Nepali workers line up at the Department of Foreign Labour for work permits to go abroad.

KATHMANDU, Nepal — As Qatar gears up for the 2022 World Cup, elaborate plans are underway for revamped infrastructure, new metro lines and five stadiums with the latest temperature-controlling technology. But behind the estimated $140 billion surge in construction is an army of migrant workers, already paying the human cost of the plans.

In the three and a half years since Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup nearly one thousand migrant workers have died — amounting to almost one per day — as a result of harsh conditions, a lack of safety measures and overwork. Just under half of these reported deaths were Nepalese migrant workers. Last year, the Guardian launched an investigation into the conditions of migrant workers and reported that Qatar’s World Cup workers were bonded in a form of  “modern-day slavery” and faced appalling levels of abuse and exploitation.

Despite an awareness of the risks, the exodus of Nepali workers to Gulf nations continues. Each month, 16,000 Nepalis travel to the Gulf for temporary employment and in Qatar, one out of five migrant workers is from Nepal. Difficulty finding employment in Nepal combined with staggering poverty levels mean that for many, working abroad seems to be the only option.

At the Department of Foreign Employment, in the dusty outskirts of Kathmandu, the line for the required permits to work abroad is endless. The men patiently wait, clutching folders of necessary paperwork with their name and destination country emblazoned on the front. An overwhelming amount of them are heading to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Endless line for permits to leave at the Department of Foreign Labour, despite awareness of risks faced abroad. Photo by Clare Hennig/The Gazelle

Munal Bhattanai, a 25-year-old Nepali construction worker, said that he doesn’t know where he will end up yet. He recently returned from Qatar, after his contract unexpectedly ended, and he is in the process of looking for another job.

“My contract [in Qatar] was for two years,” said Bhattanai.“But they closed my company and I returned after six months."

Bhattanai said that during his time working in Qatar, his salary was often paid overdue and he was sometimes expected to work 16-18 hour days. When his contract was suddenly terminated, he received neither compensation nor money for his last month of work.

“They didn’t give [me] my salary,” said Bhattanai. “We didn’t have food, we didn’t have anything … only water.”

He was left to return to Nepal by his own means, indebted to the recruiting company who had paid his initial flight and visa costs. His hopes of supporting his family of seven — his parents, two siblings, grandfather and wife who all live together — were crushed and he confessed that, rather than earning money, he lost what little he had.

Despite his experience in Qatar, however, Bhattanai is prepared to go work abroad again.

“Not everyone has a problem [working abroad]," said Bhattanai. “Some go and make money and send to Nepal, to give to their family.“

Nepal’s economy is dependent on workers sending money home from abroad as 23 percent of its GDP comes from remittances. The United Nations estimates that one third of all Nepali families have at least one member working abroad and are reliant on these salaries for basic living expenses.

Munal Bhattanai (left) and Bijay Chaudhary (right) wait to be called to the front office at the Department of Foreign Labour. Photo by Clare Hennig/The Gazelle

Bijay Chaudhary, a 22-year-old Nepali student, has never worked abroad but is considering it. He was at the Department of Foreign Employment, in line next to Bhattanai, collecting some paperwork. He would not want to go to the Gulf, he said, but dreams of working and perhaps even one day studying in Canada or Germany.

“There are many problems, always the same problems … in Qatar, Dubai, Saudi, in these Gulf countries,” said Chaudhary. “We know that there is trouble, so we don’t want to go there. But we have family problems, so we go and work there.”

Som Prasad Lamichhane, General Secretary and spokesperson of Pravasi Nepali Co-ordination Committee, a nonprofit organization that works to protect the rights of migrant workers at home and abroad, is well aware of the problems faced by migrant workers abroad. He used to work in Saudi Arabia as a cashier, when he was wrongly accused of theft and thrown in jail. When the real perpetrator was found, Lamichhane was released but received neither compensation nor an apology. He left Saudi two months after the incident and came to work for the workers’ support organization PNCC, embodying its slogan: “For the migrant, by the migrant.”

The organization has information centres scattered in seven districts of Nepal, as well as two international outreach offices. One of these is located in Qatar, where it assists Nepali workers if problems arise by either negotiating with the employer or, in some cases, coordinating with the Nepali Embassy and the Human Rights Committee in Qatar.

“Our outreach officer has rescued more than 400 people from Qatar,” said Lamichhane. “We bring them back here, and we also try solve the problem in Qatar. If someone is having a problem with not getting their salary, our outreach officer goes to their respective companies and deals with the employers to figure out the problem.”

Despite the well-publicized breaches of worker’s rights in Qatar, Lamichhane is not wholly opposed to the 2022 World Cup being held there. Rather, he feels that having the world watching and taking note of what is happening in the country could set some changes in motion.

“If they protect the rights of migrant workers, then definitely the World Cup should be there, but if not, we will have to see,” said Lamichhane. “This is a great opportunity for Qatar. In the GCC, there are lots of problems … This is symbolic. All the other countries can follow what Qatar does for the rights of migrant workers.”

The International Trade Union Commission released a report in March 2014 which estimated that an additional 500,000 workers will be needed in preparation for the World Cup in Qatar. As such, the report argued, FIFA has a responsibility to these workers and should ensure that workers’ rights are upheld, as a condition for Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup.