Geoff: Every four years FIFA,
the global soccer organization,
holds the largest men's
tournament, the world cup.
In 2010, they announced that
Qatar would host this year's
game straight since then Qatar
has come under screen for
treatment of migrant workers.
With the tournaments kick off
days away, those concerns are
once again in the spotlight.
>> As Qatar prepares for more
than one million world cup
visitors, football fans and
activists worry about the host
nation's human rights record and
that some people might not be
welcomed at the Terman.
-- At the tournament.
Women must request permission
from male guardians to travel or
merit, freedom of speech is
restricted, migrant workers are
at the mere-- the mercy
of their employees to leave the
country and same sex activity is
criminalized.
Despite criticism, Qatar's world
cup ambassador and former
footballer defended the nation's
position that lgbtq activity is
forbidden.
>> Because it damage is the
mind.
>> Even the former FIFA
president who announced Qatar's
win in 2010 said that doing so
was a mistake.
In part because of Qatar's
treatment of migrant workers.
They make up 90% of the
workforce, receive meager
salaries, and often live in
unsafe conditions.
He says FIFA has since added
human rights and " social
considerations" to criteria when
picking host countries.
For their part FIFA and Qatar
has said the games are open to
all.
>> Everyone will be welcomed to
the tournament.
Regardless of their origin,
background, religion, gender,
sexual orientation or
nationality.
>> I really spoke to Michael
page with human rights watch
about his and other groups
concerns.
Thanks so much for joining us.
Your group recently put out a
report noting that qatari
security forces arrested a
number of lgbtq plus people as
recently as September.
So, what does that say about
your concerns for the treatment
of lgbtq plus people if they
come to Qatar for the games?
>> It puts the fundamental
question, all of these claims
from FIFA and qatari authorities
of will fans be safe who are
lgbtq people?
It is a real concern because
there have been promises over
and over again by FIFA and Qatar
that they have failed to meet.
I think it highlights a larger
concern, which is why was Qatar
awarded the games in the first
place when these fundamental
problems around human rights
were well known?
And there has been nothing, for
instance, that has been done
around removing these
discriminatory laws that exist
in Qatar, which include
individuals who found to have
same sex relations could face
seven years in prison.
>> And if Qatar is acting this
way now, how optimistic are you
that their behavior will change
over the long-term, when the
eyes of the world have moved on?
>> I think it is concerning that
qatari authorities and FIFA have
refused so far to even back a
concept of a compensation fund
for the serious abuses that
migrant workers have faced
building the world cup
infrastructure.
So, if these type of commitments
cannot be made ahead of the
world cup, I think it is really
concerning for human rights
organizations of - over what is
going to happen after the fact.
>> Let's talk about what more
you would like to see Qatar do,
because the guardian newspaper
reported that 6000 migrant
workers died in the construction
of the infrastructure for the
games since Qatar won the
bidding.
So, what more does this country
need to do?
>> In the past several years,
qatari authorities have made
some important reforms.
Around, for instance, the
ability for migrant workers to
change their jobs, for them to
leave the country, and they've
also put in some mechanisms to
compensate workers who faced
wage abuses, but in the past two
years, the ministry of labor has
told human rights watch that
they've compensated something
around $164 million in wage
abuses to migrant workers who
faced these abuses.
That is a positive thing.
However, that's only in the past
few years.
What if the actual figure, not
only of wage abuses but other
abuses when none of these
reforms were in place since
2010?
>> What about the responsibility
of some of the teams going to
the world cup.
Some from the U.K. And united
States have said this is an
important opportunity to
satellite on -- shed light
on some of the abuses.
What do you make of that
defense?
>> I think there is a real role
for football teams to play in
terms of demanding that FIFA and
Qatar respect human rights and
they address these serious
issues.
At the end of the day, they did
not choose for this world cup to
be held in Qatar.
It was FIFA who had the
responsibilities to do due
diligence around hosting a
tournament and human rights and
he absent that -- they absolute
failed.
What we can't -- is escape our
connections to migrant workers.
>> The white house says it will
send a delegation to these
games.
Here's what press secretary
Karine jean-pierre had to say
the other day.
>> This is an important event
and we will be cheering on the
team, team usa.
It is not an unusual thing for
us to do.
When there is an event like
this.
>> What do you make of that?
>> It's really not what is
needed, it is not sufficient.
The issue is we want the U.S.
Government that regularly says
they support labor rights, they
support workers rights, to take
a better public position or any
public position on human rights
in Qatar, their ally.
And that would include demanding
that they support and compensate
migrant workers who faced
serious abuses since they will
be part of this official
delegation for joining the FIFA
world cup.
>> Michael page, thank you so
much for your time.