Female Migrant Workers Speak Out About Harassment In Qatar’s World Cup Hotels
New
Age Islam News Bureau
18
November 2022
•
Golfer, Racer, Boss: Young Women Aiming High In The Middle East
•
At Least 342, Including 69 Women, Children, Killed In Iran Protests: Rights
Group
•
Croatian Football President Praises ‘Fascinating Journey’ Of Saudi Women’s
Football
•
Statistics On Kuwaiti Women Married To Expats
•
International Women’s Ice Hockey Championship – Kuwait And UAE Win Their
Matches; Colombia Leads
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/female-migrant-workers--qatar/d/128429
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Female
Migrant Workers Speak Out About Harassment In Qatar’s World Cup Hotels
Coaches, players, fans and migrant workers tell us
about their experiences in Qatar. Illustration by ESPN
------
Louise
Donovan
17
Nov 2022
As
Hope* arrived to start her cleaning shift, her eyes anxiously scanned the room.
If she spotted him, her heart sank. She might spend the next eight hours
dodging his requests for a date, for a kiss, for more than that.
Over
an 18-month period from mid-2020, Hope’s male supervisor at the hotel in Qatar
where she was employed repeatedly sexually propositioned her, she says. When
she refused his advances, he gave her extra housekeeping work for no additional
pay.
“I
was feeling low,” she says on the phone from her home in Kenya, where she
returned at the start of this year after her contract in Qatar came to an end.
“Because when someone tells you such things, you ask yourself: ‘why is he
taking advantage of you?’”
The
plight of the tens of thousands of men who travelled thousands of miles to help
build Qatar’s World Cup dream and the exploitation that many faced has been
widely documented.
Yet
rights groups say the problems facing migrant women have not been explored or
scrutinised in the same way, and their voices have been largely absent from the
debate on migrant workers’ rights in the lead up to the tournament.
Women
working in the global hospitality industry are particularly vulnerable to
sexual harassment and gender based violence. A survey by the Unite union found
that over half of respondents had directly experienced sexual harassment and
assault in their workplaces.
The
Guardian and the Fuller Project spoke with five women, including Hope, employed
at different hotels in Qatar between 2017 and 2022 about their experiences.
They detailed allegations of sexual harassment and physical and verbal abuse.
Most of these hotels are among more than 100 now endorsed by Fifa, football’s
governing body and the tournament organiser.
The
testimonies of women interviewed for this piece, as well as those of experts
who have worked extensively with female hospitality workers in Qatar, suggest
few feel able to report sexual harassment should it occur.
“There’s
been so much focus on [men working in] construction and the stadiums, as they
are central to the tournament,” says Isobel Archer, Gulf programme manager at
the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, a non-profit that has researched
working conditions in Qatar’s hotels. “But [sexual harassment] is absolutely
happening in hotels.”
Although
men dominate the country’s migrant workforce, government data shows nearly
300,000 migrant women worked in Qatar as of June this year.
In
2020, female migrants made up just over a fifth of hotel workers, according to
the most recent government statistics, although this is probably a significant
undercount as the figures exclude subcontracted workers, say rights groups. To
cope with the influx of 1.3 million football fans, an additional 108 hotels
were built ahead of the start of the tournament.
Archer
says that high-profile sporting events are linked to a rise in violence against
women, further increasing the risks facing women hotel workers and anticipates
the same happening during the World Cup.
She
says that urgent action has to be taken by hotels, which will be packed to
capacity with football fans, to protect women and allow them to be able to
report abuse safely without fear of repercussions.
“I
don’t think we’ve seen any evidence that hotels are doing anything, frankly,
[to support women],” she says. “And [the women] simply won’t be able to speak
up.”
Qatar
representatives said the five women’s stories were extreme cases which were not
the reality for millions of female workers. Fifa said it took any allegations
of misconduct extremely seriously and had a clear process in place for anyone
who wanted to report any such incidents.
