Call on UK government to prohibit and phase out state ownership of football clubs

Systemic stability not possible with nation state involvement

FairSquare has this week written to Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, urging the UK government to outlaw state ownership of English football clubs.

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UAE must not extradite political commentator to Egypt, where he would face torture

FairSquare has joined more than 20 concerned organisations in calling on the UAE not to deport Sherif Osman to Egypt, where he would be at high risk of being subjected to torture and other human rights violations.

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New report links lack of healthcare access to migrant worker deaths in the Gulf

Research for the Vital Signs Project identifies inability to access healthcare as a likely significant factor in the number of preventable deaths of migrant workers in the Gulf, and lack of documentation and affordability as key barriers. 

A coalition of organisations, including NGOs from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines, today issued a report on low-income migrant workers’ access to healthcare in the Gulf. The Cost of Living, based on quantitative and qualitative research in the Gulf states and in multiple countries of origin, describes how multiple barriers prevent low-income migrant workers from accessing non-emergency healthcare in the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). 

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U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA) Criticized for “Dictator Games” This Week in United Arab Emirates

Human Rights Organizations Urge NBA to Condemn UAE Rulers’ Violence Against Women, Homophobia, and War in Yemen

A coalition of human rights, women’s rights, and peace organizations is calling on the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA) to publicly condemn the rulers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their violence against women, homophobic laws, and brutal war in Yemen.

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Urgent call for action on migrant worker deaths in the Gulf

New report reveals poor data, high-rate of unexplained deaths and a series of cumulative risks to health.

A coalition of organisations, including NGOs from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines, today issued a report on the deaths of low-paid migrant workers in the Gulf states, and called on their governments and those in the Gulf to urgently take steps to reduce the number of unnecessary migrant worker fatalities. 

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Why trafficking in the Gulf persists

In a new article for the Global Index on Organised Crime, FairSquare director James Lynch takes a look at why labour trafficking remains rife in the Gulf states, which are signed up to and publicly supportive of the key international anti-trafficking agreements:

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Call on Cambridge University not to whitewash UAE government’s reputation

FairSquare and Human Rights Watch have written to Cambridge University about a proposed strategic partnership with the UAE, which the organisations said “would serve to whitewash the reputation of a government that systematically imprisons critics and denies fundamental civil and political rights.”

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FairSquare Director on Newcastle United, Saudi Arabia and “sportswashing”

FairSquare director Nick McGeehan has used an article in openDemocracy to explore the implications of “sportswashing” for football and democracy, in the wake of the Premier League’s decision to agree to the takeover of Newcastle United FC by a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).

FairSquare director Nick McGeehan has used an article in openDemocracy to explore the implications of “sportswashing” for football and democracy, in the wake of the Premier League’s decision to agree to the takeover of Newcastle United FC by a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).

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Covid-19 and migrant workers in the Gulf

NGO coalition calls on Gulf states to ensure protection of migrant workers during Covid-19 response

A coalition of trade unions and NGOs, including FairSquare Projects, has called on the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to take steps to ensure that migrant workers receive adequate protection from Covid-19.

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