Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Poverty drives the unsuspecting poor into the
hands of traffickers Published
reports & articles from 2000 to 2025 gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Qatar.htm
Qatar is a transit
and destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of
involuntary servitude and, to a lesser extent, commercial sexual
exploitation. Men and women from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, the
Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Sudan, Thailand, Egypt,
Syria, Jordan, and China voluntarily travel to Qatar as laborers and domestic
servants, but some subsequently face conditions indicative of involuntary
servitude. These conditions include threats of serious harm, including
financial harm; job switching; withholding of pay; charging workers for
benefits for which the employer is responsible; restrictions on freedom of
movement, including the confiscation of passports and travel documents and
the withholding of exit permits; arbitrary detention; threats of legal action
and deportation; false charges; and physical, mental and sexual abuse. - U.S.
State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June,
2009 Check out a later country report here and possibly a full TIP Report here |
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CAUTION: The following
links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in
Qatar. Some of these links may lead to
websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even
false. No attempt has been made to
validate their authenticity or to verify their content. HOW TO USE THIS WEB-PAGE Students If you are looking
for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on
this page and others to see which aspects of Human Trafficking are of
particular interest to you. Would you
like to write about Forced-Labor? Debt
Bondage? Prostitution? Forced Begging? Child Soldiers? Sale of Organs? etc. On the other
hand, you might choose to include precursors of trafficking such as poverty and hunger. There is a lot to
the subject of Trafficking. Scan other
countries as well. Draw comparisons
between activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. HELP for Victims The National Office of Combating
Trafficking in Humans ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Qatar studies new
law to tackle human trafficking Barbara Bibbo', Gulf
News, June 12, 2007 gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-studies-new-law-to-tackle-human-trafficking-1.183920 [accessed 19
December 2010] RELATED:: gulfnews.com/world/gulf/qatar/qatar-to-combat-human-trafficking-with-six-point-plan-1.295163 [accessed 5 May
2020] Qatar has a
population of 800,000, the majority of whom are expatriate low-income workers
in the energy and construction sectors.
Indian nationals represent the largest foreign community, followed by
Filipinos and Nepalese. The three communities together total more than
400,000 people, according to unofficial estimates provided by the diplomatic
missions here. Qatar and Gulf
immigration and labour policies require that migrants work under local
sponsors, a measure which Qatari Prime Minister Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin
Jabr Al Thani just two weeks ago compared to a form of slavery raising
concerns in the local business community. The 2022 World Cup:
Human Trafficking In Qatar Cem Gokhan,
The Borgen Project, 5 February 2021 borgenproject.org/human-trafficking-in-qatar/ [accessed 3 March
2021] Unscrupulous,
predatory and loan-sharking recruiters in laborers’ home countries often work
closely with contractors in Qatar to lure workers to the peninsula for
extended periods of time under false pretenses. Upon arrival in the country,
migrants are at the mercy of Qatar’s Kafala system
of laws that govern the relationships between migrants, their employers and
the Qatari state, placing economic migrants in a dangerous position of
dependency. Under this structure of rules, the migrants’ visa and work permit
status ties to a sponsor or employer which makes it illegal for workers to
leave their employer or indeed the country itself
without the employer’s official permission, creating a situation that is ripe
for economic bondage and human trafficking in Qatar. ***
TO GET HELP *** Hotline set up to
combat human trafficking – 466-9888 &
564-3388 Peninsula News Paper
, March 16, 2009 www.iloveqatar.net/forum/read.php?28,6566,6566 [accessed 19
December 2010] www.iloveqatar.net/news/general/hotline-set-up-to-combat-human-trafficking [accessed 5 May
2020] The Qatar
Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking (QFCHT) has set up hotlines -
4669888 & 5643388 - for receiving complaints from victims of human
trafficking. ***
ARCHIVES *** 2020 Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices: Qatar U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, 30 March 2021 www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/qatar/
[accessed 22 June
2021] PROHIBITION OF
FORCED OR COMPULSORY LABOR There were
continuing indications of forced labor, especially among migrant workers in
the construction and domestic-labor sectors. Exorbitant recruitment fees
incurred abroad entrapped many workers in long-term debt, making them more
vulnerable to exploitation. Some foreign workers who voluntarily entered the
country to work had their passports, ATM cards, and pay withheld and worked
under conditions to which they had not agreed. One migrant worker told an NGO
that his employer threatened him and nearly 1,000 other employees with
deportation if they refused to sign new contracts with substantially lower
wages. Another migrant worker said his company had not paid its workers in
five months. Contract substitution remained a problem, according to
representatives of the migrant worker community; however, to help eliminate
the practice, a government electronic contracting system existed in several
third countries where workers are hired. Embassies of labor-sending countries
reported this new system helped significantly reduce contract substitution
and the number of workers who arrived in Doha without contracts. PROHIBITION OF CHILD
LABOR AND MINIMUM AGE FOR EMPLOYMENT The government
effectively enforced the applicable law. Freedom House
Country Report 2020 Edition freedomhouse.org/country/qatar/freedom-world/2020 [accessed 8 July
2020] G4. DO INDIVIDUALS
ENJOY EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM FROM ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION? Many foreign
nationals face economic abuses including the withholding of salaries,
contract manipulation, poor living conditions, and excessive working hours.
However, fear of job loss and deportation often prevents them from asserting
their limited rights. Female household workers are particularly vulnerable to
abuse and exploitation. International organizations have drawn attention to
the harsh working conditions of migrants building the infrastructure for the
2022 World Cup. The government has
undertaken reforms to mitigate some of these problems. In 2017, the emir
ratified a new law that provided labor rights to household workers,
guaranteeing a maximum 10-hour working day, one rest day a week, three weeks
of annual leave, and an end-of-service payment, among other provisions,
though it failed to set out enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance. Its
standards are also weaker than those in the main labor law. In October 2019,
the cabinet approved the establishment of a nondiscriminatory minimum wage
that would apply across sectors and regardless of nationality; implementation
was expected in 2020. Kingdom of Slaves
in the Persian Gulf Sam Badger, Giorgio Cafiero and Foreign Policy In Focus, 16 September 2014 www.thenation.com/article/archive/kingdom-slaves-persian-gulf/ [accessed 5 May
2020] INDENTURED SERVITUDE - A key plank in
the Gulf’s foreign labor apparatus is called the kafala,
or “sponsorship,” system. The system entails middlemen
who travel to Southeast Asia and sell the right to work in the Gulf to
prospective migrants. Once in debt to the middlemen, who “sponsor” the
workers’ right to travel to the Gulf, the laborers are expected to pay off
their debt to the sponsor by working long hours—often in the construction
industry, where workers labor away in temperatures that can rise above 50
degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Yet because
permission from their sponsor is required to seek a new employer, foreign
laborers are often trapped in their jobs. This ensures that their paltry
wages are used to pay off the debt incurred by their travel. Without
citizenship or any political rights, and unable to exit the country—their
passports are frequently seized by authorities upon arrival—these foreign
workers are trapped in what can only be described as virtual slavery or
indentured servitude. Foreign women
employed as domestic workers for the GCC’s wealthy residents are particularly
vulnerable to exploitation. Secluded in private homes and typically denied
the right to leave, they’re often trapped with employers who withhold pay and
subject them to appalling episodes of physical assault and sexual violence. Qatar recruitment
is human trafficking - says Legal Centre Gilbert Boyefio, The
Statesman, 24/02/2007 [accessed 26 June
2013] After the arrival
of the first batch of Ghanaians to the oil-rich Qatar three months ago,
several disgruntled workers complained of conditions there, resulting in a
Government fact-finding mission to investigate the allegations. Workers claimed that housing and food was
poor, that they had not been paid and that their passports had been taken
from them by their employers. Barbara Bibbo', Gulf
News, November 14, 2006 gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-s-lawmakers-strive-to-combat-trafficking-1.265544 [accessed 19
December 2010] There are no
statistics about the number of people who fall victim to traffickers in Qatar 'not fully
following rules to eliminate human trafficking' Barbara Bibbo', Gulf
News, June 7, 2006 gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-not-fully-following-rules-to-eliminate-human-trafficking-1.239904 [accessed 19
December 2010] It said the
government did not prosecute anyone on trafficking charges, despite reports
of widespread exploitation of foreign domestic workers. Qatar also lacks a screening mechanism to
distinguish trafficking victims from illegal immigrants, it said. "Although it does not have a specific
anti-trafficking law, other criminal laws could be applied to combat
trafficking, including laws against forced labour. Awareness drive
against human trafficking from Thursday Peninsula News
Paper, May 2006 archive.thepeninsulaqatar.com/component/content/article/349-qatar-newsarchive/29244.html [accessed 19 December
2010] The Qatari House
for Lodging and Human Care (QHLHC) will soon establish hotlines to receive
complaints from victims of human trafficking, she said. "We will set up
five lines and complaints in any language can be made." QHLHC provides
shelter for victims of human trafficking Peninsula News
Paper, 08 May 2006 archive.thepeninsulaqatar.com/component/content/article/349-qatar-newsarchive/30812.html [accessed 19
December 2010] Finding the victims
of human trafficking is only the first part of the challenge for the 'Qatari
House for Lodging and Human Care' (QHLHC) a care centre that provides a safe
shelter. New rehabilitation
center for abuse victims Peninsula News
Paper, 5 September 2005 www.smc.org.ph/amnews/amn050915/middleast/qatar050915.htm [accessed 19
December 2010] New rehabilitation center for abuse victims - A rehabilitation center has recently been established by the newly formed human rights department for victims of human trafficking, women forced into prostitution, abused domestic workers and children. The center will provide psychological counseling and rehabilitation to abuse victims, especially domestic workers and children, whose cases have been filed with the police or those referred by official bodies, such as the interior ministry, the National Human Rights Committee, the labor department, etc. Camel Jockeys
Trying To Recover Lost Childhood Andrew Hammond,
Reuters News, 10/05/2005 archives.dawn.com/2005/05/10/int14.htm [accessed 25 April
2012] Both
the UAE and Qatar to use robots
in camel races Faisal Baatoutn,
Middle East Online, www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=11612 [accessed 19
December 2010] natashatynes.com/2004/10/21/qatar-to-use-robots-in-camel-races/ [accessed 5 May
2020] Qatar is set to
substitute robots for jockeys in camel races, a favorite sport in the
oil-rich Gulf region which has faced widespread criticism over the use of
child jockeys from the Indian subcontinent.
