World Report 2024: Qatar

According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) World Report 2024, the state of human rights in Qatar has remained stagnant or worsened since the conclusion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As reported by HRW, the Qatari authorities have failed to maintain the momentum of labor reforms, with the exploitative 'kafala' system remaining largely intact in practice. The report alleges that migrant workers continue to suffer from widespread wage theft and are still required to pay illegal recruitment fees that leave them in debt bondage. HRW claims that the Qatari government maintains a repressive environment for free speech, citing the continuing imprisonment of lawyers Hazza and Rashed al-Marri, who were sentenced to life for opposing election laws. Furthermore, the report details systemic discrimination against women under the male guardianship system, which severely restricts their autonomy in marriage, travel, and access to healthcare. According to HRW, the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar continues to face arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment in detention, with security forces reportedly using physical and verbal abuse to extract 'confessions' of immoral behavior. The summary highlights that despite the international spotlight brought by the World Cup, the Qatari government has not established an independent monitoring body for human rights or investigated the thousands of migrant worker deaths that occurred during the construction of tournament infrastructure. HRW concludes that Qatar's legal system continues to prioritize state security and the interests of the ruling elite over the fundamental rights of its majority non-citizen population.