Qatar has completed the construction of physical structures for the World Cup, which will begin on Sunday. South Asian workers including Nepal were involved in this process. In this process, many have started to express that they have lost a dear member of their family. At the beginning of November 10, Qatar Airlines flight QR 644 was heading to Kathmandu.
Also in the cargo was a large wooden box. Outside it was written ’32-year-old Umesh Kumar Yadav’. His father is rearing buffaloes in Gol Bazar in Siraha district of eastern Nepal. He lives in a district far away from the capital of Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world. After getting a job in Qatar, Babu Lakshman sold a buffalo worth 1,500 US dollars to send his son Umesh there.
Not only in Nepal, but also in Bangladesh and India, the practice of agents targeting the lower class communities and sending work abroad with a good commission is still the same. Their working style is similar in most poor communities. It is the pain of workers in many countries of the world that their relatives do not even know where they are working.
After getting a job in Qatar, Babu Lakshman sold a buffalo worth 1,500 US dollars to send his son Umesh there.
Krishna Mandal’s house is located two hours away from Dhanusha by vehicle. His father Satis went to Qatar four years ago. The father used to take a selfie during his working hours and send it to his son. Krishna complains that his father always used to work on the water tank but never told him what kind of work.
The date of Satis’ return to Nepal was fixed on 12 October. However, a day before he was scheduled to return to Nepal, there was news that he died in an accident. According to the family, Satis used to work in pipes. He used to work seven feet below in the capital Doha. A large pile had fallen from above. His death certificate stated that he suffered injuries in multiple places due to the impact of solid matter.
Krishna said that he has not yet received a call from the owner of the office where his father works for compensation. Even when the media tried to contact them, they did not show interest.
Laxman, who is in Gol Bazar, said that he did not know anything about his son’s life in Qatar. As he did not have a smart phone, Laxman did not take any information about the Tiktok videos that Umesh posted on a daily basis. In the video, she can be seen dancing in a dark room with other workers in a creepy room. On October 26, he was seen dancing in front of a skyscraper advertising the World Cup. That was the last video he posted.
Umesh’s cousin’s son was also named Lakshman. He called on 27th October and informed about Umesh’s death. After that, Laxman went to the construction site to get information about the incident. Umesh tried to raise the scaffold. Lakshmana died after it broke due to a collision somewhere.
Laxman is angry that the Qatari government has not properly tested everything in the work area. Many people have lost their lives in Qatar due to this kind of heinousness. Many workers have lost their lives since construction began in Qatar for the World Cup. The Qatari government is claiming that it cares about health and safety.
When Umesh’s body arrived, Babu Lakshman and his relatives had no choice but to prepare for the funeral. Lakshman watched the scene of his 13-month-old grandson handing over the lamp. The debt for sending the son is still there.
According to the Business and Human Rights Resources Center, there were 140 incidents of violence against workers in the last month. Half of the three were health-related. They say the actual number could be much higher.
Now South Asian deaths are common in Qatar. The reason for the death of many is due to the addition of heavy weapons to the body. When Umesh’s body arrived, Babu Lakshman and his relatives had no choice but to prepare for the funeral. Lakshman watched the scene of his 13-month-old grandson handing over the lamp. The debt for sending the son is still there. Many other migrant workers may suffer the same pain.
Umesh’s mother Sumitra calls her son a hero and says that she cries every moment remembering him.
Qatar has been preparing to host the World Cup for a long time. As a small country in the world, during the construction of many physical structures needed for the World Cup, workers were called from other countries of the world. A report was published in the media a year before this. According to that report, 6,500 people were killed by workers from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Qatar was confirmed to host the World Cup in December 2010. Since then, an average of 12 migrant workers have died every week.
Most of the mortality statistics in Qatar are not classified by occupation or occupation. Many deaths occurred on the site where the World Cup stadium was built.
According to data obtained from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, between 2011 and 2020, 5,927 workers lost their lives there.
Between 2010 and 2020, 824 people died in the Pakistan Embassy in Doha. That figure does not include the last month of 2020. If we add the number of Filipino and Kenyan workers to this, the graph can be even more interesting.
Most of the mortality statistics in Qatar are not classified by occupation or occupation. Many deaths occurred on the site where the World Cup stadium was built.
