Committee on the Rights of the Child

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 44 of the Convention

Combined third and fourth periodic reports of States parties due in 2013

Qatar * *

[Date received: 10 February 2014]

Contents

Page

Introduction3

Common Core Document4

1.Basic information on Qatar4

2.Constitutional, political and legal structure of the State6

3.General framework for the promotion and protection of human rights8

Part I.General measures to implement the Convention (arts. 4, 42, and 44 (6))17

Part II.Definition of the child (art. 1)38

Part III.General principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12)39

Part IV.Civil rights and freedoms (arts. 7, 8, 13-17 and 37 (a))42

Part V.Family environment and alternative care (arts. 5, 18 (paras. 1-2), 9-11, 19-21, 25, 27(para. 4) and 39)49

Part VI.Disability, basic health services and welfare (arts. 6, 18, para. 3, 23, 24, 26 and 27, paras. 1-3)58

Part VII.Educational, recreational and cultural activities (arts. 28, 29, 30 and 31)74

Part VIII.Special protection measures (arts. 22, 30, 32-36, 37 (b)-(d), 38, 39 and 40)92

Introduction

1.Qatar affirms its commitment to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child based on its desire to fulfil its obligations concerning all international conventions to which it has acceded, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The State has committed to submitting reports on the measures which it has adopted to give effect to the rights recognized in the Convention within two years of its entry into force in respect of Qatar and then once thereafter every five years. Qatar therefore submitted its first preliminary report on the implementation of the Convention in October 1999. The Committee on the Rights of the Child discussed the report and issued its concluding observations thereon in October 2001 (CRC/C/15/Add.163). The Committee thereafter discussed the second periodic report of Qatar in its 1446th and 1447th session held in September 2009. The Committee adopted its concluding observations on the second periodic report of Qatar in its 1453rd session of 2 October 2009 and issued the observations on 14 October 2009 (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2).

2.The Committee discussed the initial report submitted by Qatar on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography in June 2006 (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/1) and the initial report submitted by Qatar concerning the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict in October 2007 (CRC/OPAC/QAT/CO/1).

3.Accordingly, and pursuant to the recommendations of the Committee in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued following the discussion of the second periodic report of Qatar concerning the Convention (see CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 77 and 78), the Government of Qatar herein submits, to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, its combined third and fourth periodic report, which notes the progress made by the State concerning measures taken, resources allocated, and regulations, policies, programmes and strategies introduced in implementation of the Convention and the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

Report preparation methodology

4.The present report was prepared pursuant to the guidelines issued on 23 November 2010 regarding the form and content of periodic reports to be submitted by States parties under article 44, paragraph 1 (b), of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child at its fifty-fifth session (13 September - 1 October 2010) (CRC/C/58/Rev.2).

5.The Council of Ministers, in its ordinary session No. 18 of 2012 held on 9 May 2012, issued a decision to form a national committee to be chaired by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and comprising members from other concerned agencies in the State to prepare the combined third and fourth periodic report of Qatar on its implementation of the Convention.

6.In implementation of the Council of Ministers’ decision to form a national committee, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs issued its decision No. 5 of 2012 naming the chairman and members of the committee charged with preparing the combined third and fourth periodic report of Qatar on the implementation of the Convention.

7.A work methodology and integrated plan were developed for the national committee in line with the above-mentioned guidelines (CRC/C/58/Rev.2) and the Committee’s recommendations concerning the second periodic report of Qatar.

8.Subcommittees comprising official representatives of governmental and private entities concerned with the report were formed. Responsibilities and tasks were divided among the members according to the main points mentioned in the plan.

9.A committee was formed to compile the report in several stages to allow the Supreme Council for Family Affairs to decide on its content. The Council presented the content to experts and a team comprising members of the above-mentioned subcommittees. The latter made amendments, additions and corrections based on the views of the participating entities to produce an amended draft report.

10.The national committee discussed and further reviewed the draft to produce the final report. It submitted the final report to the highest State authorities, which approved the issuance and printing of the final version of the report for submission to the Committee on the date designated for this purpose.