But the sport's supremo in Doha insists Qatar never abused child camel
jockeys in the first place and that the plan to use "robot-jockeys"
within the coming year was not in response to protests by human rights
groups. The US State
Department and human rights groups have raised the alarm over the
exploitation of children by traffickers who pay impoverished parents a paltry
sum or simply resort to kidnapping their victims. The children, mostly from Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka or Pakistan, are then smuggled into the oil-rich Gulf states. They are often starved by employers to keep
them light and maximize their racing potential. Mounting camels three times
their height, the children - some as young as six - face the risk of being
thrown off or trampled. Qatar Bans Use of
Children as Jockeys for Camels Agence France-Presse
AFP, 30 December 2004 [accessed 7 February
2016] Qatar said
Wednesday that it was banning the use of children as jockeys in camel races,
a favorite sport in the Persian Gulf region that has been widely criticized
over the use of children brought in from southern Asia. The move, announced after a cabinet
meeting, follows an announcement by the government that it was preparing to
substitute robots for jockeys beginning next year. Slavery of Children
and women in Morteza Aminmansour,
Persian Journal, Jun 20, 2004 At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 10
September 2011] Exact number of
victims is impossible to obtain, but according to an official source in UAE, there
has been increase in the number of teen-age girls in prostitution (forced to
work from The Daily Star, with
Agence France-Presse AFP, 16 June 2004 archive.thedailystar.net/2004/06/16/d4061601044.htm [accessed 26 June
2013] [accessed 22
February 2019] Bangladeshi boys
are also trafficked into the UAE and Qatar
and forced to work as camel jockeys and beggars. Women and children from
rural areas in Bangladesh are trafficked to urban centers for commercial
sexual exploitation and domestic work. The Young Slaves of
Camel Racing - Riding for Their Lives James Ridgeway,
Nation, Mar 5, 2002 www.villagevoice.com/news/nation-6414132#Slaves [accessed 7 February
2016] [scroll down] To read the
reports, you would think you'd stumbled on some Mad Max film set. There stand
the camels, all lined up in the starting gate, track stretching before them,
tense crowds gathered round. Lashed atop the rear of each racing camel, just
behind the hump, is the jockey, crop in hand.
The camera zooms in on the rider. Wait a moment! This is not an
experienced athlete, but a small boy. He looks about five years old. Eyes
wide with fright, he is fastened to the beast with Velcro. Ansar Burney Trust
rescues two more 'Child Camel Jockeys' in UAE At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 10
September 2011] The Ansar Burney
Welfare Trust International is the only human rights organisation working
since last several years practically against slave labour in Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child, 12 October 2001 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/qatar2001.html [accessed 19
December 2010] [57]. The Committee
is seriously concerned at the hazardous situation of children involved in
camel racing. In particular, it is concerned that sometimes very young
children are involved; are trafficked, particularly from Africa (i.e. the
Sudan) and South Asia; and are denied education and health care; and that
such involvement produces serious injuries, even fatalities. Work Worries -
Women going abroad to work is leading to more human trafficking Lanka Business
Online, 04 Mar 2005 www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1777048731 [accessed 17
February 2011] Sri Lankan women
are trafficked to ***
EARLIER EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE ABOVE *** Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, March 8, 2006 2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61697.htm [accessed 10
February 2020] TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS
– Young boys were trafficked into the country to serve as jockeys in camel
races early in the year. However, on July 28, Law No. 22, banning the
transport, employment, training, and involvement of children under the age of
18 in camel races, came into force. According to Article 4, anyone who
violates the law faces 3 to 10 years imprisonment and a fine ranging between
$13,000 (47,320 riyals) and $55,000 (200,200 riyals). Between the months
of June and August, the government repatriated approximately 200 children
jockeys to Men and women were
trafficked into situations of coerced labor. Legislation guiding the
sponsorship of expatriate labors has created conditions constituting forced
labor or slavery. The country also
was a destination for women and girls who traveled to the country to work as
domestic servants. Two embassies reported that a total of 600 of their
nationals had been forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT
ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Patt,
Prof. Martin, "Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - |
