Doha: The Human Rights Department under the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has been raising awareness through seminars, lectures, and training workshops in the community. It is a specialised department for the enhancement and protection of human rights and is working through its security and service-related functions, said an official.
MoI organised an awareness seminar on ‘Services of the Human Rights Department to the Public’ during which Capt Khamis Sultan Al Muraikhi, investigation officer at the Complaint Section in the Human Rights Department of MoI, discussed the services provided to the public by the department.
He said, “There are a lot of mechanisms that we are following to implement the human rights and we also have a surveillance process in implementing the human rights and its maintenance in Qatar.”
The department was established according to Ministerial Resolution No. 26 of 2005 as an implementation of what is stated in the constitution of Qatar, like ‘solidification of the principles of justice, benevolence, freedom, equality and good morals'. It was formed for the promotion of human rights in the areas of work of MoI aimed at maintaining order, protecting the law, combating crime, and performing various humanitarian and social services for the public (citizens and residents) without discrimination.
Capt Al Muraikhi highlighted the work strategies of the human rights department which include awareness, responsibility, protection and rehabilitation.
“Our mission is outstanding security performance based on legitimacy and respect for human dignity and our goal is the integration of human rights into the daily interaction of the police with the public.”
He added, “We handle the complaints and petitions of the public reaching the department on the basis of justice, and fairness and the applicable laws in coordination with the Ministry of Administrative Department, Labour and Social Affairs in all matters related to abuse cases with expatriate workers. We work to achieve the objectives of international human rights conventions related to security work, in coordination with the concerned agencies under the Ministry.”
On the awareness side the official said, “We are spreading the culture of human rights in security circles through seminars, lectures, training workshops, publications and other educational and awareness mechanisms. We conduct different kinds of awareness programmes for the employees of the companies and also programmes in the police college from where the students will graduate as officers. We also have some programmes for departments of the MoI which have direct interaction with the public.”
“We are striving to enhance human rights among the community. We visit detention centres and jails in order to enhance and support the human rights values in the society. When we visit these places, we document the procedures what we witness and take a note of facilities provided there confirming that these are according to the human rights standards followed in the country as well as in the international level which will be promoting the human rights in different levels of society,” he added.
Responding to a query regarding contacting the department, the official said, “We have a programme called ‘Communicate with Us’ which is a special programme through Metrash2 through which you can communicate with the human rights department even without coming to the department in person. Instead, you can write all your complaints and issues and send them electronically through Metrash2.”
