Indians trapped and dying in Qatar

Dear friends,

Thousands of labourers from South Asia are trapped in Qatar in horrific conditions, and barred from escaping home by abusive bosses. An American company could help free them and we can make the CEO act by bringing the slave horror right to her hometown. Join the call:

Forced to work under the desert's scorching sun, denied food, drinking water, and barred from escaping home, thousands of South Asian men in Qatar are modern day slaves. And we can help free them.

Last year, one person died every other day building a billion dollar mega-project for Qatar's 2022 World Cup. A major part of the project is managed by an American company with a CEO who lives in a quiet part of Colorado. If more than 1 million of us stand together for freedom, we can confront her with our voices every time she leaves her house to go to work or to ski, until she takes action.

This same tactic pushed Hilton Hotels to protect women against sex trafficking in days -- join the urgent call to help free Qatar's modern slaves:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/india_nationalbloodiest_world_cup/?bQwOObb&v=54113

Qatar's "guest worker" program is at the root of the problem. Right now, there are more than one million migrant workers in Qatar -- more than in any other country in the world. Workers from across South Asia are lured with promises of good jobs, but when they arrive their employers confiscate their passports and force them to work long hours in 50 degree heat with no chance of escape.

The US company, CH2M Hill, say the local contractors and government laws are to blame, but CH2M Hill is the public face of World Cup construction. Their CEO can and must take a lead role in ensuring we don't see seven more years of worker deaths. She could even threaten to take their business elsewhere unless this system is changed.

CH2M Hill has a responsibility to help stop this modern day slavery. Our community's call now could persuade CH2M Hill to speak out and then lead other companies to weigh in until every single worker has the freedom to return home. Click below to join the call -- when we reach 1 million, our voices will be delivered directly to CH2M Hill CEO Jacqueline Hinman again, and again and again:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/india_nationalbloodiest_world_cup/?bQwOObb&v=54113

One big global outcry at the right time can save thousands of lives. When a Bahrain construction company held 100 Indian labourers captive, our community targeted the company's Scottish partner and forced them to release the workers in days. Let's do it again.

With hope,

Emma, Nell, Mais, Ricken, Alice and the whole Avaaz team

Sources:

Death toll among Qatar's 2022 World Cup workers revealed (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/23/qatar-nepal-workers-world-cup-2022-death-toll-doha

Building a Better World Cup (Human Rights Watch)
http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/qatar0612webwcover_0.pdf

At a Qatar Project Overseen by Americans, Workers Die Almost Daily (Bloomberg)
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-09-26/at-a-qatar-project-overseen-by-americans-workers-die-almost-daily

Qatar accused of dragging its feet over treatment of migrant workers
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/12/qatar-accused-dragging-feet-migrant-workers-world-cup-amnesty

Qatar risks losing World Cup without job reform (Reuters)
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/qatar-risks-losing-world-cup-without-job-reform-124324042--sow.html

More than 500 Indian workers have died in Qatar since 2012, figures show (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/18/qatar-world-cup-india-migrant-worker-deaths

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