Collection of testimonies from returnee Indian and Nepalese migrant workers from Qatar

This brochure is a collection of first hand accounts from labour migrants from India and Nepal of their experiences as migrant workers in Qatar. Some shocking insights give us a glimpse of what people are facing in their daily struggle to make a living.

Since 2014, six labour organizations from India and Nepal (GEFONT, NTUC, CFTUI), one domestic workers’ movement (NDWM), the Belgian NGO World Solidarity Movement (WSM) and the Belgian trade union organizations ACV-CSC and ACV-CSC Building – Industry & Energy (ACV BIE) have been collaborating on a pilot project of Migrant workers and Qatar. This project aims to map out how migrant workers in Qatar are organizing themselves through local support groups. It will look into the different communication lines between the migrant workers and the trade unions in the sending countries. Another goal of the project is to get a view on the actors that are involved, and so to better understand the migration process from Nepal/India to Qatar. It has a particular focus on multinational construction companies and how they organize their work sites in Qatar.

This brochure is presented as a first and very concrete result. It brings together some of the testimonies that have been collected through the project. The brochure and the testimonies remind us that migration is a very personal experience for people, for workers and their families, and even for the local communities they come from. Victims of abuse and exploitation often suffer personal dramas. On the other hand, it is also a reminded of the resilience of people, the power of innovation and the power of solidarity. Despite the very difficult working and living conditions which these migrants are confronting in Qatar, they do start to organize themselves. Through this brochure, it is their experiences that are given center stage.

The project which is supported by ACV-CSC, ACV-CSC BIE and WSM contributes to the global campaign for decent working conditions in Qatar, spearheaded by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Building and Woodworkers’ International.

The brochure was first presented to the press and to the general public in Kathmandu, Nepal on the 29th of February. It is available here: I, Testimony - Collection of Testimonies from Returnee Migrant Workers from India & Nepal to Qatar