By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: In a new initiative, the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) yesterday officially inaugurated a community office to serve different expatriate communities.
The community office located at the ground floor of the NHRC head quarters has four separate help desks for the Indian, Egyptian, Nepalese and Filipino communities.
Staffed by representatives and nominated by the respective embassies, the help desks would function as facilitator between the NHRC and the expatriates who seek help.
“NHRC works on a daily basis to receive, register and follow-up on all concerns that are brought to us. We know that more can be done to obtain sources of information, reach out to those who have difficulty accessing the services available to them, whether due to working hours, transportation costs, language difficulties, legal fees or fear of raising a complaint,” said Saad Sultan Al Abdulla, head of International Cooperation Division at the NHRC.
“We hope to address such issues through this initiative,” he added.
The community office at NHRC was inaugurated by Judge Fawaz Al Gaatal, a member of the NHRC together with Sanjiv Arora, Indian ambassador, Leopoldo B De Jesus, Labour Attaché II, Philippine Overseas Labour Office, Embassy of the Philippines and community representatives.
Once a complaint is received at the help desk, it’s referred to legal experts at NHRC who will examine the case and guide concerned person or help them to reach other authorities. Some cases are referred to the human rights department at the Ministry of Interior.
“We welcome this initiative, this is an additional help for the Filipino workers to pursue their rights. This will be great contribution and I’m sure that lot of workers will benefit out of this,” De Jesus told this newspaper.
Yasser Said, Counsellor, Labour Office, Embassy of Egypt said: “There are about 200,000 Egyptians here in Qatar. This facility will help to develop a better communication between the NHRC and people in our community.”
Dr Dev k Dangol, a representative of Nepalese community, said: “It will help our community a lot because we are a community with the largest number of labourers. This office helps a lot to have communication between workers and the NHRC, whatever assistance we need form the NHRC will be easier than before.”
The help desks for the Indian and Filipino expatriate communities were functioning for more than seven months.
Speaking to this newspaper Cecilio Kawi Cawatan, the help desk coordinator of the Filipino community said: “I’m here as a volunteer for eight months, we guide the Filipino community members who come here with a problem with the employer. Once they come here they will be given a legal counselor to try to find a solution for their problem, or will be recommended to go to Labour Department tor to the Ministry of Interior or to the labour courts or to the embassy.”
The help desk receives an average of five to 15 people with complaints such as illegal termination, salary deduction, intimidation, lack of facilities, not receiving benefits and nonpayment of end of service, according to Cawatan.
The help desk of the Indian community has received 162 people with problems with their employers in the past seven months. The complaints differ from non-payment of salary, denial of exit permit and sponsorship change by employers.
“We receive average three to four complaints daily. Even today (Tuesday) there are two people waiting. We have helped so far 62 cases related to sponsorship change, for people who had been working here for four or more years, said Kareem Abdullah, the help desk coordinator for the Indian community.The Peninsula
