According to a survey conducted by Fifa Ethics and Regulation Watch, the independent sports think tank, migrant workers in Qatar witnessed improvements in pay and conditions.
However, FERW found no evidence that FIFA is the reason for these improvements, a report co-author said.
Furthermore, the authors deduced that the international concentration and focus on the emirate had achieved a significant impact.
95% of the survey participants said having the World Cup in Qatar has improved human rights and labor conditions.
According to the International Labor Organization’s survey, 53% of the participants said the conditions have improved for only some people.
Although most of the participants believe conditions have improved, 16% said the laws needed enforcement, and 13% said they saw no improvements at all.
The report author, Robert Oulds, said they were open-minded to the project but aware of the conflicting reports about the situation in Qatar.
“We were able to identify, then verify through interviews… that there had been significant legislative improvements in recent years.”
Unfortunately, the author said they have not found evidence that football’s governing body was involved in the change.
He added that Qatar’s ruler, NGOs, and the international media scrutiny of how the emirate treats foreigners were the three main factors.
Six out of 10 people were aware of the changes, leaving ~40% to believe authorities had not implemented them “effectively.”
Half of the participants believe treatment improved, while 30% said it remained the same.
However, a small percentage said the treatment had gone worse.
Qatar vs. China, major dissimilarity
The report compares the changes in Qatar and China, as the latter will hold the Winter Olympics in 2022.
The report author said that China had become worse regarding human rights.
Among China’s conditions is the security clampdown in Hong Kong, the abuse of the Uighur community and threatening Taiwan.
Oulds said that Qatar had the desire to change after the motivation from the international community.
However, he added, China blocked NGOs operations, restricted free speech and the Internet, causing the situation to deteriorate.
“We can no longer rely on vague commitments of improving human rights to secure these prestigious global events,” he continued.
FERW’s report recommends countries holding those events sign and apply the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
FERW said officials must bar governments that fail to implement human rights from holding international tournaments.
