VZCZCXYZ0018
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDO #0303/01 0581258
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271258Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4387
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHXI/LABOR COLLECTIVE
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0081
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0050
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0138
RUEAWJL/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS DOHA 000303 
 
SIPDIS 
CORRECTED COPY - CAPTION ADDED 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI, NEA/ARPI, NEA/RA, 
USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB QA
SUBJECT: QATAR: 2006 ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) 
REPORT 
 
REF: SECSTATE 3836 
 
¶1. (U)  Sensitive But Unclassified--entire report. 
 
¶2. (U) Embassy Point of Contact is Political Officer, Farah 
Chery-Medor. Tel. 974-488-4101 ext. 6453.  Fax 974 488-4163. 
One FS-04 officer spent 34 hours in the preparation of this 
report cable. 
 
¶3. (U) Following is post's sixth annual Anti-Trafficking in 
Persons Report. Answers are keyed to reftel questions. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Section 21.A.  Men and women have been trafficked 
into situations of coerced labor in Qatar. There are no firm 
estimates of the total numbers of men and women trafficked 
into the country. Sources of information on trafficking in 
persons include other diplomatic missions, government 
officials, commercial contacts and contacts at 
quasi-independent NGOs. While the reliability of sources 
cannot always be ascertained, cross-referencing information 
among various sources helps to promote accuracy in 
information gathering. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Section 21.B.  Legislation guiding the sponsorship 
of expatriate laborers has created conditions that in many 
cases lead to situations constituting forced labor or 
slavery. Expatriate laborers are not allowed to leave the 
country without a signed exit permit or to change employment 
without a written release from their sponsor. The sponsors 
have also been known to withhold the passports of the 
workers. The dependence of foreign laborers on their employer 
for residency rights, plus the inability to change employment 
or travel, leaves them vulnerable to abuse. Some sponsors 
have used this power against their workers. They have 
withheld their consent to force foreign employees to work for 
longer periods to avoid having to pay a salary owed to the 
worker and to extract money from the laborer. Some workers 
ended up in Qatar's deportation center due to their 
employer's refusing to pay back wages, withholding their 
passports, or failing to renew their work visas. Nepalese 
officials reported that 367 Nepalese workers are being held 
at the deportation center and have been awaiting repatriation 
for several months. Law enforcement officials apprehended the 
workers because they had expired work visas. The country also 
was a destination for women from East Asia, South Asia, and 
Africa who come to the country to work as domestic servants. 
Some report that they have been forced into domestic 
servitude and sexual exploitation. They were also the victims 
of overwork, physical abuse, nonpayment or late payment of 
wages. The embassies of the Philippines and Indonesia 
received approximately 700 complaints from housemaids 
alleging mistreatment by their employers during the year. 
Complaints included sexual harassment, physical torture or 
torment, overwork, imprisonment, and maltreatment. Abused 
domestic servants usually did not press charges for fear of 
losing their jobs. According to Indonesian officials, a total 
of 553 Indonesian housemaids ran away from their sponsors 
during the year. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Section 21.B. Continued. Since the last TIP Report, 
there has been significant progress in government efforts at 
addressing trafficking in persons. The government of Qatar 
began implementing the broad recommendations contained in the 
anti-trafficking natonal action plan. In July 2005, the 
government enacted a law banning the use of camel jockeys 
under the age of 18. The GOQ repatriated approximately 200 
Sudanese underage camel jockeys and established a shelter for 
TIP victims. A human rights department was established in the 
Ministry of Interior to receive and process victims of human 
rights abuses and trafficking in persons. The director of the 
human rights department was named National Coordinator for 
TIP issues. Qatar also opened a shelter that can accommodate 
up to 42 male, female and child trafficking victims and has 
made operational three hotlines for migrant workers in 
Arabic, English and Urdu. In January 2006, a new national TIP 
coordinator was appointed. The new coordinator will have an 
office as the newly established shelter for trafficking 
victims. The new coordinator has established a working group 
to follow-up on implementation of the camel jockey law. In 
February 2006, the group visited the racing track and 
confirmed that no children were working there as camel 
jockeys. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Section 21.C. There are no financial limitations on 
the government's ability to address TIP. With regard to the 
situation of domestic workers, there appears to be a 
cultural-based resistance against what is deemed as 
interfering in a private issue concerning matters of the home 
as well as an overall ignorance of the concept of trafficking 
in persons. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Section 21.D. Although the government has identified 
various agencies to implement anti-trafficking reforms, it 
does not systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts 
nor does it make available its assessments of these 
anti-trafficking efforts. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Section 22.A.  The government acknowledged that the 
use of underage camel jockeys was a trafficking problem. 
However, it does not acknowledge the problems experienced by 
domestic workers are a trafficking issue. Officials 
characterize situations of exploitation or coerced labor as 
minor labor disputes falling under the purview of the labor 
law. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Section 22.B.  Officials from the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Civil 
Service and Housing (Labor Department), Supreme Judicial 
Council, General Health Authority, General Prosecution, 
National Human Rights Committee, the Qatar Foundation for 
Women and Children Protection and the Supreme Council for 
Family Affairs are all involved in anti-trafficking efforts. 
As of January 2006, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs 
has the lead in anti-trafficking efforts. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Section 22.C.  In September 2005, the national TIP 
committee held a press conference to announce the 
establishment of the shelter for trafficking victims. 
Announcements about the shelter were also made on a weekly 
television program and in newspaper articles. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Section 22.D.  There are no other known 
government-supported programs. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Section 22.F.  The government is cooperating with 
quasi-independent organizations such as the National Human 
Rights Committee and the Qatar Foundation for Women and 
Children Protection on anti-trafficking efforts. There are no 
independent civil society or non-governmental organizations 
(national or international) active in anti-trafficking 
efforts. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Section 22.G.  The government monitors its land 
border but is not able comprehensively to monitor its 
extensive shoreline. It monitors immigration and emigration 
patterns for evidence of trafficking. It previously 
strengthened visa regulations as a result of shifts in 
immigration patterns showing evidence of probable 
prostitution-related activities. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Section 22.H.  In July, a human rights department 
was established in the Ministry of Interior to receive and 
process victims of human rights abuses and trafficking in 
persons. The director of the department was named as the 
national coordinator for trafficking problems. In January 
2006, a new national TIP coordinator was appointed to replace 
the director from the Ministry of Interior. The Supreme 
Council for Family Affairs is currently the lead organization 
for coordination and communication between various internal 
agencies. The government does not have a public corruption 
task force. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Section 22.J.  The government has a national plan 
of action to address trafficking in persons. Representatives 
from the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, Supreme Judicial Council, Ministry of 
Interior, Ministry of Civil Service and Housing (Labor 
Department), General Prosecutor, General Health Authority, 
and the Qatar Foundation for Women and Children Protection 
were involved in developing the plan of action. 
 
