For those with who think that such action is just Doha bashing, an almost identical situation has happened in Abu Dhabi at the proposed Guggenheim Museum:
The Guggenheim’s Abu Dhabi outpost faces a boycott from a group of 130 international artists, curators and writers who say they will refuse to cooperate on the project until working conditions for labourers building the $800m museum are improved.
The petition, published online and addressed to Richard Armstrong, the director of the Guggenheim Foundation and its New York museum, says: “Human rights violations are currently occurring on Saadiyat Island, the location of the new museum.” It cites a 2009 report by the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, which says it “has documented a cycle of abuse that leaves migrant workers deeply indebted, poorly paid, and unable to defend their rights or even quit their jobs”. According to a release posted on the Human Rights Watch website last night, “each of the 94 workers interviewed for the report said he paid between $1,800 and $4,100 in recruitment fees prior to his employment, highlighting the nearly universal acceptance of this practice in the UAE.” Most of the workers on the project come from the Indian subcontinent and live in a specially built housing complex on Saadiyat Island, which Armstrong visited this autumn and the Guggenheim says “has set a high standard for workers' accommodations in the region”.
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This is not the first time the Human Rights Watch has issued protests against labour conditions in the United Arab Emirates. In 2007, it asked the French government to stand up for the rights of workers constructing the Louvre’s planned branch in Abu Dhabi, also on Saadiyat Island. And last year, it applauded New York University’s announcement that it will require all companies working on its new campus in Abu Dhabi to reimburse workers for any recruiting fees, bar them from confiscating worker passports, and require them to provide 30 days of annual leave, health insurance, and pay for overtime, among other benefits.
Why can't the people in power in Qatar just man up and actually admit that there is a problem? Why keep denying it, or pointing to other countries? It's akin to a rapist telling police to let him go, because other people rape women, and THEY haven't been arrested.
The pressure from the Abu Dhabi boycott forced the developer of the museum to appoint Price Waterhouse Coopers to oversee the workers' conditions.
Why can't people in Qatar just try for once to treat migrant Asian workers with some respect and dignity? If they want to be seen as a developed country which respects human rights and observes ethical standards, this might be a good place to start.
For those with who think that such action is just Doha bashing, an almost identical situation has happened in Abu Dhabi at the proposed Guggenheim Museum:
The Guggenheim’s Abu Dhabi outpost faces a boycott from a group of 130 international artists, curators and writers who say they will refuse to cooperate on the project until working conditions for labourers building the $800m museum are improved.
The petition, published online and addressed to Richard Armstrong, the director of the Guggenheim Foundation and its New York museum, says: “Human rights violations are currently occurring on Saadiyat Island, the location of the new museum.” It cites a 2009 report by the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, which says it “has documented a cycle of abuse that leaves migrant workers deeply indebted, poorly paid, and unable to defend their rights or even quit their jobs”. According to a release posted on the Human Rights Watch website last night, “each of the 94 workers interviewed for the report said he paid between $1,800 and $4,100 in recruitment fees prior to his employment, highlighting the nearly universal acceptance of this practice in the UAE.” Most of the workers on the project come from the Indian subcontinent and live in a specially built housing complex on Saadiyat Island, which Armstrong visited this autumn and the Guggenheim says “has set a high standard for workers' accommodations in the region”.
...
This is not the first time the Human Rights Watch has issued protests against labour conditions in the United Arab Emirates. In 2007, it asked the French government to stand up for the rights of workers constructing the Louvre’s planned branch in Abu Dhabi, also on Saadiyat Island. And last year, it applauded New York University’s announcement that it will require all companies working on its new campus in Abu Dhabi to reimburse workers for any recruiting fees, bar them from confiscating worker passports, and require them to provide 30 days of annual leave, health insurance, and pay for overtime, among other benefits.
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Artists-boycott-Guggenheim-Abu-D...
Why can't the people in power in Qatar just man up and actually admit that there is a problem? Why keep denying it, or pointing to other countries? It's akin to a rapist telling police to let him go, because other people rape women, and THEY haven't been arrested.
The pressure from the Abu Dhabi boycott forced the developer of the museum to appoint Price Waterhouse Coopers to oversee the workers' conditions.
Why can't people in Qatar just try for once to treat migrant Asian workers with some respect and dignity? If they want to be seen as a developed country which respects human rights and observes ethical standards, this might be a good place to start.