P 191033Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8760
INFO GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
LABOR COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 
AMEMBASSY AMMAN 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 
AMEMBASSY BEIJING 
AMEMBASSY CAIRO 
AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 
AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 
AMEMBASSY DHAKA 
AMEMBASSY HANOI 
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 
AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 
AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 
AMEMBASSY MANILA 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 
DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS DOHA 000131 
 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP,G,INL,DRL,PRM,NEA/ARP,NEA/RA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREF KTIP KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC ELAB
QA 
SUBJECT: QATAR: INPUT FOR THE NINTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN 
PERSONS (TIP) REPORT (PART 1 OF 2) 
 
REF: 08 STATE 132759 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Post was very encouraged in the second half of the 
year by the willingness of the government to open a more 
frank and constructive dialogue on the problem of TIP and how 
to combat it.  As a result of this dialogue, Post gained 
easier access to Qatari officials, and the government hosted 
TIP Director Ambassador Mark P. Lagon in November. On 
February 19-20, a group of senior government officials 
involved in combating TIP will travel to Washington to 
discuss the future action on TIP with their U.S. 
counterparts.  Post was also encouraged by government plans 
to work with the governments of labor-sending countries in an 
effort to combat TIP at its starting point.  There were two 
prosecutions for offenses against foreign housemaids during 
the year.  While access to information and statistics from 
governmental and quasi-governmental stakeholders remained an 
issue, continuing a pattern that began after Qatar's demotion 
into Tier 3 status in 2007, such access improved marginally. 
Post was supplied, for example, with certified copies of 
court documents on certain cases involving housemaids.  We 
will forward additional information if and when received. 
However, Post received certain relevant information from the 
government during the course of it's preparation of the 2008 
Human Rights Report, and that information is contained herein. 
 
¶2. (U) The following is Post's input for the ninth annual 
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.  Answers are keyed to 
reftel questions. 
 
¶3. (SBU) PARAGRAPH 23:  THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION: 
 
¶A. (SBU) What is (are) the source(s) of available information 
on trafficking in persons? 
 
  -- Sources of information of trafficking in persons include 
other diplomatic missions, government officials, commercial 
contacts, international organizations, local and regional 
media, expatriate community support groups, and contacts at 
quasi-governmental NGOs. 
 
How reliable are these sources? 
 
  -- While the reliability of sources cannot always be 
ascertained, cross-referencing various information among 
multiple sources helps to promote accuracy in information 
gathering. 
 
What plans are in place (if any) to undertake further 
documentation of human trafficking? 
 
  -- Post will continue to strengthen its relationships with 
the foreign embassies, governmental and  quasi-governmental 
organizations working on TIP issues, and NGOs operating in 
the region, to continue making progress on TIP. 
 
¶B.  (SBU) Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or 
children? 
 
  -- Qatar is a country of destination and transit for 
internationally trafficked women and men.  Qatar is not a 
country of origin for internationally trafficked children. 
Since the ban on child camel jockeys, there is no evidence 
that Qatar is a destination for internationally trafficked 
children.  Whether Qatar is a transit point for such children 
is unknown. 
 
Does trafficking occur within the country's borders? 
 
  -- Yes. 
 
If so, does internal trafficking occur in territory outside 
of the government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)? 
 
  -- Not applicable. 
 
To where are people trafficked? 
 
  -- People are trafficked in and around the major population 
center of Doha, and to a lesser extent, to municiplities such 
as Al Khor and Dukhan. 
 
For what purposes are they trafficked? 
 
Laborers, typically from South Asian countries, are generally 
trafficked for the purpose of providing labor for 
construction projects in the country.  Women are mainly 
trafficked for the purpose of serving as housemaids in 
private residences. 
 
Provide, where possible, numbers or estimates for each group 
of trafficking victims. 
 
  -- There are no firm estimates of the total numbers of men 
and women trafficked in the country; most came willingly to 
work as laborers and domestic workers.  The number is 
believed to be in the thousands. 
 
Have there been any changes in the TIP situation since the 
last TIP Report (e.g. changes in destinations)? 
 
  -- There has been a substantial increase in the number of 
Nepalese workers brought into the country to work on 
construction projects.  These workers are particularly 
vulnerable to exploitation. 
 
¶C. (SBU) What kind of conditions are the victims trafficked 
into? 
 
