Study Buddy (Challenger): Qatar evicts hundreds of migrant workers – casts shadow over football World Cup

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  • This page is for students who want to take their understanding to the next level with difficult vocabulary and questions to test their inference skills
  • Municipal workers and security guards cleared and locked about 12 buildings in central Doha, said residents and workers last month
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Qatar has faced intense scrutiny over how it has treated the foreign labourers who built most of the stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup. Photo: Reuters

Content provided by British Council

Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below:

[1] Qatari authorities evicted hundreds of migrant workers from buildings in central Doha, casting a shadow over the football World Cup, residents and workers said last month.

[2] Municipal workers and security guards moved into about 12 buildings to clear and lock them, according to local residents, ahead of the international tournament that kicked off last week. The government said the buildings were “uninhabitable”, proper notice had been given, and alternative “safe and appropriate accommodation” had been found for all evictees.

[3] The affected area, largely around Al Mansoura, has been massively redeveloped in recent years and some World Cup fans will stay in flats in the district, where dozens of mechanical diggers are parked in the streets.

[4] Yunus, a Bangladeshi driver, slept on the back of his flat-bed truck on a street in Al Mansoura, three nights after being forced out of one block. “The first night it was chaos, and there was not enough room for everyone to go to other places,” he said. In any case, “this truck is my life, and I will not leave it until I have somewhere where I can park it” near the new accommodation, he added.

[5] Migrants – dominated by an influx from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines and African nations including Kenya and Uganda – make up more than 80 per cent of Qatar’s 2.8 million population. Qatar has faced intense scrutiny over the treatment of foreign labourers who built most of the shiny new stadiums and transport infrastructure for the World Cup. The energy-rich state has been criticised over deaths, injuries and unpaid wages.

[6] International unions say there has been a drastic improvement in conditions in recent years, and Qatar has highlighted its reforms. But rights groups say more must be done. The South Asian manager of a 24-hour store in Al Mansoura, who said he saw evictions from two buildings, said most of the workers paid no rent and had no leases. “They are basically squatters,” he said, on condition of anonymity. “They stay a few months in one building and then are forced to find another. They were good clients. I had brought in extra rice because they buy so much. Now, I am left with it,” he added. “In this case, it is the timing so close to the World Cup that is all wrong.”

[7] Qatar’s World Cup organisers, who have reserved some buildings of flats, referred queries to the government. Qatar’s government said authorities acted under a 2010 law against “informal and unplanned housing arrangements”. “Residents found to be living in uninhabitable accommodation with no formal contracts are given the opportunity to move elsewhere in a reasonable time frame,” the government said. “Officials always ensure individuals are rehoused in safe and appropriate accommodation.”

[8] Residents said most of the evicted men would move to Doha’s huge industrial zone or towns further from the capital. Most of those evicted do not work for the major companies that provide accommodation and food for labourers. Many work for a daily rate or for small companies. “They live in these blocks to avoid paying rent. The wages are low so every cent counts,” said one migrant living next to a building that was emptied.
Source: Agence France-Presse, October 29

Questions

1. Paragraph 1 implies that the eviction of migrant workers had a _________ impact on the World Cup.
A. positive
B. negative
C. inconsequential
D. none of the above

2. According to paragraph 2, how did the Qatari government attempt to mitigate the situation?

3. What does “the district” in paragraph 3 refer to?

4. Find a word in paragraph 5 that means “careful, thorough examination”.

5. How has the store manager in paragraph 6 been affected by the nearby evictions?

6. What does the law cited in paragraph 7 prohibit?

7. Paragraph 8 highlights ...
A. the lack of accommodation for those who live near the capital.
B. how migrants have difficulty securing jobs with decent wages.
C. the plight of migrants who cannot afford decent housing.
D. how Qatar’s World Cup organisers have undermined the event’s impact on migrants.

8. Decide whether the following statements are True, False, or the information is Not Given in the text. Blacken ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks)
(i) Most of Doha’s foreign labourers were forced to relocate to the city’s industrial area once the infrastructure needed for the World Cup was completed.
(ii) Yunus is worried his truck will be towed away as he has not applied for the permits to park his vehicle.
(iii) The manager of the store located in Al Mansoura is likely to agree with groups who say the government should not have evicted the migrant workers in the district.
(iv) There is currently no law that requires Qatar’s companies to provide foreign labourers with proper housing.

9. Which of the following headlines could be used for this article?
A. World Cup nightmare: Qatar’s foreign labourers fight for change
B. Amid World Cup 2022, unstable reality for Qatar’s migrant workers
C. Migrant workers shed light on Qatar’s World Cup cover-up
D. Qatar turns a blind eye to the abuse of World Cup migrant labourers

Qatar has been critised over deaths, injuries and unpaid wages regarding the construction of infrastructure for the World Cup. Photo: AFP

Answers

1. B
2. by providing alternative safe and appropriate accommodation for the evictees
3. Al Mansoura
4. scrutiny
5. The extra rice that he had bought will be left unsold because his customers have been evicted.
6. It prohibits residents from living in uninhabitable accommodation with no formal contracts.
7. C
8. (i) NG; (ii) NG; (iii) F; (iv) T
9. B

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