Trafficking of Filipinos in Qatar: U.S. State Dept 2013 Report...low-skilled laborers & domestic servants...many subsequently face involuntary servitude...reports of widespread non payment of wages...Female domestic workers: isolation in pvt residences & lack of protection under labor laws... regularly arrested, detained workers for running away fr their employers...sponsorship system: employers unilateral power to cancel workers’ residency permits, deny workers’ ability to change employers, report a worker as a runaway to police authorities & deny workers permission to leave the country Friday, Jul 5, 2013 at 9:08 PM From: "maria embry" To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], lacierda@gmail, sonnycoloma@gmail, sonny_coloma@yahoo, ian.f.soqueno@gmail, evdemesa@gmail, katmanahan@gmail, [email protected], vpbinay@gmail, lmdelima.doj@gmail, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], poeainfocenter@yahoo, [email protected], [email protected], dole_lco@yahoo, [email protected], admin.owwa@gmail, [email protected], rep.waldenbello@yahoo, waldenbello@hotmail, [email protected], "Cong Roy Seneres" , [email protected] excerpt state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2013/210551.htm QATAR (Tier 2) Men and women fr...and the Philippines voluntarily migrate to Qatar as low-skilled laborers and domestic servants, but many subsequently face involuntary servitude. According to Qatar University’s Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, a November 2012 study found that 86 percent of expatriate workers surrendered their passports to employers. There are also reports of widespread non payment of wages. Female domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to trafficking due to their isolation in private residences and lack of protection under Qatari labor laws. Many migrant workers arriving for work in Qatar have paid exorbitant fees to recruiters in their home countries—a practice that makes workers highly vulnerable to forced labor once in Qatar. Moreover, Qatar’s sponsorship system binds foreign workers to their designated employers, placing a significant amount of power in the hands of employers; because of this, when workers face abuse, they often avoid legal action because of the lengthy recourse process, fear of reprisal, or lack of knowledge of their legal rights. Qatar is also a destination for women who migrate for legitimate purposes and subsequently become involved in prostitution, but the extent to which these women are subjected to forced prostitution is unknown. Some of these women may be runaway domestic workers who have fallen prey to forced prostitution by individuals who exploit their illegal status.... demand for migrant workers grows in association with construction for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar also prohibits employers’ withholding of workers’ passports under the 2009 Sponsorship Law, though the law was not rigorously enforced. During the reporting period, the government reported two prosecutions for forced labor under Article 322 of the penal code, which addresses forced and bonded labor; both cases were pending at the end of the reporting period. The Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking (QFCHT), Qatar’s national coordinating body for anti-trafficking activities, also referred 19 suspected trafficking cases for prosecution, eight of which involved the rape of domestic workers... Under Qatar’s sponsorship law, employers, also known as sponsors, had the unilateral power to cancel workers’ residency permits, deny workers’ ability to change employers, report a worker as a runaway to police authorities, and deny workers permission to leave the country. As a result, some workers were afraid to report abuses or assert their rights for fear of reprisal. Victims of trafficking were often punished for unlawful acts they committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking; specifically, Qatari authorities regularly arrested, detained, and deported potential trafficking victims for immigration violations and running away from their employers or sponsors. Ministry of Interior officials interviewed all detainees in the deportation center and were required to determine whether the workers were victims of trafficking and offer them protection. However, some victims occasionally languished in detention centers for up to six months because of debts owed or, more rarely, employers filed false charges of theft against them. The costs of legal representation under these circumstances were borne by the worker but were often waived by the government due to inability to pay. Domestic workers, who were not covered under the provisions of the labor law, continued to face difficulties seeking legal redress for abuses through civil court action. For example, civil suits could only be filed against an employer for that employer’s failure to meet his/her financial obligations to the domestic worker; in practice, civil suits were rare but have increased in number. Trafficking victims had the option to remain in the country during judicial proceedings or request an immediate exit visa. The government and the QFCHT also transferred sponsorships and assisted in job placement for some victims who chose to remain in Qatar. The government routinely inspected and monitored recruitment companies and actively sought to punish companies that were found making fraudulent offers or imposing exorbitant fees in selling visas. Although the sponsorship law requires an employer to secure a residence card for laborers within seven days, reports indicated that this sometimes did not happen; this restricts migrant workers’ mobility and impedes their ability to access health care or lodge complaints at the labor department.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 04:22:33 +0000
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