  -- Unsafe and unsanitary working and living conditions, 
non-payment and underpayment of wages, sexual 
exploitation. 
 
¶D. (SBU) Vulnerability to TIP: 
 
Are certain groups of persons more at risk of being 
trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus girls, 
certain  ethnic groups,refugees, IDPs, etc.). 
 
  -- Foreign laborers, mostly male, and domestic workers, 
male and female, are most at risk of being trafficked.  Men 
and women from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, the 
Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Sudan, 
Thailand, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and the P.R.C. voluntarily 
travel to Qatar as laborers and domestic servants, but some 
subsequently face conditions of involuntary servitude. 
 
¶E. (SBU) Traffickers and Their Methods: 
 
Who are the traffickers/exploiters?  Are they independent 
business people? 
 
  -- Trafficking often begins in the labor-sending countries, 
where unscrupulous recruiting agencies sell valid Qatari 
travel documents illegally to unwitting laborers.  Government 
and NGO sources report that the government will institute a 
plan to work with the labor-sending countries to suppress 
this trade in the coming year.  Domestic  recruiting agencies 
and Qatari sponsors are also involved in 
trafficking/exploitation.  Some are independent business 
people. 
 
Small or family-based crime groups? 
 
  -- We have no evidence that small or family-based crime 
groups are involved in TIP. 
 
Large international organized crime syndicates? 
 
  -- We have no evidence that large internationl organized 
crime syndicates are involved in TIP. 
 
Wht methods are used to approach victims?  Forexample, are 
they offered lucrative jobs, sold b their families, or 
approached by friends of frinds? 
 
  -- Victims are often offered fir wages and benefits for 
work in Qatar by recruiting agencies in the labor-sending 
countries. 
 
What methods are used to move the victims (e.g., are false 
documents being used?). 
 
  -- Most often victims arrive willingly with valid travel 
documents. 
 
Are employment, travel, and tourism agencies or marriage 
brokers involved with or fronting for traffickers or crime 
groups to traffic individuals? 
 
  -- We have no evidence that these organizations are fronts 
for other trafficking groups. 
 
¶3. (SBU) PARAGRAPH 24: SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE 
GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS: 
 
-- A. (SBU) Does the government acknowledge that trafficking 
is a problem in the country?  If not, why not? 
 
  -- Yes.  The GOQ acknowledges that trafficking is a problem. 
 
-- B. (SBU) Which government agencies are involved in 
anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the 
lead? 
 
  -- Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry 
of Interior, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (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 February 2007, 
the Supreme Council for Family Affairs has the lead in 
anti-trafficking efforts. 
 
-- C. (SBU) What are the limitations on the government's 
ability to address this problem in practice? 
 
  --   The massive growth in the population of expatriate 
workers in the country has outpaced the government's ability 
to monitor and combat TIP.  In addition, there are cultural 
and socio-economic limitations which limit the governments 
ability to address it. 
 
For example, is funding for police or other institutions 
inadequate? 
 
  -- No.  Funding is not a problem. 
 
 Is overall corruption a problem? 
 
  -- No.  Overall corruption is not a problem in this area. 
 
 Does the government lack the resources to aid victims? 
 
  -- No, but utilization of resources is a problem. 
 
¶D. (SBU) To what extent does the government systematically 
monitor its anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts -- 
prosecution, victim protection, and prevention) and 
periodically make available, publicly or privately and 
directly or through regional/international organizations, its 
assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
  -- Although the government has identified various agencies 
to implement anti-trafficking reforms, it does not 
effectively monitor its anti-trafficking efforts, in general. 
 It has, however, made improvements in its monitoring of 
individuals trafficked into the country for the purpose of 
commercial sexual exploitation.  When requested, the 
government does make available its assessments of its 
anti-trafficking efforts to the requesting organization. 
 
¶4. (SBU) PARAGRAPH 25:  INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF 
TRAFFICKERS: 
 
For questions A-D, posts should highlight in particular 
whether or not the country has enacted any new legislation 
since the last TIP report. 
 
¶A. (SBU) Existing Laws against TIP: Does the country have a 
law or laws specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons 
-- both for sexual exploitation and labor? 
 
