INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
stacked high with boxes, men hauling rolls of cloth and trucks reversing into loading bays
It stops and, shortly afterwards, from between the towering piles of goods, a coffin is wheeled out
On this one day, the bodies of 10 migrant workers are being returned from Saudi Arabia back home to their families in Bangladesh.Among those
present to meet the coffins is Khadija Begum, whose 35-year-old husband, Abdul Jalil Shaikh, had gone to work in Saudi Arabia at the
She has managed to talk to some of his co-workers who said he died of a stroke, but without a postmortem, the family will never know what
really caused him to die so suddenly
Jalil Shaikh, arrives at Dhaka airport from Saudi Arabia
Photograph: Pete PattissonJalil is among half a million Bangladeshis, many of them young, healthy men, who left their families to find work
According to Shariful Hasan, the associate director of the migration programme at Brac, a Bangladeshi development agency, the pipeline of
workers from Bangladesh to the Gulf kingdom will increase dramatically if Saudi Arabia is, as expected, awarded the right to host the 2034
World Cup by Fifa later this year.Yet for thousands, the trip is a one-way ticket
Between 2008 and 2022, at least 13,685 Bangladeshis died in Saudi Arabia, according to Bangladeshi government records
In 2022 alone, 1,502 died, a rate of more than four a day.If Fifa has learned anything from Qatar it should be that it must pay attention to
human rights risks in host countriesElla Knight, Amnesty InternationalIt is unclear whether the death rate is within the expected range
given the large numbers of Bangladeshis who migrate to Saudi Arabia.Yet a Guardian investigation has found that most of the deaths appear to
authorities, based on documents provided by the Saudi authorities.View image in fullscreenRelatives comfort Begum, who does not know the
Photograph: Pete PattissonThe long list of the dead includes men in their late-50s and 60s, but in many cases the deceased were, like Jalil,
young men: the average age of those whose deaths were classified as natural in 2022 was 44
estimated that more than 50% of migrant worker deaths in the Gulf are unexplained.Instead, human rights groups say that other factors such
as harsh working and living conditions, exploitation, stress and heatstroke could be contributing to the mortality rate.The overall picture
He points out that Bangladeshi migrant workers can depart for Saudi Arabia only if they have passed a medical at a centre approved by the
Saudi authorities and says that the number of Bangladeshi deaths on Saudi soil being attributed to natural causes is already alarming
will end up returning home in coffins after building for the 2034 World Cup begins
reporting of the conditions faced by migrant workers in Qatar before the 2022 World Cup
This should raise serious concerns over whether a future tournament will once again be marred by widespread labour abuses and unexplained
deaths, say human rights groups.They say that Fifa, which faced severe pressure to explain the deaths and mistreatment of migrant workers
involved in preparations for the World Cup in Qatar, must urgently demand that Saudi Arabia comply with internationally recognised human
with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development teamPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info
about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties
For more information see our Privacy Policy
We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionSaudi
obtain a ticket to travel and work in the Gulf kingdom
usRojina, widow of migrant workerStaging a World Cup in Saudi Arabia will require massive works to build and upgrade transport networks,
hotels, training bases and stadiums
With the tournament due to expand to 48 teams, the kingdom will be required to have 14 stadiums, each of which must hold at least 40,000
spectators.Bangladeshis will comprise a significant proportion of the migrant workforce required to make this a reality
According to official data, fewer than 0.5% of migrating Bangladeshis are working in professional roles
We are committed to providing a safe and fair working environment for all employees, including the over 2.5 million Bangladeshi workers in
autopsy is performed in cases where it is required
whose family said was in his late 20s and in perfect health, died in his sleep; and Amir Hossen, 45, who also had no medical issues
His 10-year-old son, Rajin, and five-year-old daughter, Saima, are pushed to the front of the crowd waiting to receive his body.View image
in fullscreenVillagers gather for the funeral of Shahadat
At least one person from every household in the village has migrated
His wife, Rojina, says the moneylenders are already chasing her
In this village, at least one person from every household has migrated, and each of these mourners plans to do the same
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
