that contained components suspected of being made under forced labour conditions.
Vulnerable, low-paid Filipinos have been exploited, tricked and abused under a migrant worker scheme launched by South Korea to plug its severe labour shortage, according to a new investigation. Under the scheme, farmers and fishermen relocate to South Korea for five to eight months with the promise of well paid jobs, however, many say they returned empty handed, and some risk losing land to the brokers who arranged their contracts with South Korean farm states.
As the UK general election approaches, more than 60 anti-slavery organizations have signed a joint statement of recommendations to political parties asking that all parties express a renewed commitment to tackling modern slavery in the UK and around the world.
The Freedom Fund is seeking a consultant to provide an evaluation of its program in Brazil addressing commercial sexual exploitation of children in the Recife Metropolitan Region. The deadline for applications is 1 July.
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