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Male labourers usually travel to Qatar without their wives or children [Getty] |
In December last year, hundreds of migrant workers were turned away from Qatar's national day celebrations under the premise of the families-only laws. This somewhat contradicted the messages from Qatari authorities encouraging foreign nationals to engage in the country's festivities.
With a population that is over 70 percent male, the enfrocement of "bachelor bans" can prove somewhat problematic for the average single Qatari male, however, the laws disproportionately affect blue-collar migrant workers.
Some of the state's families-only laws relate to residential areas, for instance, that do not apply to white-collar workers. This means that some aspects of the laws apply almost exclusively to foreign workers who have shouldered the labour required for countries $200 billion construction boom ahead of the 2020 World Cup.
Those who breach the law can be fined up to QR 50,000 ($13,735 USD), which is or up to QR100,000 ($27,471 USD) for repeat offenders. With some of Qatar's foreign workers earning as little as $29 a week, this would essentially result in a prison sentence and or deportation.
In recent years, Qatar has been the subject of international criticism with regards to its treatment of foreign workers who make up 97 percent of their labour force, and 70 percent of the country's entire population.
This scrutiny has intensified in the run up to the 2020 World Cup, with an Amnesty International report published in April exposing what is describes as systematic abuse against migrant workers working on stadium construction sites.