While
women hotel workers across the world face a disproportionate risk of gender
based violence compared to other industries, rights groups say that those
working in Qatar could find it particularly difficult to report the abuse they
may face.
A
report published this year by Equidem, a labour rights organisation, said
gender-based violence and harassment are “a fact of life for women” at some
Fifa World Cup hotel partners. Equidem’s researchers contacted more than 800
migrant workers across the region, male and female, but only 10% agreed to have
their experiences recorded.
Some
women, like Hope, dread deportation. Others might have paid illegal and
exorbitant recruitment fees, forcing them to stay in jobs with abusive
conditions. Despite sweeping labour reforms in 2019, with migrants now allowed
to change jobs or leave the country without an employer’s permission, workers
say little has changed. Employers still have a huge degree of control over
employees’ lives and with migrant worker unions banned, there are few routes to
effectively raise grievances.
Migrant
women who come to Qatar, mostly from Africa and Asia, are often the main
breadwinner for their families. Many are reluctant to speak out because they
fear losing those jobs, says Ann Abunda, founder of Sandigan, a Kuwait-based
domestic worker organisation. When she asked her network to inquire about
issues of harassment in Qatar’s hotels, more than a dozen women replied, either
directly via social media or through her contacts in Qatar.
Women
told her there was no point in reporting harassment because employers would not
act and were angered by the complaint. “[Women] just don’t want to talk
[publicly] about that,” says Abunda. “But they are saying it’s rampant.”
The
country’s penal code also criminalises sex outside marriage. Police often do
not believe women who report sexual violence, instead siding with men who claim
it was consensual, which can lead to the survivor facing charges, says Rothna
Begum, a senior women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Facing
further barriers, all women in Qatar need to show they are married in order to
access certain forms of sexual and reproductive healthcare, adds Begum. This
can include treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV and pregnancy.
In
an attempt to tackle violations, Qatar’s supreme committee has been auditing
hotel working conditions, and an online platform for worker complaints was
launched last year.
Yet
rights groups say audits often do not detect serious abuse as they only provide
a snapshot of the situation and rely on input from workers. Women are also
reluctant to report issues as sensitive as harassment.
“Are
you really going to disclose a violation against your body to a complete
stranger during a corporate audit?” says Archer. “It’s just a very unlikely
scenario.”
The
Qatari government has said it will intensify labour inspections during the
tournament, including extra health and safety checks. Mustafa Qadri, the executive
director of Equidem, believes the increased scrutiny over the next month will
ensure a degree of protection for workers. Yet fundamental structural problems
such as migrant workers being unable to organise and their lack of freedoms
won’t have been adequately addressed once the world’s attention moves on, he
says.
Hotels
are not creating an environment for workers to speak up, says Archer. Risk
assessments need to be conducted in order to understand who their female
migrant workers are and what might make them more susceptible to gender-based
violence, she says. Management needs to be trained to spot signs of harassment
and to communicate effectively with the entire workforce, particularly
subcontracted female employees, who are often at higher risk. Hotels also need
to be clear on the reporting process and next steps in terms of safeguarding as
well as psychosocial and medical support.
There
are reports that restrictions on consensual sex and women’s access to
reproductive services may be relaxed during the World Cup. Should this happen,
says Begum, the Qatari authorities need to ensure it applies to all women, not
just fans, inform all women about the changes and ensure they continue beyond
the tournament.
In
response to the claims of harassment, Fifa said it was steadfast in its
commitment to ensuring respect for internationally recognised human rights and
takes allegations of misconduct seriously. The body also said it has a number
of measures and reporting mechanisms in place for anyone wishing to make a
complaint, including a workers’ welfare hotline. It added that it was
implementing an “unprecedented due diligence process in relation to the
protection of workers involved in the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022, in line with
Fifa’s responsibility under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights.”