  -- Qatar does not have a law specifically prohibiting all 
forms of trafficking in persons.  The GOQ has drafted, but 
not enacted, amendments to its sponsorship regulations 
intended to protect the rights of foreign workers.  The GOQ 
has also drafted an anti-trafficking law that is being 
circulated to relevant agencies for comment.  It is unclear 
when the laws will be enacted.  Several GOQ officials have 
noted that a new law specifically addressing domestic workers 
is also being drafted; however, domestic workers remain 
unprotected by general labor laws. 
 
Please provide a full inventory of trafficking laws, 
including non-criminal statutes that allow for civil 
penalties against alleged trafficking crimes (e.g., civil 
forfeiture laws and laws against illegal debt). 
 
  -- There are no specific trafficking laws.  The Labor Law 
(which does not apply to domestic workers) allows the alleged 
victim to bring his case to the labor court (a civil court) 
to attempt to retrieve actual losses (back salary owed), but 
there are no additional remedies available (i.e., 
restitution). 
 
  -- 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.  This law is effectively enforced. 
 
Does the law(s) cover both internal and transnational forms 
of trafficking? 
 
  -- No. 
 
If not, under what other laws can traffickers be prosecuted? 
For example, are there laws against slavery or the 
exploitation of prostitution by means of force, fraud, or 
coercion? 
 
- Traffickers can be prosecuted under Article 321 (slavery) 
or Article 322 (forced labor) of the Criminal Law of 2004, 
which bans forced or coerced labor.  The penalty for Article 
321 is imprisonment of no more than seven years and the 
penalty for Article 322 is imprisonment of no more than six 
months and/or a fine of no more than QR 3,000 (USD 825).  If 
the victim is under 16, the penalty is imprisonment of no 
more than six years and/or a fine of no more than QR 10,000 
(USD 2,750).  Also, Articles 318-319 of the Criminal Law 
address crimes that violate human liberty and sanctity 
(kidnapping).  Specifically, Article 318 prohibits the 
abduction, seizure or deprivation of an individual's liberty. 
The penalty for crimes that violate human liberty and 
sanctity is imprisonment of not more than ten years.  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 Labor Law enacted in January 2005 
expands some worker rights, the law does not extend to 
domestic workers. 
 
The Ministry of Labor increased its number of inspectors from 
53 to 67 during the year and gave those inspectors law 
enforcement powers.  These inspectors conducted more than 
17,000 inspections during the year to monitor compliance with 
safety conditions and compliance with wage and hours law.  It 
levied administrative penalties on more than 850 firms during 
the year. 
 
Immigration laws, which generally involve the administrative 
penalty of deportation, are applied in some trafficking 
cases.  The Ministry of Interior reported that undercover 
operations are used at immigration points and at worksites to 
target and arrest traffickers who have lured vulnerable 
people into the country with promises of good wages and 
living conditions, only to force them into harsh conditions 
on their arrival.  Summary deportation is the usual penalty, 
rather than criminal prosecution. 
 
Are these other laws being used in trafficking cases? 
 
  --While the Labor Law provides administrative penalties, 
neither it nor the other laws is used to prosecute 
traffickers criminally. 
 
¶B. (SBU) Punishment of Sex Trafficking Offenses: What are the 
prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking people for 
sexual exploitation? 
 
  -- Pimping is punishable by imprisonment of not more than 
ten years. 
 
¶C. (SBU) Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: What are 
the prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for 
labor exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor? 
 
  -- There are no specific trafficking laws addressing forced 
or bonded labor, although a separate law exists (Article 322 
of the Criminal Law) which criminalizes forced labor and 
abduction for that purpose.  Forced labor is punishable by 
imprisonment of not more than six months and a fine not to 
exceed $825, or both.  Abduction for thepurpose of forced 
labor is punishable by imprisonment of not more than seven 
years. 
 
If your country is a source country for labor migrants, do 
the government's laws provide for criminal punishment -- i.e. 
jail time -- for labor recruiters who engage in recruitment 
of workers using knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers 
with the purpose of subjecting workers to trafficking in the 
destination country? 
 
  -- Qatar is not a labor source country. 
 
If your country is a destination for labor migrants, are 
there laws punishing employers or labor agents who 
confiscate workers' passports or travel documents for the 
purpose of trafficking, switch contracts without the worker's 
consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of service, 
or withhold payment of salaries as means of keeping the 
worker in a state of service? 
 
  -- No.  There is currently no prohibition on the 
confiscation of workers' passports or travel documents.  The 
draft sponsorship law is not expected to prohibit this 
practice.  Employers who switch contracts or terms of 
employment without the worker's consent, or withhold payment 
of salaries are sometimes summoned to the labor court and the 
cases are treated as civil cases between employers and 
employees.  Foreign embassies frequently intervene on behalf 
of their citizens, and they report that the government 
generally cooperates with them in their efforts. 
 
¶D. (SBU) What are the prescribed penalties for rape or 
forcible sexual assault? (NOTE:  This is necessary to 
evaluate a foreign government's compliance with TVPA Minimum 
Standard 2, which reads: "For the knowing commission of any 
act of sex trafficking . . . the government of the country 
should prescribe punishment commensurate with that for grave 
crimes, such as forcible sexual assault (rape)." 
 
  -- The penalty for rape is 10 years' imprisonment, or 14 
years if the victim is under the age of 16.  If the 
perpetrator is the teacher, guardian, or caregiver of the 
victim, the penalty is life imprisonment. 
 
-- E. (SBU) Law Enforcement Statistics: 
 
Did the government prosecute any cases against human 
trafficking offenders during the reporting period?  If so, 
provide numbers of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, 
and sentences imposed, including details on plea bargains and 
fines, if relevant and available.  Please note the number of 
convicted traffickers who received suspended sentences and 
the number who received only a fine as punishment. 
 
  -- There were no criminal prosecutions during the year for 
the economic exploitation of foreign workers.  One Qatari 
citizen was prosecuted for the alleged sexual harassment of 
an Indonesian housemaid.  He was acquitted by the court based 
upon the evidence adduced at trial.  An Egyptian national was 
convicted in the murder of her Indonesian housemaid, and is 
now serving her sentence. 
 
Please indicate which laws were used to investigate, 
prosecute, convict, and sentence traffickers.  Also, if 
possible, please disaggregate numbers of cases by type of TIP 
(labor vs. commercial sexual exploitation) and victims 
 
 
(children under 18 years of age vs. adults). 
 
  -- Figures involving criminal prosecutions for TIP-related 
labor offenses are not available.  While there were 
prosecutions for commercial sexual exploitation, these 
figures were not made available to post. 
 
If in a labor source country, did the government criminally 
prosecute labor recruiters who recruit workers using 
knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers or by imposing fees 
or commissions for the purpose of subjecting the worker to 
debt bondage? 
 
  -- Qatar is not a labor source country. 
 
Did the government in a labor destination country criminally 
prosecute employers or labor agents who confiscate workers' 
passports/travel documents for the purpose of trafficking, 
switch contracts or terms of employment without the worker's 
consent to keep workers in a state of service, use physical 
or sexual abuse or the threat of such abuse to keep workers 
in a state of service, or withhold payment of salaries as a 
means to keep workers in a state of service? 
 
-- No.  There is currently no prohibition on the confiscation 
of workers' passports or travel documents. 
 
What were the actual punishments imposed on persons convicted 
of these offenses? 
 
  -- Not applicable. 
 
Are the traffickers serving the time sentenced?  If not, why 
not? 
 
  -- Not applicable. 
 
¶F. (SBU) Does the government provide any specialized training 
for government officials in how to recognize, investigate, 
and prosecute instances of trafficking? Specify whether NGOs, 
international organizations, and/or the USG provide 
specialized training for host government officials. 
 
  -- Yes.  TIP training has been incorporated into basic and 
continuing training at the police academy, and such training 
continued in 2008.  The TIP Office, with assistance from the 
NHRC, also organized a series of training courses and 
workshops for government and private officials, including 
officials from the Ministry of Interior and the Attorney 
General's Office, dealing with labor and domestic helpers' 
affairs to educate them on the rights of laborers and the 
obligations of employers.  It included training for police 
officers on various techniques for dealing with TIP victims. 
 
¶G. (SBU) Does the government cooperate with other governments 
in the investigation and prosecution of 
trafficking cases? 
 
  -- The government cooperates with foreign embassies toward 
investigating and resolving TIP-related cases, most notably 
with the Embassy of Sudan in the repatriation of the young 
Sudanese boys employed as camel jockeys.  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.  Also, the government 
shares information with other countries in the region on 
patterns involving prostitution.  The government says that 
plans are underway for closer cooperation with governments in 
the sending countries to in coordinating their anti-TIP 
efforts. 
 
