The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has recommended the issuance of laws to regulate the work of domestic workers and protect the rights of persons with disability in Qatar.
It has also sought the adoption of regulations for protection against domestic violence, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported. 
The recommendations made in NHRC’s annual report highlight the need to review the current family law, according to the daily. 
The annual report also points to the necessity of issuing legislation that would protect the rights of children and regulate the work of domestic workers. As of now household workers are not covered under Qatar’s labour laws.
Further, it calls for the introduction of new effective mechanisms to settle disputes outside courts and ease such procedures to allow people to better exercise their legal rights. The report also calls for more inspection visits to detention centres and reduce the use of precautionary detention, replacing it with more cautious procedures. 
Meanwhile, the NHRC has suggested that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment grant locals their assigned plots of land only after providing them with the necessary infrastructure and public facilities and services. The waiting period for this should also be minimised, it has said.
The recommendations also include the creation of an NHRC office at the Public Prosecution headquarters to receive relevant complaints. In addition, Public Prosecution employees should undergo intensive training courses on the implementation of the law to combat human trafficking, the report states. 
The report notes that changes in the law with regard to the protection of expatriate workers’ wages is a positive development. This will considerably decrease the number of complaints pertaining to delayed payment, which are more common in the construction sector, particularly with small contracting companies, it adds.
The new law that regulates the entry, exit and residency of expatriates will further enhance the rights of expatriate workers, according to the report. The law grant expatriates a number of new rights that will boost their protection. 
Accordingly, the NHRC recommended that the departments concerned should devise and adopt effective and flexible regulations to implement the law.
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