A
Qatari official said anyone who came forward with a complaint would be
supported and their complaint fully investigated: “Qatari law prioritises the
safety and wellbeing of all women. Assault is criminalised under the penal
code, and access to justice is a guaranteed right for everyone through the
Qatari court system. Female foreign residents play an important role in Qatar’s
economy and society, and we do not tolerate any infringement to the fundamental
human rights of women or anyone in our country.
As
in all countries around the world, unfortunate, extreme cases do occur and
unscrupulous employers are a reality. But these extreme cases are not
representative of the reality of life for the millions of foreign female
residents who have lived in Qatar in recent decades. Protecting the rights of
all women in Qatar – including female workers – is and will continue to be at
the forefront of our priorities and vision.”
The
cleaner’s story
Sally*
was just trying to do her job. Her hotel cleaning shift was nearly over,
tiredness was setting in, and the dirty sheets weren’t going to wash
themselves. But the male guest asked for a kiss, she says. When she reported
the incident to her supervisor, the reply was essentially: “You’re a woman,
learn to handle your issues.”
What
she experienced at the luxury hotel still affects her, says Sally. “I don’t
like getting close to strange men because you never know their intentions. It
brings back the memory,” she says from her home in Kenya, her voice tearful. “I
never want to go back.” Management often took little action or sided with
guests when female workers complained about harassment, say several.
Instead
of dealing with harassment allegations directly, one cleaner describes a policy
of swapping staff members in and out when guests behave inappropriately.
Once,
when a guest tried to slap her, she alleges her supervisor responded by saying
she shouldn’t have been serving him in the first place.
“It’s
a bit disheartening,” she says. “Besides sexual harassment, maybe a guest is
mishandling you or being rude. All these things you report but nothing [is
done]. So you just have to deal with it. It made me feel very small. And
vulnerable. At the end of the day, ‘the guest is always right’.”
For
Sally, her friends at the hotel were quite literally her lifeline. When they
heard her arguing with the male guest who asked for a kiss, they rushed in to
help, she says. Six months later, they burst in again when they heard her say:
“Don’t get any closer.”
This
time, a senior supervisor snapped into action. The guest reportedly sent his
apologies, though Sally wasn’t sure if this was true as he never said anything
directly to her. Concerned about other women being sent to clean his room, she
wanted the guest’s stay terminated.
“But
they didn’t do that,” she says. “It’s not a privilege for them to have you.
It’s a privilege for them to have guests.”
Source:
The Guardian
--------
Golfer,
Racer, Boss: Young Women Aiming High In The Middle East
Esraa Aldkheil is the only female on the karting
track in Riyadh. (File)
-----
November
09, 2022
Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia: The Arabian peninsula is known for its conservative traditions
but rapid social change is opening up new possibilities for women -- especially
younger generations.
In
a video project dedicated to young people in the Middle East, where more than
half of the population is under 30, AFP interviewed women from Saudi Arabia,
Yemen, Qatar and Bahrain.
The
first part of the series focused on artists in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Gaza
Strip, Israel and Iraq.
'Start
from zero'
Clad
in black and red overalls, Esraa Aldkheil is the only female on the karting
track in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, where some repressive policies
are being rolled back.
By
day, the 28-year-old works as a biophysical chemistry researcher to fund her
dream: becoming the kingdom's first motorsports world champion.
By
night, she races her male competitors, speeding around the track in a country
where women were banned from driving until 2018.
"I
see a beautiful future for me in Saudi Arabia," says Ms Aldkheil, who also
clocks up two to three hours at the gym, five days a week.
Ms
Aldkheil finishes fourth in the race, just off the podium -- but afterwards,
she grins and points to the top step, where the winner stands.
"When
you start from zero, there are enormous challenges to overcome to reach this
level," she says.
"I
keep working towards my goal. I want to be an example for all girls who are
insecure."
'I'm
the director'
Kafaa
Mari dreams of becoming Yemen's first female education minister and rebuilding
her country, shattered by eight years of war.
Ms
Mari, 28, heads a body promoting "women's development" in the
Hadramaut province of her deeply conservative homeland.
