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Tribune News Network
Doha
In the updated version of its annual report, the National Human Rights Committee has made several recommendations to advance and develop human rights on civil, social, economic, political and judicial levels.
In"The Annual Report of The National Human Rights Committee of Qatar on the Human Rights situation in the state and outcomes of the committee's work 2015, recommendations were made to the Advisory Council, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers (GSCM), the Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC), Public Prosecution, the Ministry of Interior (MoI), the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA), among other government institutions and ministries.
The NHRC has urged the MoI to put in place regulations and standards for the work of the Appeals Committee for the application of Law No. 12 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and stay of expatriates so as to achieve the purpose of the law and reinforcing positive practices in protecting workers' rights.
The NHRC also recommended the establishment of an MoI office at the Hamad International Airport (HIA) that reports to the Human Rights Department at the ministry to handle and follow up on the problems faced by some workers the moment they arrive in the country.
The NHRC also asked MADLSA to provide translation services for workers in several languages and develop the worker reach-out mechanisms as well as oblige companies to form"joint committees" set forth in the Labour Code, and activate the provisions of the committees of arbitration and conciliation provided for in the Code.
The NHRC has recommended establishment of a human rights office at the headquarters of Public Prosecution to receive complaints, increasing the number of visits to monitor detention centres and issuance of an annual report in that regard.
The NHRC has urged the SJC to set up a special department comprising experts in all disciplines necessary for the adjudication of claims and only utilise the services of 'experts' for tasks that the court cannot carry out because of their technical or professional nature, while exempting workers from paying the fees for expert's service in the case of labor lawsuits, especially for workers with limited income.
Moreover, the NHRC asked the Advisory Council and the GSCM to consider the ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and study the potential accession to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, as well as give priority to studying draft laws related to human rights including the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, children and psychiatric patients.