11.The national committee was keen to render the combined third and fourth periodic report of Qatar as a continuation of the constructive dialogue with the Committee on the Rights of the Child concerning implementation of the Convention and its two optional protocols, taking into account that the present report is a follow-up of implementation under article 44 (3) of the Convention and therefore excludes information previously detailed by Qatar in its first and second reports. The present report refers to such information and covers the changes that have occurred during the period covered by the present report.

Common Core Document

1.Basic information on Qatar

(a)Geographical location and topography

12.Qatar is a peninsula located midway along the western coast of the Arabian Gulf between latitudes 24° 27´ and 26° 10´ north and longitudes 50° 45´ and 51° 40´ east. The peninsula extends northwards, covering a total surface area of 11,521 km2. The territory includes several islands and rocky hills and the shallow waters along the shores of the country’s best-known islands: Halul, Sharaʿuh, Ashat, Bushayriyah, Aliyah and Safiliyah. The peninsula is 185 km long and 85 km wide. It is mostly surrounded by the waters of the Arabian Gulf. Its land border with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is approximately 60 km long. The United Arab Emirates lies to the east of Qatar. Qatari territorial waters extend roughly 95 miles eastwards and 51 miles northwards into the Arabian Gulf, occupying a surface area of around 10,500 km2.

13.The terrain is rocky and flat with some low-rising outcrops in the Dukhan area in the west and the Jabal Fuwayrit area in the north. It features numerous inlets, coves, depressions and surface rainwater-draining basins, known as rawdat, which are found in the north and centre of the peninsula. These areas have the most fertile soil and are rich in natural vegetation.

(b)Population

14.As of the 31 May 2013, Qatar had a population of 1,963,124 persons, comprising 1,451,674 males (73.94 per cent) and 511,450 females (26.05 per cent). The high proportion of males in the population is attributed to the fact that the majority of the inhabitants of Qatar are migrant workers, most of whom are males.

Figure 1

Total population disaggregated according to age and sex in 2011

Source : Website of the Statistics Agency of the State of Qatar, http://www.qsa.gov.qa/ar/.

15.Qataris are followers of Islam and the vast majority are Sunni Muslims. Other faith groups are also present, as Qatar receives large numbers of workers every year in order to meet the requirements of its ambitious development plans at various levels and in numerous spheres. Accounting for over four fifths of the country’s population, these migrant workers come from different parts of the world with diverse faiths, cultures and lifestyles and live side by side. The country’s experience has shown that the high percentage of migrants and their wide range of nationalities, religions and cultures pose no barrier to the positive coexistence of the various segments of society. Indeed, Qatari society is now a model for the coexistence of persons of different faiths and cultures.

(c)Social and economic indicators

16.The latest statistics show that Qatar is going through a remarkable phase in its history and making rapid strides towards the achievement of full and comprehensive development. Indeed, Qatar has attained unparalleled levels of economic growth and prosperity. Gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 3.9 per cent during the third quarter of 2012. In addition, overall government spending has increased: the State budget grew from around 95 billion Qatari rials in 2009/10 to 127.5 billion Qatari rials in 2010/11. Qatar is one of the few countries in the world to enjoy a high level of human development. In the 2013 Human Development Report issued by the United Nations Development Programme, Qatar was ranked thirty-sixth in the world compared to thirty-seventh in the previous year. The report highlights the considerable progress that Qatar has made in all aspects of social, economic and health development and in GDP. The average life expectancy at birth increased from 76 years in 2010 to 78.4 years in 2011. The average per capita share of gross national income was $82,978 in 2011 compared to $79,426 in 2010. Qatar is committed to assessing its progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It has issued four reports on the subject. The most recent report in 2012 showed that Qatar has met most of the goals and has made tangible progress on the goals that have yet to be achieved. The following are the main findings of the fourth report.