Driving
up to her workplace in Seiyun, a soldier posted at the entrance stops her.
"I'm the director here," she informs him proudly.
"I
want to take part in making decisions, especially those that concern
women," Ms Mari tells AFP, adding that women are still a long way from
being considered "partners of men" in building their community.
The
war has brought to light women's essential role in society, says Ms 1Mari, who
hopes to restore the image of a country once known to the Romans as
"Arabia Felix" ("Happy Arabia").
'Fast
progress'
In
an air-conditioned cafe in Doha, Jawhara Al-Thani is working on her "Women
of Qatar" website, which aims "to uncover the rarely witnessed but
ubiquitous roles of women in Qatari society".
Featuring
portraits of successful and aspiring women on her website, Al-Thani -- a
competition-level archer -- hopes "to help inspire many generations to
come" in the conservative, gas-rich state.
"My
personal experience varies drastically from other women in Qatar, I believe,
and Qatari women in general," says the 27-year-old, who is among hundreds
of members of the gas-rich kingdom's reigning Al-Thani family.
"I
am very aware of my privilege and my fortune to have grown up in an educated
family and in a family that supports one another regardless of gender."
Al-Thani
is encouraged by the success stories, which she says are testament to the
"very fast progress" in Qatar.
"If
you look at who's on top, you see a lot of Qatari women," she says, but
concedes they are "maybe not as much as we would like to see".
"As
I said, very fast progress, very fast changes in a very small amount of
time."
'We
can win first prize'
Aged
just 18, Habiba Maher is the first woman to play golf for Bahrain.
After
practising on a manicured course in the capital, Manama, she returns home and
shows off her collection of trophies and photos taken with Bahraini royalty.
"My
dream is to take part in international championships... against female
professionals from all over the world," says Ms Maher, who studies
computer science at the American University of Bahrain.
"I
dream of winning first place, of waving our national flag high and proving that
we Bahraini women can win first prize."
Source:
ND TV
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/golfer-racer-boss-young-women-aiming-high-in-the-middle-east-3503314
--------
At
Least 342, Including 69 Women, Children, Killed In Iran Protests: Rights Group
Mahmut
Nabi
17.11.2022
At
least 342 people, including 43 children and 26 women, have been killed by
security forces during ongoing nationwide protests in Iran, according to a
human rights organization.
Iran
has been gripped by mass unrest since mid-September over the death of Mahsa
Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in custody after being arrested by the
country’s morality police.
Her
family believes she was beaten in police custody, allegations that Iranian
authorities have denied.
In
a report on Wednesday, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) said it has
documented deaths of protesters in 23 of Iran’s 31 provinces in the past two
months.
“Of
the 43 children, nine were girls and three were Afghan nationals. The 43
children were all under 18 years of age, but have not all been verified through
document evidence,” the group said.
The
highest fatality count of 123 was reported in the Sistan and Baluchestan
province, followed by 39 in Tehran, 33 in Mazandaran, 32 in Kurdistan, and 23
in Gilan.
“Thousands
have also been arrested in the last two months, with some being at risk of
death sentences for security-related charges … in show trials,” read the
report.
At
least five people have been sentenced to death, IHRNGO said, adding that Iran’s
judiciary “is not independent, but a part of the repressive system and the
sentences lack all legitimacy.”
The
group stressed that “the numbers of deaths published are an absolute minimum”
and the “actual number of people killed … is certainly higher.”
Several
Western countries have imposed a slew of sanctions on Iranian officials and
entities for what they call “repression of protests.”
The
Iranian government has not yet come out with an official death toll.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
--------
Croatian
football president praises ‘fascinating journey’ of Saudi women’s football
17
November ,2022
The
president of Croatia’s football federation praised the development of women’s
involvement in the sport in Saudi Arabia, during a ceremony ahead of a friendly
match between the two countries on Wednesday.
Delegates
from both countries’ football associations signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) in Riyadh, pledging to work together to explore areas of collaboration in
the game.
