This podcast was recorded in November 2022 in Qatar to outline migrant domestic workers’ experiences of the labor law reforms and hear their demands on areas of improvement. All the names used in this podcast are pseudonyms.
Since the time of recording, we observed the following improvements:
- An increase in the number of migrant domestic workers who are aware of their rights. More domestic worker leaders are now case handlers and utilize the online complaint mechanisms as shown by statistics from the Ministry of Labor, as well as a higher rate of complaint resolution.
- An initiative from the government to put in place a mechanism to prevent employers’ false reporting of “absconding” charges against the worker. It includes a questionnaire and a requirement of two witnesses to testify.
- An app was developed by IDWF, BWI Global, and FIFPro to help inform migrant workers of their rights and protections in Qatar and across the world. Read more about it here.
More active engagement and tangible solutions are still needed for to achieve: - The full implementation of employment contract provisions, including working hours, day off, health insurance, food provisions, safety, etc.
- The provision of a shelter for distressed workers and access to legal assistance including translation services, especially when cases are elevated to the judiciary.
