THE STORY
A unique story of resistance
A huge case of human trafficking and economic exploitation came to light in the summer of 2022, at a yard of chemical giant Borealis in the port of Antwerp.
174 victims came forward. According to Belgian law, they had to be taken into protection immediately. But two months after the outbreak, there was still no help for most of the victims. How could this have happened?
'Qatar on the Scheldt' (26 minutes, 2022) follows the group of Bengali and Turkish workers during their struggle for recognition and asks questions about the responsibility of companies that outsource their work through subcontracting.
Watch the trailer in English here.
"This case is a double human rights violation: by the employer, but also the government. The latter defaulted by waiting so long to act."
Kati Verstrepen
president of the Human Rights League
Approach
A film about our neighbours
Often, victims of this social dumping and modern slavery are invisible. Because their identity needs to be protected, and very often because they do not find their way to counselling.
In this story, the aggrieved workers decided to come to the fore, and demand their rights. This provided a unique opportunity to give visibility to an often hidden issue. At the same time, we wanted to reinforce the workers' story. We live in the same neighbourhoods, in the same city, in this way we could make our social contribution as a production house.
So in this film project, there was no demand from a company or organisation. 'Qatar on the Scheldt', was made with love and gallons of coffee in between our other projects.
"The film is unique because it not only shows the workers as victims, but also shows how they unite to force a solution."
Luc Cortebeeck
former chair International Labour Organization (ILO)
Result
Modern slavery in the picture
'Qatar in Belgium' was presented via an online premiere, in collaboration with dozens of trade union centres, civil society organisations and media players such as Gazet van Antwerpen, MO* Magazine, Visie and Sampol.
More than 1,500 people registered to watch the premiere digitally.
The kick-off of the campaign was given at our premiere evening in Berchem, in front of a full house and in the presence of the workers.
The film received additional screenings at trade union centres, Manifiesta, Belmundo and the Flemish Peace Institute. The film is also touring film festivals such as Toronto's International Migration and Environment Festival and the Political Film Festival in Buenos Aires.
