Tuesday, August 23, 2005
I've been working on a story on domestic workers being abused (mentally, physically and sexually) by their employers in Qatar, for which I wanted to get a version from the Human Rights Department... oops... Human Rights Committee, apparently they are two different departments all together, and somehow connected, I don't wanna know how and why, because all of it anyway just seems so pointless.
Why do they make it so complicated anyway? One is a department ... one is a committee... strange! Irritating.
I realised just right now, till just recently in Qatar the Human Rights Department... Committee whatever... was practically defunct. Just a few weeks ago they started taking complaints.
But what I didn't understand is the fact that it is well known most (or all) of the troubled victims who would need to complain to the Human Rights Committee... Department... whatever... would obviously be expats, not the locals... the labour force basically, all of which are expats from Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Indonesia or Philippines, then how can they not have English speaking officials at the Department... Committee ... whatever.
I got through (Eventually) to the complaints section, and NO ONE there spoke English. How is anyone supposed to get through to them?
How will anyone complain when they're being beaten up black and blue by their employers everyday? Just seems so much of a hassle to try and get through with a small complaint so that some action can be initiated.
No wonder, all these harrassed people run to their embassies even though there was a huge story of a Human Rights Department being launched recently.
Strange... I really think so. Especially when the number of the really really grieved out here in this country is WHOPPING!

3 Comments:
My job is to write... for the paper yes... it's not my job to see if it's published or not.
I follow the F&F policy of journalism - File & Forget.
Qatar sounds like a horribly dysfunctional place.. more than India, if I might dare say that.
india is not so dysfunctionla i thoinnk though i dont have that much exp of india ,but the picture i have of middle eastern countries i wld prefer india anyday.
young_buddha
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