Workers accounted for 75 per cent of the population in 2011 compared to no more than 60 per cent in 2004;

Net enrolment in primary education totalled 91.3 per cent for males and 92.1 per cent for females in 2011;

In 2011, 98.7 per cent of females and 97.6 per cent of males between the ages of 15 and 24 knew how to read and write;

Women’s participation in the country’s labour force rose from 30 per cent in 2001 to 35 per cent in 2011;

The neonatal mortality rate fell from 8.2 per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 7.4 in 2011;

The under -5 mortality rate dropped from 10.4 per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 8.8 in 2011;

All children at age 1 year and older were vaccinated against measles in 2011;

All births now take place under medical supervision;

Maternal mortality fell from 16 in 2005 to 0 deaths per 100,000 births in 2011;

The total fertility rate fell from 3.9 children per Qatari woman in 2005 to 3.4 in 2011;

The number of births among Qatari women in the 15-19 age group fell to 10.5 per 1,000 in 2005 to 8.3 per 1,000 in 2011;

The rate of births under skilled medical supervision was 100 per cent in 2011;

The percentage of pregnant women who made at least one antenatal care visit was 100 per cent during 2000/11;

No cases of HIV/AIDS were recorded among the 15-29 age group in 2010;

The incidence of malaria fell from 10 per 10,000 in 1995 to 2 per 10,000 in 2010;

The entire population had access to safe drinking water in 2011;

The entire population had access to safe sanitation facilities in 2011;

During 2005-2011, total development assistance exceeded US$ 2.5 billion, averaging US$ 364 million annually, accounting for 0.54 per cent of GDP in 2011.

2.Constitutional, political and legal structure of the State

(a)Permanent Constitution of Qatar

17.In 2004, with the aim of completing the mechanisms for democratic governance following a popular referendum, the Permanent Constitution of Qatar was promulgated to strengthen the foundations of Qatari society and engender grass-roots participation in decision-making. Comprising 150 articles, the Constitution sets out the guiding principles for State policy and the prerequisites for the exercise of power, including the separation of powers, the primacy of the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the guarantee of fundamental rights and freedoms.

18.Part I of the Constitution, concerning the State and the basis of government, affirms that the State religion is Islam and that the sharia is the main source of law.

19.Part II of the Constitution, concerning the guiding principles of society, states that Qatari society is founded on justice, benevolence, freedom, equality and high moral values. The Constitution establishes that the State is responsible for upholding these principles and for guaranteeing security, stability, equal opportunity, solidarity and fellowship among citizens. It emphasizes the role of the family as the foundation of society whose mainstays are religion, morality and patriotism. It defines the State’s obligations towards the family and shows concern for young persons, stating that they must be shielded from immorality, exploitation and the evils of physical, mental and spiritual neglect and that conditions favourable to the development of their potential must be provided.

20.Part III of the Constitution is devoted to fundamental rights and freedoms. It affirms that citizens have equal public rights and duties before the law and that there can be no discrimination among them based on sex, origin, language or religion.

21.The Constitution states that the foreign policy of Qatar is guided by a number of principles: action to strengthen international peace and security; respect for human rights; rejection of violence and use of force; promotion of the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means; and cooperation with peace-loving nations.

(b)Organization of powers

22.In Qatar, the key principle behind the organization of powers is that the people are the source of power, which they exercise in accordance with the Constitution. The system of government is based on the separation of powers and the fullest cooperation among them. Legislative power is vested in the Advisory Council, executive power in the Amir, assisted by the Council of Ministers, and judicial power in the courts.

23.Part IV of the Constitution is devoted to the organization of powers. Its main points are summarized below.

(a)The Amir

24.The Amir of Qatar is the Head of State. His person is inviolable and he must be respected by all. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and represents the State at home and abroad and in all international relations. He also concludes treaties and conventions by decree and transmits them to the Advisory Council. Once ratified and published in the Official Gazette, these instruments acquire the force of law.

25.The Amir draws up the general policy of the State, with assistance from the Council of Ministers, and ratifies and promulgates laws. He establishes, regulates and defines the functions of ministries, other governmental bodies, and consultative bodies that assist and advise him in the task of guiding and overseeing the major policies of the State. He also performs such other functions as are regulated by the Constitution or law.

