Qatar spearheads campaign against human trafficking

Nasser Al-Ghanem in Doha contributed to this report
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-04-27

[KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images} Doha was the site of the first Gulf Forum for Human Rights Institutions in the GCC on April 20th.

Billboards of famous artists and sports figures can be seen throughout Doha carrying messages that condemn human trafficking.

National Human Right Committee member Mohammad Fouad told the media the billboards are one part of a larger campaign to make migrant workers and local Qataris aware of the problem.

"We created a hotline for anyone, any person living in Qatar, if he feels he is a victim of human trafficking," said Fouad. "We have a programme on Qatar radio and two programmes on Qatar TV. Every person in Qatar must know what is the meaning of trafficking in people."

The small Persian Gulf state is spearheading regional efforts to combat human trafficking, a troubling phenomenon that poses a challenge to development in Qatar and many Gulf countries. Qatar intensified its efforts to combat the problem after international organizations earlier this year named it as a destination country for traffickers.

In late March, Qatar hosted a two day forum that focused on "kick-starting" an Arab initiative to build national resources, and to lay out defined mechanisms, to fight human trafficking. Over 500 participants from around the Gulf attended the forum.

The forum listed its objectives as "developing a protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons especially women and children (Trafficking in Persons Protocol); strengthening the institutional and human capacities of the criminal justice systems; improving mechanisms for the appropriate identification referral, support, and protection of trafficked victims; and raising the awareness about the crime and its devastating consequences on individuals and societies at large."

On April 20th, Qatar also hosted the first Gulf Forum for Human Rights Institutions in the GCC in Doha.

"The Persian Gulf countries are accused of human trafficking by employing thousands of Asians under bad working conditions," Qatari lawyer Ahmed Ben Jumaa told Al-Shorfa.

He added that "there are organised campaigns by the Gulf states to eliminate this menace. However, they have not been able to eliminate this phenomenon that hampers development in those countries."

Ben Jumaa believes that the Gulf States, who are accused of human trafficking by international organizations, must admit the existence of this problem and should not avoid it. He said that admitting the problem was part of the solution.

Dr. Rabia al-Kuwari, professor of media at Qatar University, said that "the media must play an important role in fighting this issue."

Al-Kuwari said estimates released by the International Labour Organization on human trafficking show that the sex trade of women and children alone yields US $28 billion dollars annually. The statistics also show that $32 billion is earned from forced labour. The figures indicate that there are 27 million people worldwide who are victims of human trafficking. Among the victims, 80% are women and children while 98% of sexual abuse victims are women and girls.

Al-Kuwari said there are many reasons why the human trafficking industry has grown, "such as bad economic conditions, government corruption, the imbalance in the population, sex tourism, the weak role of parents, discrimination against ethnic minorities, gender inequality and the rise in criminal rings that pursue the largest number of victims to achieve the biggest possible profit."

Human rights activist Taha Amer said, "The most prominent reason in my opinion is foreign labour. They do not get support in some Gulf States, and actually, some of these states exploit these workers very badly."

Amer said, "Qatar’s experience might be the most remarkable and transparent in dealing with foreign labor. Qatar enacted legislation that provides sufficient protection for foreign workers, in addition to the availability of free medical care for all foreign workers. I think these practical steps can provide a motive for other Gulf countries to do the same."

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