Doha: The Minister of Labour, H. E. Dr. Ali bin Saeed bin Smaikh Al Marri, has emphasised that combatting trafficking in persons and the provision of essential protection for labourers are considered one of the priorities of Qatar, clarifying that the past years witnessed a series of updates in the business environment and the development of regulations with the objective of improving the situations of expatriate workers.
Speaking during the inauguration of the newly-rehabillitated and fully operational Human Care Centre, the minister noted that the reopening of the centre comes within the cooperation and integration with various concerned authorities in the provision of protection to workers.
He emphasised the importance of continuing to provide the necessary assistance and protection to victims of human trafficking, as well as working to rehabilitate and integrate them into the community.
The event was attended by the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Council (NHRC), H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, the Secretary-General of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), Ambassador Ali bin Hassan Al-Hammadi, and other officials.
Ambassador Al Hammadi emphasised that the cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and QRCS reflects the extent of confidence the ministry prioritises, including its keenness to capitalise on QRCS's long experience in the area of providing societal services to various primary segments that are eligible to receive the care.
The Human Care Centre of the Ministry of Labour, represented by the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT), aims to provide the required assistance and protection for the victims of human trafficking, rehabilitate and integrate them into the community, in addition to providing the care and temporary shelter for them, pending a solution to their problems.
As an operational entity for the centre, QRCS is committed to providing high quality services in conformity with the enforced international standards in such vital centres, as the centre offers an integrated unit to fulfill the exigent needs of the expatriate workers and reaches out to all relevant government authorities to expedite the mission of guiding the workers victimized by human trafficking.
The strategic project includes six villas. Four of them are residential, and the other two are dedicated to public service, while the buildings designated for sheltering workers more properly and appropriately were entirely equipped and furnished, in addition to coordinating with the security departments and NCCHT to expose any case that amounts to a crime of trafficking in persons to promptly take legal action.
