Helpers in Qatar face slave-like conditions, seek protection

Foreign domestic helpers and cleaners are being subjected to slave-like labour conditions in Qatar, with many complaining they have been deprived of passports, wages, days off, holidays and the freedom to change jobs.

An investigation by The Guardian reveals that hundreds of Filipino domestic helpers have fled to their embassy in recent months because conditions are so harsh. Many complain of physical and sexual abuse, harassment, long periods without pay and the confiscation of mobile phones.

The exploitation raises further concerns about labour practices in Qatar in advance of the World Cup, after reports about the treatment of construction workers, hundreds of whom have died, many from heart failure or in workplace accidents. The domestic helpers are not directly connected to Qatar's preparations for the soccer tournament, but domestic workers will play a big role in staffing the hotels, stadiums and other infrastructure that will underpin the 2022 tournament.

The Philippine Overseas Labour Office sheltered more than 600 runaway domestic helpers in the first six months of last year alone.

Some workers say they have not been paid for months and many domestic helpers do not get days off. Some must submit to having their contracts and job descriptions changed once they arrive in Qatar.

The non-payment of wages, confiscation of documents and inability of workers to leave their employer constitute forced labour under UN rules. According to the International Labour Organisation, forced labour is "all work which is exacted from someone under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily".

Modern-day slavery is estimated to affect up to 21 million people across the globe.