Affiliation:
1. Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
Abstract
Qatar has become a significant destination for migrant workers looking to escape unemployment in their home countries. However, highly active labour migration pathways create migration industries that exploit the increased supply of labour migrants, leading to trafficking. Human trafficking has been a longstanding concern in Qatar, especially with low-skilled migrant workers in the informal, domestic service and construction sectors. United Nations bodies and non-governamental organisations have criticised Qatar over the treatment of its migrant workforce, especially with concerns about trafficking for labour exploitation and forced labour. In addition to complaints of human trafficking, concerns have been raised concerning perceived racialised drivers of exploitation in Qatar. According to the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Ms Tendayi Achiume, Qatar battles with issues of structural racial discrimination concerning its migrant workforce. This article examines the links between race and the trafficking of migrant workers in Qatar.
Subject
Law,General Social Sciences,Sociology and Political Science
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