 
Representatives from the National Human Rights Committee, a 
quasi-independent human rights organization, were involved in 
this process as well. The government has not disseminated the 
action plan. 
 
¶17. (SBU) Section 23.A.  Qatar does not have a law 
specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons. However, on 
July 28, 2005, Law No. 22, banning the transport, employment, 
training, and involvement of children under the age of 
eighteen in camel races, came into force. According to 
Article 4, anyone who violates the law faces three to ten 
years' imprisonment and a fine ranging between $13,000 and 
$55,000. In addition to this law, traffickers can also be 
prosecuted under the Penalty Law of 2004, which bans forced 
or coerced labor. Those caught breaking the law may receive 
six months imprisonment or a fine of approximately $825. In 
cases involving the employment of minors, the punishment is 
three years imprisonment or a fine of approximately $2,700. 
Also, Articles 318-322 of the Criminal Law address crimes 
that violate human liberty and sanctity. Specifically, 
Article 318 prohibits the abduction, seizure or deprivation 
of an individual's liberty, and Article 322 prohibits forced 
labor. In 2002, the government also passed a money laundering 
law (Article 2) that specifically defines as a money 
laundering crime the handling of money related to trafficking 
of women and children. Although the new labor law enacted in 
January 2005 expands some worker rights, the new law does not 
extend to domestic workers. It is not clear if these laws are 
being used to prosecute trafficking cases. If fully 
implemented, however, these laws would be adequate to cover 
the full scope of trafficking-in-persons. 
 
¶18. (SBU) Section 23.B.  The penalty for crimes that violate 
human liberty and sanctity is imprisonment of not more than 
ten years. Pimping is punishable by imprisonment of not more 
than ten years. Forced labor is punishable by imprisonment of 
not more than six months and a fine not to exceed $824, or 
both. Abduction for the purpose of forced labor is punishable 
by imprisonment of not more than seven years. 
 
¶19. (SBU) Section 23.C.  The penalty for rape or forcible 
sexual assault is imprisonment. The penalty for sexual 
exploitation is imprisonment and carries with it a minimum 
sentence of five years and a maximum of fifteen years. Cases 
involving children carry an automatic fifteen-year sentence. 
 
¶20. (SBU) Section 23.D. Under the Criminal Law, articles 
294-299, prostitution is illegal. However, it is not 
considered a widespread problem. Government officials are 
currently prosecuting two cases. 
 
¶21. (SBU) Section 23.E. It is not clear if the government 
prosecuted any trafficking cases this year. No information 
was provided. 
 
¶22. (SBU) Section 23.F.  With regard to laborers and domestic 
workers, individual employees and companies are complicit in 
the trafficking in that they knowingly place these workers 
into situations of coerced labor. 
 
