This law is the first of its kind in the country
Photo by Tribes of the World
Qatar has approved a draft law that will provide legal protection to the thousands of female domestic workers in the sovereign country for the first time.
Arab News reports that a statement released by Qatar News Agency said, “The law is expected to specify how many hours staff such as nannies, drivers and gardeners should work per week, how many days holiday they receive annually and how they are paid.”
The statement also said, “The law applies to sponsors and domestic helpers, specifies their rights and duties and regulates the relationship between them.”
Qatar has faced criticism in the past for its poor working conditions and lack of laws protecting domestic workers. In 2014 Amnesty International released a report that claimed there are approximately 84,000 female migrant domestic workers in Qatar and that many of them “face severe exploitation, including forced labor and physical and sexual violence.”
The move has been praised by Amnesty International and migrants rights groups with deputy director of global issues at Amnesty, James Lynch tweeting, “The Qatari government has been promising a law on domestic workers for years. Good that it’s back on the table — the content will be key.”
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