(b)The legislature

26.As provided in the Constitution, the Advisory Council is vested with the power to legislate, approve the general budget and exercise oversight of the executive branch. Qatar has not adopted a bicameral system with one elected chamber and one appointed chamber. Rather, it has chosen a unicameral system with one chamber comprising both elected and appointed members in which the elected members form a clear majority. Article 77 of the Constitution States that the Advisory Council consists of 45 members, two thirds of whom are elected by direct, secret, universal suffrage. The other members are appointed by the Amir.

(c)The executive

27.The Council of Ministers assists the Amir in performing his functions and exercising his powers in accordance with the Constitution and the law. In its capacity as a supreme executive body, the Council of Ministers manages all internal and external affairs falling within its purview pursuant to the Constitution and the law. It is charged with proposing laws and decrees to be tabled before the Advisory Council for discussion. If approved, the texts are transmitted to the Amir for ratification and promulgation in accordance with the Constitution. Among other functions, the Council of Ministers also adopts regulations and decisions drawn up by ministries, oversees law enforcement and monitors the conduct of the Government’s financial and administrative affairs.

(d)The judiciary

28.The Constitution espouses the principle of the rule of law. Under article 129, “The rule of law is the basis of government in the State. The honour, impartiality and fairness of judges serve as a guarantee of rights and freedoms”. Under article 130, “The judiciary is independent and judicial power is vested in the courts of various kinds and levels”. Under article 131, “Judges are independent and are subject to no authority other than the law and there can be no interference in legal proceedings or in the administration of justice”. Under article 137, “The judiciary shall have a supreme council to oversee the conduct of the work of the courts and their auxiliary bodies. The composition, powers and functions of the council shall be prescribed by law”.

29.In accordance with Judiciary Act No. 10 of 2003, as amended, the courts in Qatar comprise the Court of Cassation, the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance. The Supreme Judicial Council was established under article 22 of the Act in order to work for the independence of the judiciary. Article 23 of the Act spells out the Council’s functions, which are to comment on matters relating to the judiciary; study and propose legislation on the development of the judicial system; offer its views on the appointment, promotion, transfer, secondment and retirement of judges; and examine complaints concerning judges, regarding which its decisions are final.

30.The Qatari Constitution also provides for centralized oversight of the constitutionality of laws, an approach espoused in most modern constitutions to ensure the balance of powers. Hence, the Constitutional Court settles disputes relating to the constitutionality of laws and regulations, either at its own initiative or at the request of a party to the proceedings. Its judgements and decisions on matters are final, unappealable and binding on all entities in the State. Act No. 7 of 2007 on the Settlement of Administrative Disputes, which was promulgated to promote the independence of the judiciary, recognizes abuse of authority as grounds for the reversal of an administrative decision or for the award of compensation.

31.The Office of the Public Prosecutor is an independent judicial body charged with bringing actions on behalf of society. It oversees criminal investigations and monitors law enforcement. It initiates and pursues criminal proceedings, taking all measures relating thereto in accordance with the law. It also has powers to carry out investigations and bring charges.

3.General framework for the promotion and protection of human rights

(a)Constitutional protection of human rights

32.The wise leadership of Qatar has adopted a comprehensive reform policy. It has sought to place human rights at the centre of constitutional, political, economic, social and cultural reforms, a concern reflected in the measures taken to develop and strengthen the human rights infrastructure at the legislative and institutional levels. Part III of the Constitution (arts. 34-58) is devoted to fundamental rights and freedoms, adopting the principle that rights are integrated, interrelated, interdependent and indivisible. It thus guarantees economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights on an equal basis. Fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution include but are not limited to: equality before the law; prohibition of discrimination; personal liberty; criminalization of torture; press freedom and freedom of expression; freedom of association; freedom of worship; the right to work; and the right to an education. The Constitution affirms that these rights must be neither regulated nor modified in any way that would curtail or diminish them. Under article 146, “Provisions concerning public rights and freedoms may be amended only for the purpose of affording additional safeguards for the benefit of citizens”.

