The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) does not approve of the way in which photographs of expatriate workers are displayed in newspapers by their employers when they are either leaving for good or on long vacations. The photographs with notes asking people to file claims (if any) against the departing workers hurt human dignity and their professional reputation, says a senior NHRC official. Legal advisor Mohamed Fuwad told Al Sharq in an interview the rights panel will soon be contacting media organisations and the authorities concerned in a bid to help curb this practice. “Photographs with notes are published in local newspapers not only of those expatriate workers who are leaving for food but often of those as well who are proceeding on long holidays,” he said. Similarly, (manpower agencies) make announcements that they have on offer for hiring housemaids from so and so nationalities. “This is also not a good practice. This is not the right way to market maids,” he said. “Humans are not a commodity. We must respect human dignity. The advertisements should be given in a nice and respectful way.” The official lauded the Minister of State for Interior Affairs and said that many requests from low-income workers for sponsorship change were forwarded by the NHRC to him and in the cases where employers were found to have been unfair, the requests had been granted. “By doing this, he (the minister) has shown how the new sponsorship law can be implemented in its spirit,” said Mohamed Fuwad. The NHRC registered a number of complaints from workers who were dismissed by their employers in violation of their job contracts and they were referred to the labour department, said the official. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=October2009&file=Local_News2009100824932.xml

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