Human Trafficking in [Qatar Street Children in [Qatar] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Qatar] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery State
of Qatar [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The State of Qatar is an independent
emirate located in E Arabia, coextensive with the Qatar is a destination 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 of
involuntary servitude. These conditions include bonded labor; 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. Nepali and Indian men are reportedly
recruited for work in Qatar as domestic servants, but are then coerced or
forced into labor in Saudi Arabia as farm workers. Qatar is also a
destination for women from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Morocco, Sri
Lanka, Lebanon, India, Africa, and Eastern Europe for prostitution, but it is
unknown how many are trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual
exploitation. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June,
2008 [full
country report] |
|
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. ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Qatar studies
new law to tackle human trafficking 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. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 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. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001 [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. Qatar studies
new law to tackle human trafficking 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. Qatar
recruitment is human trafficking - says Legal Centre 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. Qatar's
lawmakers strive to combat trafficking There are no statistics about the
number of people who fall victim to traffickers in Qatar. However, Sigma
Huda, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, said as the Gulf
country relied mainly on foreign workers, the problem of people falling
victim to unscrupulous recruitment agencies and sponsors was particularly
serious. "We are concerned in
particular for female domestic migrant workers, the most disadvantaged as
they remain excluded from the protection of the current labour
legislation." The Office combating human
trafficking jointly with the human rights department at the Ministry of
Interior is organising a workshop on "legal, social and security aspects
of human trafficking" a the Marriott hotel from today. Qatar 'not
fully following rules to eliminate human trafficking' 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 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 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 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 Both the UAE and UAE : HORRENDOUS RECORD OF CHILD SLAVERY - WORK WORRIES - Sri Lankan women are trafficked to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, mainly as sex workers or for forced labor. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 6 Civil Liberties: 5 Status: Not Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide U.S. Library of Congress
- Country Study Qatar to use
robots in camel races 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
child jockeys in camel races Qatar said Wednesday it was
banning the use of children as jockeys in camel races, a favorite sport in
the oil-rich Gulf region that has been widely criticised over the use of
children brought from southern Asia. It did not specify the age under
which children would be excluded from the sport, but a Qatari official said
earlier this year that a bill was being drafted that would ban hiring people
under 18. Slavery
of Children and women in Persian gulf countries 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 Iran and other countries). The magnitude of the statistic conveys how
rapidly this form of abuse has grown. The popular destinations for victims of
the sex slave trade are the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf (UAE, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar). Traffickers target
girls between 13 and 17 to send to Arab countries. Dhaka
blacklisted for human trafficking 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 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 The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust
International is the only human rights organisation working since last several
years practically against slave labour in Middle East and Arab Countries to
rescue the innocent children working as child camel jockeys in very worst
circumstances. It has rescued total 318 children in this current year, 147
children on slave in UAE and 171 children from Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Muscat, Kuwait and other parts of
the Arab and Middle East countries and sent them back to Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Srilanka and other respective countries for their rehabilitation.
These children were trafficked from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
and several countries in Africa and brought to the Middle Eastern and Arab
countries for several reasons including for sex and slave labour. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Qatar Street Children in [Qatar] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Qatar] [other countries]