(b)Legal safeguards for human rights

33.The fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution have been strengthened through the enactment of various pieces of domestic legislation, such as:

Act No. 1 of 1994 concerning juveniles;

Act No. 38 of 1995 concerning social security;

Act No. 7 of 1996 regulating medical treatment and health services in Qatar and amendments thereto;

Act No. 25 of 2001 concerning compulsory education and amendments thereto;

Act No. 10 of 2003 promulgating the Judicial Authority Act;

Act No. 2 of 2004 concerning persons with special needs;

Act No. 11 of 2004 promulgating the Penal Code and amendments thereto;

Act No. 12 of 2004 concerning private associations and institutions;

Act No. 14 of 2004 promulgating the Labour Code;

Act No. 18 of 2004 concerning public meetings and processions;

Act No. 22 of 2004 promulgating the Civil Code;

Act No. 23 of 2004 promulgating the Code of Criminal Procedure;

Act No. 40 of 2004 concerning custodianship of the assets of minors (the Act contains a series of provisions on the protection of children’s assets and supervision of guardians’ transactions);

Minister for Civil Service and Housing Affairs Decision No. 15 of 2005 concerning activities in which minors may not be employed;

Act No. 22 of 2005 prohibiting the recruitment, employment, training and engagement of children in camel racing;

Act No. 38 of 2005 concerning Qatari nationality;

Act No. 21 of 2006 concerning private associations of public benefit;

Act No. 22 of 2006 promulgating the Family Code;

Act No. 2 of 2007 concerning the housing system;

Council of Ministers Decision No. 17 of 2007 concerning priorities and rules for benefiting from the housing system;

Council of Ministers Decision No. 18 of 2007 concerning priorities and rules for benefiting from the housing system for needy persons (free housing);

Act No. 12 of 2008 establishing the Supreme Constitutional Court;

Act No. 19 of 2008 determining the amount of blood money (diyah) payable for manslaughter;

Act No. 3 of 2009 regulating penal and correctional institutions;

Act No. 4 of 2009 regulating the entry, exit, residence and sponsorship of migrant workers;

Act No. 8 of 2009 promulgating the human resources management act;

Act No. 8 of 2010 amending certain provisions of the Penal Code promulgated by Act No. 11 of 2004, particularly the articles relating to the criminalization of torture and the strengthening of the penalty for torture. The state adopted the definition provided in the United Nations Convention Against Torture, to which Qatar acceded pursuant to Decree no. 27 of 2001;

Act No. 15 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons;

Council of Ministers Decision No. 27 of 2012 establishing a national committee on international humanitarian law.

(c)Accession to international human rights treaties

34.With a view to strengthening the legislative framework for human rights, Qatar has acceded to and ratified numerous international and regional human rights treaties and conventions, as follows:

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1976);

Convention on the Rights of the Child (1995);

International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 29 concerning forced or compulsory labour (1998);

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (2001);

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (2001);

ILO Convention No. 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour (2001);

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2002);

ILO Convention No. 138 on the minimum age for admission to employment and work (2005);

ILO Convention No. 105 concerning the abolition of forced labour (2007);

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008);

United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2008);

Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (the Palermo Protocol) (2009);

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (2009);

The State looks forward to acceding to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

At the regional level, Qatar has ratified the Arab Charter on Human Rights (2009).

35.Under article 68 of the Constitution, the Amir concludes treaties and conventions by decree and transmits them to the Advisory Council together with an appropriate statement. The treaty or convention acquires the force of law once it has been ratified and published in the Official Gazette. The human rights treaties to which the State has acceded have all been published in the Official Gazette.

(d)The institutional framework for strengthening and protecting human rights

36.The State’s concern for human rights has been given effect by the establishment of various governmental and non-governmental institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, which are universal, interrelated and indivisible. At the governmental level, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs was established, as were a number of ministerial human rights offices, including in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior among others. Private institutions of public benefit have also been established, such as the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking and the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women. At the non-governmental level, the National Human Rights Committee and several civil society organizations dealing with human rights and development issues have been established.

