INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Low-wage migrant workers have been forced to pay billions of dollars in recruitment fees to secure their jobs in World Cup host nation Qatar
in fees, and possibly as high as $2bn, between 2011 and 2020
Nepali men are estimated to have paid around $320m, and possibly more than $400m, in the four years between mid-2015 to mid-2019.The total
workforce, typically pay fees of $3,000 to $4,000 and $1,000 to $1,500 respectively
pay off their recruitment fees.With just months to go until the World Cup kicks off, the findings reveal the scale of exploitation endured
figures, which have been calculated by the Guardian and corroborated by a number of labour rights groups, are an estimate based on the
prevalence and cost of recruitment fees and related expenses reported by numerous human rights groups and labour experts between 2014 and
widespread and deeply entrenched
It is commonplace in all the Gulf countries
The figures calculated by the Guardian include all fees, including those within the maximum limit.It takes different forms, but often sees
companies or brokers in Qatar and recruitment agents in labour-sending countries colluding to force workers into paying for their own
has been repaid.Despite the costs, hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi and Nepali workers continue to seek work in the Gulf and beyond each
year, largely due to a lack of jobs and low wages at home
Many pay the fees knowing the risks but calculating that it will pay off in the long term.Their dilemma was plain to see in the departure
recruitment centres in eight countries, starting in 2018, where workers must go to complete various administrative tasks and sign their
paid much earlier in the recruitment process.A 2021 report on recruitment between Nepal and Qatar led by migrant rights group FairSquare
stadium contracts repay the recruitment fees of their workers, as well as some workers on other projects
Workers are not required to show proof that they have paid fees, which is almost impossible to do given that the practice is illegal
Companies have pledged to repay roughly $28.5m to about 49,000 workers
So far around $22m has been reimbursed.The number of workers who will benefit, however, is only a tiny fraction of the total in Qatar
In many cases, the repayments only cover part of the recruitment fees, and do not provide any additional compensation or account for the
who are playing a direct role in the World Cup
Last year, the Guardian interviewed workers in Fifa-endorsed hotels who said they had paid recruitment fees of up to $2,750.The supreme
place under the table, so the workers have no proof they have paid
But they are unable to get a job if they do not pay 150,000 or 200,000 NPR
often victims of deals between employers and agents in Qatar and a chain of recruiters and brokers in Nepal and Bangladesh.In some cases,
employers or agents in Qatar secure visas to recruit workers and then demand kickbacks of about $300 to $500 for each worker from agents in
In 2016, Ullah was charged 360,000 taka ($4,190) for a job in Qatar
He was promised work as a welder on a monthly wage of 2,500 Qatari rial ($686), but on arrival, he was taken out to the desert to work on a
begged for permission to visit his sick mother
Back in Bangladesh, with nothing to show for his time in Qatar, his debt had ballooned to 800,000 taka forcing him to take out further loans
to pay off the original debt.Even in death, workers are not released from their recruitment debt
He could only afford the fee by taking out a loan with an annual interest rate of 48%
he borrowed to pay the recruitment fees for his job
Photograph: Pete PattissonHis wife, Mairul Khatun, is unsure why he killed himself
southern Nepal.Her hands and feet are smeared in mud from labouring in the nearby fields, for which she earns 300 NPR a day and a few
potatoes, which lie on the ground beside her.She may have lost her husband, but his debt remains
For its part, Qatar is committed to eradicating illegal recruitment practices in its labour market and supporting efforts to tackle abuse
immediately taken against recruitment agencies when complaints of unfair recruitment practices were received.The Nepal government did not
respond to repeated requests for comment
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This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