¶23. (SBU) Section 23.G.  The Qatari Coast Guard conducts 
preliminary investigations of illegal immigration for 
possible human exploitation and can refer cases to the 
Criminal Investigation and Evidence Division for follow-up if 
needed. Passport and Immigration investigates cases of visa 
fraud for signs of organized trafficking. Plainclothes police 
officers monitor local hotels for signs of prostitution. 
Suspected prostitutes are investigated for links to local 
sponsors before arrest and deportation. 
 
¶24. (SBU) Section 23.H.  The government has not yet provided 
any specialized training for government officials in how to 
investigate and prosecute incidences of trafficking. However, 
government officials at the Ministry of Interior have agreed 
to participate in the International Criminal Investigative 
Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), a USDOJ program aimed 
at training officials in addressing and preventing Qatar's 
TIP problems. 
 
¶25. (SBU) Section 23.I.  The government is not known to 
cooperate with other governments in the investigation and 
prosecution of trafficking cases. However, it coordinated 
with the Embassy of Sudan in the repatriation of the young 
Sudanese boys employed as camel jockeys. Also, the government 
shares information with other countries in the region on 
trafficking patterns involving prostitution. It works with 
labor attaches from South Asian countries to resolve cases of 
labor contract disputes, abuse of domestic servants, and 
workers present in Qatar without authorization. 
 
¶26. (SBU) Section 23.J. It is not known whether the 
government extradites persons who are charged with 
trafficking in other countries. 
 
¶27. (SBU) Section 23.K.  Some government support for 
trafficking is evinced in the enactment of legislation such 
as the Sponsorship Law, which is authored by government 
officials and which creates and facilitates TIP situations. 
For example, the Sponsorship Law engenders situations of 
bondage and servitude by prohibiting workers from leaving the 
country or changing employment without the permission of 
their current sponsor. Finally, the lack of enforcement of 
criminal statutes and labor laws can be construed as official 
toleration of TIP activities. 
 
¶28. (SBU) Section 23.L.  Unknown/Not applicable. 
 
¶29. (SBU) Section 23.M.  Not applicable. 
 
¶30. (SBU) Section 23.N.  The government ratified ILO 
Convention 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate 
action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor 
on May 30, 2000. It has also ratified ILO Convention 29 on 
Forced or Compulsory Labor on March 12, 1998 and has ratified 
the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the 
Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child 
Pornography on December 14, 2001. 
 
¶31. (SBU) Section 24.A.  In September, the government opened 
a shelter for trafficking victims to serve the needs of 
abused domestic workers, other laborers and children. The 
shelter is in a small housing compound and is comprised of 
fully furnished three-bedroom villas, with two villas each 
for men, women and children. Each villa can accommodate up to 
seven people. The administrative building houses a health 
clinic with a medical doctor working on site. The shelter is 
under the management of the national trafficking in persons 
coordinator. However, since its opening, only one woman has 
stayed at the shelter. The shelter is not utilized because of 
a lack of awareness of its existence and also because only 
victims referred by certain organizations and agencies have 
access to the shelter. The government has also provided 
assistance to domestic workers who have suffered from abuse 
in the form of payment of back wages and repatriation, and it 
will facilitate change of employer rather than deportation in 
cases where abuse has been proven. 
 
¶32. (SBU) Section 24.B.  The government is not known to 
provide funding or other forms of support to foreign or 
domestic NGOs for services to victims. 
 
¶33. (SBU) Section 24.C.  Possible victims of trafficking are 
generally deported. They are placed in the deportation center 
pending resolution of their cases. There are no private 
shelters. 
 
¶34. (SBU) Section 24.D.  The rights of laborers and domestic 
workers are not respected. They are often treated as 
criminals. Laborers are kept in the deportation center until 
their case is resolved. Domestic workers are detained and 
placed in the deportation center. After their case has been 
resolved, they are deported. The length of detainment varies 
greatly. A visit to the deportation center by embassy 
officials found hundreds of workers detained and awaiting 
deportation. Some housemaids had been at the center for six 
months. Some victims are also fined if they are found to be 
in violation of immigration or other laws. 
 
¶35. (SBU) Section 24.E.  The government encourages some 
victims to assist in their own cases. Some victims can file 
civil suits or seek legal action against the traffickers. 
Some sponsors and employers have been known to threaten 
victims in an attempt to keep them from seeking legal 
redress. If a victim is a material witness in a court case 
against the former employer, the victim is permitted to 
obtain other employment or to leave the country. There is no 
victim restitution program. 
 
¶36. (SBU) Section 24.F.  The government has a shelter for 
trafficking victims; however, it remains unused. The shelter 
has a health clinic and a social worker on the premises to 
assist victims in rebuilding their lives. 
 
¶37. (SBU) Section 24.G.  The government does not provide 
specialized training for government officials in recognizing 
trafficking and in assisting trafficked victims. 
 
¶38. (SBU) Section 24.H.  Not applicable. 
 
¶39. (SBU) Section 24.I.  There are no international 
organizations or NGOs that work with trafficked victims. 
NANTONGO