AThe ambulance made its way through the chaotic cargo terminal at Dhaka International Airport, tiptoeing past trolleys piled high with boxes, people hauling rolls of cloth and trucks reversing into loading bays. It stopped, and soon after, a coffin was pushed out from between the towering piles of cargo. Then another. There is another one. On this day, the bodies of 10 migrant workers were being flown back from Saudi Arabia to their families in Bangladesh.
One of those present to greet the coffin was Khadija Begum, whose 35-year-old husband Abdul Jalil Shaikh left for Saudi Arabia in early 2023 for work. He left with his family’s dreams on his back and is now back in a wooden box with most of his 500,000 taka (£3,750) debt – the price he paid a recruitment agent for his job – repaid.
The only official information his family has about the cause of his death is a death certificate and a note from the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia taped to the lid of his coffin: “Cause of death: natural causes. Postmortem: No hope. Compensation: None.”
Most of the other nine coffins had an identical piece of paper taped to the lid.
Begum didn’t understand what was going to happen. She managed to speak to some of his colleagues, who said he died of a stroke, but without an autopsy, the family would never know what actually caused his sudden death. or receive any compensation from Saudi Arabia.
Begum became the sole caregiver for her two children and her late husband’s debts were now her responsibility. “I don’t know what the future holds. I’m in big trouble and I don’t know what to do,” she said.
Jalil is one of 500,000 Bangladeshis, many of them young, healthy men, who will leave their families and seek work in Saudi Arabia in 2023. Shariful Hasan, deputy director of migration programs at Bangladeshi development agency Brac, said that if Saudi Arabia wins the rights from FIFA to host the 2034 World Cup later this year, as expected, there will be opportunities from Bangladesh to the Gulf kingdom The number of workers transported will increase significantly.
Yet for thousands of people, the trip is just a one-way ticket. According to Bangladeshi government records, at least 13,685 Bangladeshis died in Saudi Arabia between 2008 and 2022. In 2022 alone, 1,502 people died, with the death toll exceeding 4 per day.
It is unclear whether the death rate is within the expected range given the large number of Bangladeshis migrating to Saudi Arabia.
However, a Guardian investigation found that most of the deaths appeared to be unexplained, with death certificates issued by Saudi authorities attributing them to “natural causes” or using the terms “cardiac arrest” or “respiratory arrest”. ” and other terms, indicating that no attempt has been made to investigate the root cause.
According to official records, Bangladeshi authorities recorded 76% of Bangladeshi deaths in Saudi Arabia as “natural deaths” between January and October 2022, according to documents provided by the Saudi authorities.
The long list of dead includes men in their 50s and 60s, but in many cases the dead were younger men like Jalil: the average age of those classified as dying of natural causes in 2022 was 44 . Male life expectancy in Bangladesh is 71.
“[Terms such as] “Cardiac arrest” provides no information about the underlying cause of death and should not appear on death certificates,” human rights group FairSquare said in a report on deaths of migrant workers in the Gulf, which estimated that more than 50 percent Cause of death among migrant workers in Gulf region unknown.
Instead, human rights groups say other factors such as poor working and living conditions, exploitation, stress and heat stroke may also contribute to the increased mortality.
Hassan said the overall picture was one of one of the world’s richest countries treating its migrant workers in the “worst possible way”. He pointed out that Bangladeshi migrant workers can only travel to Saudi Arabia after passing medical examinations at centers approved by the Saudi authorities, adding that the number of Bangladeshis dying of natural causes in Saudi Arabia is already alarming. He predicted the death toll would rise if Saudi Arabia wins the World Cup.
“They were healthy when they left, so why should they die?” Hassan said. “If it was a European or American citizen, questions would be asked. Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia must investigate the cause of these deaths.”
The findings and the sight of coffins being carried out of the airport echo Guardian reporting on the conditions facing migrant workers in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Human rights groups say this should raise serious concerns about whether future tournaments will again be marred by widespread labor abuses and unexplained deaths.
They say FIFA, which is under intense pressure to explain the deaths and abuse of migrant workers involved in Qatar’s World Cup preparations, must urgently demand that Saudi Arabia comply with internationally recognized human rights standards before designating the Gulf kingdom as host. 2034 Championship.
“If FIFA has learned anything from Qatar, it is that it must pay close attention to human rights risks in potential host countries before awarding them the right to host the World Cup,” said Ella, migrant labor rights researcher at Amnesty International. Ella Knight said.
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Saudi Arabia is notorious for its treatment of migrant workers, who Amnesty International said “continue to be abused and exploited under the sponsorship system… Thousands of people are arbitrarily detained in inhumane conditions and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and forced to return to their homes.”
“They left with high hopes, but when they arrived, they realized the reality,” Hassan said. “They have to work 12 to 18 hours a day, they may not have a passport, they have no freedom. It’s like modern-day slavery.”
Hosting the World Cup in Saudi Arabia will require extensive work to build and upgrade transport networks, hotels, training bases and stadiums. As the tournament will be expanded to 48 teams, the Kingdom will need to have 14 stadiums, each of which must accommodate at least 40,000 spectators.
Bangladeshis will make up a large portion of the immigrant workforce needed to achieve this goal. According to official data, less than 0.5% of Bangladeshi immigrants work in professional jobs. Instead, they work what Hassan calls the most “dangerous, difficult and dirty” jobs, often in industries such as construction.
“Saudi Arabia has the largest number of foreign workers in the region, and we recognize the valuable contribution they make to the country’s development,” the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development said in a statement. “We are committed to providing all employees with Safe and fair working conditions, including for the Kingdom’s more than 2.5 million Bangladeshi workers.”
The country maintains “strong regulations and standards to protect workers’ rights and conducts thorough investigations of all workplace incidents,” the report said.
“Tragic cases where a death occurs are handled in accordance with international standards and autopsies are performed where required. Death certificates are issued transparently and in compliance with established and regulated protocols,” the statement read. “Allegations of negligence or lack of transparency in this regard are unfounded. It is important to note that free health care is provided to everyone in critical situations, regardless of background.”
FIFA and the Bangladesh government did not respond to requests for comment.
After the heartbreaking scenes at Dhaka Airport, ambulances set out across the country to bring the bodies home. These include Abdul Kalam, who worked on the farm for six years and, according to his family, died suddenly of a “stroke” at the age of 32; Sujan, who died in his sleep at his home He was described as being in his twenties and in good health. Amir Hossen, 45, who also had no health problems according to his wife, died of “some kind of stroke” shortly after speaking to her on the phone, a term that has been used by family members to explain the sudden and Unexplained death.
Just after midnight, a worker’s coffin was brought back to his village. The body of the worker, named Witness, was flown home several days ago. His 10-year-old son Rajin and 5-year-old daughter Saima were pushed to the front of the crowd waiting to receive his body.
His death certificate said he died of “unexplained cardiac and respiratory arrest.” His wife Rogina said moneylenders were already after her. “As soon as they found out my husband was dead, they started visiting us randomly and threatening us with legal action. But how can I repay them? I have nothing left,” she said. “I kept asking myself what I wanted to do with my life, but all I saw was darkness.”
The next morning, a group of young people were watching the funeral. In this village, at least one person from every household has migrated, and every mourner plans to do so. “The risks are there, but there are good opportunities abroad, but not here. We all have to go,” one of them said, extending his arm in the air to signal for the plane to take off.