Afterwards,
Croatian Football Federation (HNS) president Marijan Kustić congratulated the
progress that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has made in
incorporating female players into the Kingdom’s footballing landscape.
“I
was particularly impressed by the fascinating journey of [Saudi] women’s
football in just a few years,” he said in a statement.
“It
is truly a great story and I congratulate the SAFF team on the important work
they are doing across different areas of the women’s game.”
SAFF
women’s department supervisor Lamia Bahain and department head Aalia al-Rasheed
received a gift of a Saudi jersey signed by members of the Croatian team,
including Real Madrid’s Luka Modrić, Tottenham Hotspur’s Ivan Perisić,
Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacić, and Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozović.
Women’s
football in the Kingdom has seen unprecedented investment in recent years as
traditional restrictions on female participation in sports have lifted.
SAFF
establish the country’s first women’s national team in 2021, which first played
against the Seychelles in February of this year, winning 2-0.
Women’s
and girls’ school leagues have also been established, and SAFF announced in
August its bid to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) cup
in the Kingdom.
The
Saudi men’s team were defeated by Croatia by 1-0 on Wednesday, after a late
goal from the 2018 World Cup runners-up’s Andrej Kramaric.
“Croatia
is among the world’s elite football nations, and their national team captured
the world’s attention four years ago by reaching the FIFA World Cup final,”
said SAFF president Yasser al-Misehal in a statement.
“Their
2018 campaign will remain in the history books forever. We are pleased to have
welcomed them in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the past few days ahead of
their trip to Doha,” he added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Statistics
on Kuwaiti women married to Expats
November
18, 2022
KUWAIT
CITY, Nov 8: At a time when the issue of naturalization is being widely
discussed in the country, particularly for the categories of non-Kuwaiti wives
and children of Kuwaiti women married to foreigners, official statistics
revealed that the total number of children of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti
men is 15,100 as of the end of June 2022.
According
to statistics from the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), there are
19,429 Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis. This includes 17,429 Kuwaiti
women married to Western nationals, 688 Kuwaiti women married to Asian
nationals, 379 Kuwaiti women married to North American nationals, 246 Kuwaiti
women married to European nationals, 57 married to South American nationals, 49
married to African nationals, and 39 married to Australian nationals.
The
statistics revealed that the number of Kuwaiti women who are married to
non-Kuwaiti men and do not have children is 4,329.
There
are 2,552 Kuwaiti women with one child, 2,571 with two children and 2,519 with
three children.
About
2,282 Kuwaiti women who are married to non-Kuwaiti men have four children,
about 1,915 have five children, 1,249 have six children, 894 have seven
children, 527 have eight children, 324 have nine children, and 267 have more
than nine children.
The
total number of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men reached 20,128 as of
mid-2021. By Najeh Bilal , Al-Seyassah & Arab Times Staff
Source:
Arab Times Online
https://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/statistics-on-kuwaiti-women-married-to-expats/
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International
Women’s Ice Hockey Championship – Kuwait and UAE win their matches; Colombia
leads
November
18, 2022
KUWAIT
CITY, Nov 9: The Kuwaiti and UAE national teams achieved two remarkable
victories defeating Luxembourg and Ireland in the ongoing Kuwait International
Women’s Ice Hockey Championship at the Winter Games Club, while Colombia
continued to lead the championship.
The
Kuwaiti national team defeated Luxembourg (5-2) as Kuwaiti players displayed
superb level of defense and attack in the three matches of the match, adding
three new points, raising its score to six points, equal with the UAE and
Luxembourg teams in second place.
In
the second match, the UAE national team defeated Ireland with 2:0 first two
halves in the third and last half UAE added three more goals while Ireland
scored 2 goals with final scores as 5-2 UAE with its second victory were with
six points, while Ireland suffered its third loss in a row.
In
the third match, Colombia thrashed Andorra (16-0), and are leading the table
with nine points, while Andoora after its third defeat are at bottom of the
table without a score of points.
Source:
Arab Times Online
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