Migrant workers can't be forgotten about, warns Amnesty

The task to improve conditions for migrant workers in World Cup host country Qatar is only half done and must not grind to a halt when the finals are over, human rights group Amnesty International has said.

The tournament kicks off in exactly a month's time when the hosts take on Ecuador in the opening game.

Amnesty marked the final leg of the build-up by publishing a new briefing, 'Unfinished Business: what Qatar must do to fulfil promises on migrant workers' rights'.

The group recognises that the 2017 overhaul of Qatar's labour system has led to improvements in conditions for the two million migrant workers in the country but again said a failure to fully enforce or implement these changes was undermining progress.

Amnesty's report found that thousands of workers are still being denied wages or having them delayed, being denied rest days, being exposed to unsafe working conditions, facing barriers to changing jobs and in accessing justice.

Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of economic and social justice, said: "Although Qatar has made important strides on labour rights over the past five years, it's abundantly clear that there is a great distance still to go.

"Thousands of workers remain stuck in the familiar cycle of exploitation and abuse thanks to legal loopholes and inadequate enforcement.

"With the World Cup looming, the job of protecting migrant workers from exploitation is only half done, while that of compensating those who have suffered abuses has barely started.

"Progress must not grind to a halt once the World Cup roadshow leaves Doha."

"Turning a blind eye to the abuses suffered by thousands of migrant workers over the years flies in the face of their respective international obligations and