This Saturday afternoon, I watched a documentary about the migrant workers in Qatar.

Viewers were shown cramped sleeping quarters without working air-conditioning units, filthy toilets, and very basic and dirty kitchens. The interviewed, mostly security personnel (odd…), complained about their work, the living conditions, and their unpaid salaries.

I personally have seen worst conditions at Chinese factories and Malaysian construction sites. Dirty toilets, filthy kitchens and cockroaches; things that are kind of expected when large group of men are separated from their families (mothers, wives) and are crowded together in tight spaces.

There were no obvious mention of migrant workers’ deaths throughout the documentary. No mention of work-related injuries and accidents. I do not recall any interviews of construction workers. And what about the family members back home?

Yes, the work and living conditions of the migrant workers are horrible, unbearable to most Westerners. It irks me that the documentary did not reveal the truly insidious and deadly inhuman practices behind the rich, shiny, glorious facades.