Amnesty International has lambasted Canada Soccer for shying away from addressing the B次元官网网址渟erious, widespread harms experienced by those who made this World Cup a realityB次元官网网址� in Qatar.

In an open letter to Canada Soccer, Amnesty congratulated the Canadian governing body B次元官网网址渇or fielding a squad whose thrilling play and rich cultural diversity has already ignited the imagination of the next generation of Canadian sports leaders.B次元官网网址�

But Ketty Nivyabandi, Amnesty International CanadaB次元官网网址檚 general secretary, urged Canada Soccer to take action off the field.

B次元官网网址淵our organizationB次元官网网址檚 deafening silence on fair compensation for affected migrant workers and their families is a failure of leadership and could leave a lasting stain on CanadaB次元官网网址檚 re-emergence on soccerB次元官网网址檚 biggest stage,B次元官网网址� wrote Nivyabandi.

Amnesty said it has documented that thousands of workers, predominantly from South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, B次元官网网址渉ave been subjected to labour abuses, abysmally low pay, and other exploitation.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淒espite recent changes to Qatari labour law, migrant workers still experience delayed or unpaid wages, denial of rest days, unsafe working conditions, barriers to changing jobs, and limited access to justice. On top of the countryB次元官网网址檚 labour record, homosexuality is outlawed in Qatar B次元官网网址� for example, sexual acts between men are punishable by a prison sentence of up to seven years B次元官网网址� and Qatari law continues to treat women as second-class citizens in employment, education, and health care.

Canada Soccer issued a statement last month saying it supported B次元官网网址渢he ongoing pursuit of further progress regarding workersB次元官网网址� rights and inclusivity as Qatar prepares to host the world.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲hile strides have been made in strengthening protections for workers through the Qatar governmentB次元官网网址檚 labour reforms, we encourage all partners to continue the dialogue ensuring these reforms translate to tangible improvement in protections for workersB次元官网网址� rights and inclusivity across the country beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,B次元官网网址� the Canada Soccer statement said.

B次元官网网址淲e believe that a legacy of this tournament should be to inspire and encourage further improvements in this area, not just in Qatar but across the entire region.B次元官网网址�

Canada Soccer said it met with the Canadian Embassy in Doha in Qatar in April, July and September this year, in addition to meeting and hearing presentations from both the International Labour Organization and Amnesty International.

B次元官网网址淭hrough our ongoing dialogue in recent months, it is our understanding that QatarB次元官网网址檚 legal reforms, if fully implemented, have the potential to have a real impact and further improve protections for workersB次元官网网址� rights across the country,B次元官网网址� the Canada Soccer statement said. B次元官网网址淲e encourage all partners to continue their efforts to implement recent labour reforms and continue to address and resolve past labour abuses.B次元官网网址�

Amnesty was unimpressed.

B次元官网网址淐anada Soccer has apparently failed to follow up, raising questions about your stated commitment to upholding CanadaB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址榞lobal reputation as a defender of human and LGBTQ2S rights,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� it said in the open letter.

Amnesty urged Canada Soccer, before the Canadian men take the field Wednesday against Belgium, to join the joint call by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and FairSquare Projects, a non-profit human rights organization, for FIFA to to create a US$440-million Workers Compensation Fund for labourers and families B次元官网网址渨ho suffered harms in the lead-up to the Qatar World Cup.B次元官网网址�

Amnesty noted that other federations, including the English Football Association, French Football Federation, Royal Dutch Football Association and U.S. Soccer, have already endorsed a Workers Compensation Fund.

It also asked Canada Soccer to commit to meeting with Amnesty representatives in the next 30 days to discuss B次元官网网址渙ur concerns about Canada SoccerB次元官网网址檚 response to human rights violations connected to the Qatar World CupB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渟tart developing an action plan that would see Canada Soccer emerge as a leader in the field of sports and human rights ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Canada will co-host.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淟eadership requires more than treating workersB次元官网网址� rights as a procedural B次元官网网址榖ox to be ticked.B次元官网网址� Fortunately, it is not too late for Canada Soccer to step out from the sidelines, join other international teams on the human rights field, and become the global player it asserts it is.B次元官网网址�

Canada Soccer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Amnesty letter.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, QatarB次元官网网址檚 emir, said on Oct. 25 that Qatar has been B次元官网网址渟ubjected to an unprecedented campaign that no host country has ever faced.B次元官网网址�

On Saturday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended QatarB次元官网网址檚 immigration policy and praised the government for bringing in migrants to work.

B次元官网网址�-

The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .