(L) Assistant Secretary of National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, Nayef Musabeh Al Shammari, Noura Al Fadala, Head of Community Development Section at Voluntary Sector and Local Development at the QRCS. PICS: Abdul Basit
The Humanitarian Care House run by the Ministry of Labour (MoL) and Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) in Abu Hamour is providing safe shelter and integrated services to a number of cases related to human trafficking in Qatar.
The facility comprising six villas is also sheltering some cases of expulsion and legal dispute with work organisations. The House was opened by the Ministry of Labour in 2019 and reopened after rehabilitation in 2022.
The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT) at the Ministry of Labour provides legal and psychological support to those affected and lawyers free of cost if needed in court to safeguard their rights ensuring to return to their work or repatriation safely.
QRCS is supervising the House and provides food, health care and other requirements to the guests during their stay at the House.
The Peninsula recently made a tour of the Humanitarian Care House at Abu Hamour where it was briefed by the officials about the services which are being provided to guests during their temporary stay at the house until the resolution of their problems and going back to their work organisation or repatriation safely.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Assistant Secretary of National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking Nayef Musabeh Al Shammari said that the Committee receives grievances related to human trafficking through its communication channels – hotline and website. He said that some cases are being referred by Labour Department and Inspection Department at the Ministry of Labour.
“Immediately after receiving the complaints, the concerned team at NCCHT reviews the cases and refers the complainant to the house which provides shelter and communicates with the department concerned for further action,” said Al Shammari.
He said that the complainant is also referred to the Section of Combating Human Trafficking Crimes at the Ministry of Interior for opening an investigation and referring to the Public Prosecution.
“In coordination with QRCS, the guests are admitted at Humanitarian Care House following the admission policies. The affected person receives services and temporary shelter until his/her problem is solved. They are also provided legal and physiological supports and other necessary services until their problem is solved ensuring safe repatriation if they want or change their legal status in the country,” said Al Shammari.
Al Shammari said that the guest receives all legal support from NCCHT when the complaint is received. If the matter is required at a later stage, a lawyer is provided free to defend him before the judiciary to safeguard his rights.
To a question about the stay of the guest at the house, Al Shammari said: “The entry and exit policy of House gives two weeks, but some cases might need months due to the length of the case and trials.”
Speaking about provision of financial assistance to the guests for the personal expenditures, he said that they receive all necessities such as shelter, food, healthcare services and safety. However, he said if anyone needs to buy personal things, petty cash is issued from the budget allocated for the house.
“They are provided necessary healthcare services in coordination with the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) at the house; in case of further treatment, they are taken to health centres or Hamad Hospital,” said Al Shammari.
He said that there is a healthcare unit in the house that provides initial measurements and first aid, and in case of need the guest is transferred in ambulance to healthcare facilities to receive specialised treatments.
He said that the house was built by the Ministry of Labour represented by NCCHT in accordance to MoU signed between the ministry and QRCS, where the latter manages and operates it.
Speaking about the types of cases received by the house, he said that the type of cases and problems identified by the Anti-Human Trafficking Law, which stipulates a set of practices and exploitation related to labour in Qatar, including crimes of forced labour and sexual exploitation.
He said that in some cases related to humanitarian nature, expelled from workplace are also received in cooperation with the Labour Dispute Settlement Committee of the Ministry of Labour following their grievances.
Noura Al Fadala, Head of Community Development Section at Voluntary Sector and Local Development at QRCS said: “We are working in partnership with the NCCHT to manage and operate the Humanitarian Care House, which was opened in 2019 with the aim of providing protection and social care for workers of both genders who are exposed to serious problems that threaten their stability and safety.”
She said that the QRCS deployed administrative staffs and volunteers to serve them until their problems are solved and ensure their repatriation in coordination with the authorities concerned.
“This is in line of QRCS’s supporter to the State in its humanitarian and social policies inside and outside Qatar, and as a contribution to achieving human development goals of Qatar National Vision 2030,” said Al Fadala.
She said that QRCS is working to build the values of solidarity, community integration and human rights, with especial focus on expatriate labour who are contributing greatly in the development of the country.
“That is why QRCS implemented a series of humanitarian programmes and initiatives for expatriate workers providing health care, nutritional, psychological and educational services and assistance to them, in a way that preserves their human dignity,” said Al Fadala.
“We are working in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour to receive cases of human trafficking. QRCS’s job is to supervise all services provided to those staying at the Humanitarian Care House.”
She said that QRCS is providing them with meals, medical services, psychological care, security and safety. “The house comprises of six residential villas with the capacity of 45 people each. Two residential villas and an administrative and services villa is for male guests. Likewise two residential villas and an administrative and services villa is for female guests,” said Al Fadala.
Sharifa Nasser Al Rawahi, Acting Head of Volunteering at QRCS, said that the volunteers are responsible for supervising the House and meeting all the needs of the guests, in coordination with supervisors from the Ministry of Labour. She noted that the volunteers work 24 hours a day in order to meet their needs at any time.
Fatima Al Kuwari, In-Charge of the Humanitarian Care House, said: “When we receive guest in the house, we take all the data and enter it into the system, and then the case is classified to provide the services and assistance accordingly."
She noted that the duration of stay at the centre, according to the cases, ranges between 10 days to 14 days, and it may reach a month, following the procedures for solving the problem.
