Qatar progressing in battle against human trafficking

By Hamza Jilani/Staff Reporter

The Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking (QFCHT ) has been  successful in defending the rights of the most vulnerable in society and deliver aid to the victims, a top official has said.  

While their latest official annual report is due to be issued in a couple  of weeks, the foundation was able to settle scores of violations amicably and refer as many as 417 cases to courts in 2012.

QFCHT general director  Maryam al-Malki  told Gulf Times that progress had been made  through awareness campaigns at schools and universities, embassies and at conferences which have not only shed light on human trafficking as an international criminal phenomenon but also educated audiences about their rights and how they can find legal support when they are abused.

“It’s all about awareness campaigning; letting people know what  rights they do have despite what they might be told by others who could abuse them,” she said.  “We engage other NGOs, students at educational institutions and the Ministry of Interior (MoI), which is one of our greatest stakeholders in this initiative. They are very co-operative and have helped us achieve what was formerly thought of as impossible. We, as a single entity, can’t do this on our own. Working together (is the key to success).”

Speaking on the sidelines of the  two-day Human Trafficking in Media workshop that concluded on Tuesday, she said: “We mostly receive women and children who are domestic labourers because they aren’t protected under the Labour Law. But we can fight for their rights with the new Anti-Trafficking Law along with the Civilian, Residents and Criminal Laws”.

“In addition to providing them with free legal aid, we make sure that they get  psychological treatment if necessary, shelter and the voluntary return to their countries. We’ll file a report with the MoI which will get the victims’ papers and passports in order while blacklisting the sponsor.”

She said that because court procedures take anywhere between three months to a year for case resolution, many victims don’t file for legal action, and “just want to get their passports back and go home and our work with the MoI makes that happen, overriding the sponsor’s rights”.

“We hold workshops with lawyers and police officers to educate them about those laws and train them how to use them in full effect,” al-Malki added.

Wojood Hasan, human trafficking expert and interpreter at QFCHT, said that awareness campaigns were also run outside lectures; the foundation’s hotline (dial 108 from any phone) is advertised on buses, grocery bags and flyers and brochures in different languages to make sure that the potential victims know their rights and what can be done to protect or regain them.

“When we did that, the phone didn’t stop ringing. We took it a step further by also engaging different expat community leaders to make sure our services are known throughout their communities,” he said.

“A lot of people, however, come to us for legal advice and learn that they don’t qualify as victims of trafficking, but we work with a network of other NGOs and committees and refer them to such institutions where they can get help.”

He added that with the passing of the Anti-Trafficking Law No 15/2011, legal advisory no longer needed to depend on criminal and civilian law solutions for victims of trafficking, that now “sponsors can be fined and imprisoned for crimes”.

“Right now a draft law for domestic labourers is on its final stages and will be released within the year,” he said, adding that the law would protect their “rights such as salaries, return flights, medical insurance, working hours and so on”.