jet4hire
28th Feb 2004, 13:51
Akbor !! please read this!
DOHA: The latest US State Department human rights report takes note of the “significant steps” taken by Qatar toward democratic governance, and has generally given a clean chit to government agencies in matters of rights violations.
The report, however, observes that despite positive laws and all good intentions of the government, expatriate workers continue to suffer at the hands of some private employers.
The Human Rights Practices report for 2003 was released by the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour on Wednesday.
It states that the Qatari Government’s overall human rights recored “improved in some areas during the year (2003)”. Among the positive steps toward democratic governance, the report makes mention of the “free and fair” elections to the 29-member Central Municipal Council, in which both male and female citizens ran for office.
The report acknowledges the election of one woman councilor, the appointment of another woman (H E Sheikha Ahmed Al Mahmoud) as Minister of Education in the Cabinet, and that of a woman President (Dr Sheikha Abdullah Al Missned) of the University of Qatar.
Commenting on the security services, the document says there was no reports during 2003 of their having committed human rights abuses. It also notes that prison conditions generally met international standards. The police forces generally were effective and there were no cases of arbitrary arrest or detention, corruption and abuse of power.
Significantly, the report notes the setting up of the National Human Rights Committee consisting of members drawn from government ministries as well as civil society. It also registers the establishment, during the year, of an Office of Human Rights within the Legal Department of the Ministry of Interior.
The report also acknowledges the Government’s moves toward freedom of speech and press, and cites the case of Qatari newspapers criticising the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture for its decision to make insurance mandatory for small businesses and its failure to provide adequate facilities for slaughtering animals.
It observes that callers to a popular morning show on the state-owned radio frequently discussed topics such as government inefficiency and the lack of responsiveness by various ministries to citizens’ needs such as poor schools, failure to deliver adequate water and sewage services, and problems with the health care system.
On the foreign labour front, though, the report notes that “at times some domestic servants were mistreated and abused. Non-citizens, who make up more than 75 per cent of local residents, faced discrimination in the workplace.”
It observes that employers set wages unilaterally without government involvement. “Although it was government policy to assist labourers seeking payment of late salaries due (usually through the Labour Department), small groups of labourers resorted to illegal work stoppages to force payment of arrears,” says the report and goes on to mention several cases of unpaid workers resorting to strikes during the year.
:ok:
DOHA: The latest US State Department human rights report takes note of the “significant steps” taken by Qatar toward democratic governance, and has generally given a clean chit to government agencies in matters of rights violations.
The report, however, observes that despite positive laws and all good intentions of the government, expatriate workers continue to suffer at the hands of some private employers.
The Human Rights Practices report for 2003 was released by the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour on Wednesday.
It states that the Qatari Government’s overall human rights recored “improved in some areas during the year (2003)”. Among the positive steps toward democratic governance, the report makes mention of the “free and fair” elections to the 29-member Central Municipal Council, in which both male and female citizens ran for office.
The report acknowledges the election of one woman councilor, the appointment of another woman (H E Sheikha Ahmed Al Mahmoud) as Minister of Education in the Cabinet, and that of a woman President (Dr Sheikha Abdullah Al Missned) of the University of Qatar.
Commenting on the security services, the document says there was no reports during 2003 of their having committed human rights abuses. It also notes that prison conditions generally met international standards. The police forces generally were effective and there were no cases of arbitrary arrest or detention, corruption and abuse of power.
Significantly, the report notes the setting up of the National Human Rights Committee consisting of members drawn from government ministries as well as civil society. It also registers the establishment, during the year, of an Office of Human Rights within the Legal Department of the Ministry of Interior.
The report also acknowledges the Government’s moves toward freedom of speech and press, and cites the case of Qatari newspapers criticising the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture for its decision to make insurance mandatory for small businesses and its failure to provide adequate facilities for slaughtering animals.
It observes that callers to a popular morning show on the state-owned radio frequently discussed topics such as government inefficiency and the lack of responsiveness by various ministries to citizens’ needs such as poor schools, failure to deliver adequate water and sewage services, and problems with the health care system.
On the foreign labour front, though, the report notes that “at times some domestic servants were mistreated and abused. Non-citizens, who make up more than 75 per cent of local residents, faced discrimination in the workplace.”
It observes that employers set wages unilaterally without government involvement. “Although it was government policy to assist labourers seeking payment of late salaries due (usually through the Labour Department), small groups of labourers resorted to illegal work stoppages to force payment of arrears,” says the report and goes on to mention several cases of unpaid workers resorting to strikes during the year.
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