Abused maids, Saudi rape case
Housemaids are probably the most frequently victimized members of Qatari society; since they're not covered by Qatari labor law, they have virtually no rights and no recourse to the court system. Statistics don't exist, but anecdotal evidence suggests that housemaid abuse is insidious. For example, maids are routinely imprisoned in the houses in which they work, to the extent that many people don't even think of this as imprisonment. In other cases, though, the abuse is shockingly violent. [More info here; thanks, anonymous contributor.]
What I'd never considered, though, was the case of Qataris living abroad. The ACLU has just accused the United States of violating human rights conventions because diplomatic immunity allows foreign diplomats in the U.S. to abuse their housemaids with impunity. One of the six housemaids they are representing works for a Qatari diplomat.
The ACLU's summary of abuses reflects the situation here in Qatar, too:The abuses suffered by the petitioners while employed by diplomats include extreme wage and hour violations with no vacation, free time or holidays; virtual imprisonment in the homes of their employers with no ability to communicate with the outside world; passport deprivation; physical and emotional abuse; and invasion of privacy.
(Thanks to Nigel over on QatarLiving for the heads-up.)
My final news story of the day is one that has been getting press in the U.S.: a Saudi woman who was gang-raped while meeting with a male friend has been sentenced to 200 lashes for meeting with a man in the first place, and then for talking to the media about the rape case. ... I guess Qatar's human rights situation could be worse. Sigh.
What I'd never considered, though, was the case of Qataris living abroad. The ACLU has just accused the United States of violating human rights conventions because diplomatic immunity allows foreign diplomats in the U.S. to abuse their housemaids with impunity. One of the six housemaids they are representing works for a Qatari diplomat.
The ACLU's summary of abuses reflects the situation here in Qatar, too:The abuses suffered by the petitioners while employed by diplomats include extreme wage and hour violations with no vacation, free time or holidays; virtual imprisonment in the homes of their employers with no ability to communicate with the outside world; passport deprivation; physical and emotional abuse; and invasion of privacy.
(Thanks to Nigel over on QatarLiving for the heads-up.)
My final news story of the day is one that has been getting press in the U.S.: a Saudi woman who was gang-raped while meeting with a male friend has been sentenced to 200 lashes for meeting with a man in the first place, and then for talking to the media about the rape case. ... I guess Qatar's human rights situation could be worse. Sigh.