If possible, provide the number of cooperative international 
investigations on trafficking during the reporting period. 
 
  -- Unknown; statistics not provided.  Based upon 
information obtained from foreign embassies, the number is 
believed to be in the hundreds. 
 
¶H. (SBU) Does the government extradite persons who are 
charged with trafficking in other countries?  If so, please 
provide the number of traffickers extradited during the 
reporting period, and the number of trafficking extraditions 
pending. In particular, please report on any pending or 
concluded extraditions of trafficking offenders to the United 
States. 
  -- According to the NHRC, the law does not permit the 
extradition of Qatari citizens to any other foreign country. 
 
¶I. (SBU) Is there evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? 
If so, please explain in detail. 
 
  -- Some government tolerance of trafficking is demonstrated 
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 existing criminal 
statutes and labor laws could be construed as official 
toleration of TIP activities. 
 
¶J. (SBU) If government officials are involved in trafficking, 
what steps has the government taken to end such 
participation? 
 
  --  There are no known specific cases. 
 
Please indicate the number of government officials 
investigated and prosecuted for involvement in trafficking or 
trafficking-related corruption during the reporting period. 
 
  --  There are no known specific cases. 
 
Have any been convicted? 
 
  --  There are no known specific cases. 
 
What sentence(s) was imposed? 
 
  --  There are no known specific cases. 
 
Please specify if officials received suspended sentences, or 
were given a fine, fired, or reassigned to another position 
within the government as punishment. 
 
  --  There are no known specific cases. 
 
Please indicate the number of convicted officials that 
received suspended sentences or received only a fine as 
punishment. 
 
  --  There are no known specific cases. 
 
¶K. (SBU) Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? 
 
  -- No. 
 
Specifically, are the activities of the prostitute 
criminalized? 
 
  -- Yes, but women suspected of prostitution are often 
deported rather than prosecuted under the law. 
 
Are the activities of the brothel owner/operator, clients, 
pimps, and enforcers criminalized? 
 
  -- Yes, but those suspected of facilitation are often 
deported rather than prosecuted under the law. 
 
Are these laws enforced? 
 
  --  Yes.   The Ministry of Interior has made progress in 
the prevention and detection of prostitution in the country. 
It has tightened the requirements for entry into the country 
in an effort to prevent the entry of trafficked persons, and 
has strengthened its relationships with local hotels and 
nightclubs to detect and punish prostitution when it occurs. 
Officials admit that persons are sometimes forced into 
prostitution by the economic circumstances they encounter 
after they enter the country, but maintain that they are 
effectively addressing the problem of trafficked persons 
entering the country for the purpose of commercial sexual 
exploitation.  When an individual is suspected of 
prostitution, that person is most often deported. 
 
If prostitution is legal and regulated, what is the legal 
minimum age for this activity?  Note that in countries with 
federalist systems, prostitution laws may be under state or 
local jurisdiction and may differ among jurisdictions. 
 
  -- Not applicable. 
 
¶L. (SBU) For countries that contribute troops to 
international peacekeeping efforts, please indicate whether 
the government vigorously investigated, prosecuted, convicted 
and sentenced nationals of the country deployed abroad as 
part of a peacekeeping or other similar mission who engaged 
in or facilitated severe forms of trafficking or who 
exploited victims of such trafficking. 
 
  -- As part of UNIFIL, Qatari troops have not been 
identified as engaging in trafficking. 
 
¶M. (SBU) If the country has an identified problem of child 
sex tourists coming to the country, what are the countries of 
origin for sex tourists? 
 
  -- Qatar does not have an identified problem of child sex 
tourists coming to the country. 
 
How many foreign pedophiles did the government prosecute or 
deport/extradite to their country of origin? 
 
  -- None. 
 
If your host country's nationals are perpetrators of child 
sex tourism, do the country's child sexual abuse laws have 
extraterritorial coverage (similar to the U.S. PROTECT Act) 
to allow the prosecution of suspected sex tourists for crimes 
committed abroad?  If so, how many of the country's nationals 
were prosecuted and/or convicted during the reporting period 
under the extraterritorial provision(s) for traveling to 
other countries to engage in child sex tourism? 
 
  -- Unknown. 
 
 
LeBaron