(i)Government machinery

(1)Supreme Council for Family Affairs

37.The establishment of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs under Amiri Decree No. 53 of 1998 reflects the State officials’ anticipation of the need to create a high-level national body for dealing with the family, its needs and its future aspirations. Amiri Decree No. 15 of 2009, which regulates the Supreme Council, was promulgated to support that vision consistent with the overall development vision articulated in the Qatar National Vision 2030. Under the aforesaid decree, the Council is under the direct authority of His Highness the Amir and comprises a president, a vice-president and five to seven members appointed by Amiri decree.

38.As the supreme authority in charge of all family-related matters, the Council aims to promote the status of the family and its role in society, work for the advancement of families and their members, and safeguard families as strong and cohesive units that care for their children and uphold moral and religious values and the highest ideals. The Council exercises all the necessary powers and functions to that end, including those needed to: develop strategies, policies and programmes for improving the quality of life for families and their members and for guaranteeing family security and stability; accomplish the goals set out in international instruments relating to family matters; follow up all efforts to implement international instruments relating to family matters and to the rights of children, women and persons with disabilities to which Qatar is a party; provide input on draft conventions on the protection of the family and family members; build women’s capacities and empower women to participate in economic and political life, particularly in decision making; increase employment opportunities for Qatari women; support women in their professional lives; propose draft legislation relevant to the family and its members; cooperate with international and regional bodies and organizations concerned with matters affecting families and their members; represent Qatar in regional and international conferences and committees dealing with issues that affect the family, children, women and persons with disabilities; organize conferences, seminars and panel discussions; and conduct research on family-related topics.

39.The Council devotes considerable attention to coordinating and cooperating with all governmental agencies and to supporting and engaging civil society organizations. It affords particular attention to volunteer work, encouraging the involvement and contributions of the private sector and target groups (families, children, women, young persons, persons with disabilities and the elderly).

40.The Council — in addition to the legislation that it has helped to implement in fulfilment of the obligations of Qatar under international human rights treaties — has adopted numerous executive measures and established a number of institutions concerned with the family, children, women, persons with disabilities and the elderly.

(2)Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs

41.The Ministry implements the family welfare policy approved by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. It also: provides social welfare for citizens; organizes volunteer social activity; promotes civic engagement; develops and monitors the implementation of social development programmes; provides social security services to eligible persons; provides programmes and services for persons with disabilities and acts to rehabilitate them and integrate them into society; provides juvenile care, shelter and reformatory services; registers, validates and supervises private associations and institutions; and formulates and monitors the implementation of housing policies.

42.The following departments were established in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 to participate in implementing national strategies, plans and policies concerning the family:

1.Family Development Department: It provides social welfare, develops and monitors the implementation of social development programmes, supervises and licenses nurseries, sets the nursery enrolment age and approves educational curricula.

2.Social Security Department: It provides social welfare to citizens and social security services to eligible persons.

3.Department of the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities: It provides social welfare and services to persons with disabilities and acts to rehabilitate them and integrate them into society.

4.Department of Social Protection: It provides care, shelter and reformatory services for juveniles.

43.The Ministry also: develops and monitors the implementation of the labour market and labour market management strategy; formulates policies and plans on the use of the labour force and the development of its skills; helps formulate and monitor the implementation of policies on Qatarization and programmes to employ to employ Qataris and migrant workers; settles labour disputes; issues, and curbs violations of, work permits in coordination with the competent authorities; supervises and monitors the adoption of occupational safety and health measures; and inspects companies and establishments to ensure the application of the provisions of the Labour Code. Furthermore, in the light of the country’s booming economy and flourishing development, the role of Ministry of Labour in ensuring the required protection for migrant workers was augmented with the establishment of the following three labour departments:

(a)Employment Department. It:

Studies requests to import foreign workers and determines the extent to which such workers are needed;

Proposes the necessary rules, requirements, measures and forms for granting, renewing or cancelling permits for the importation of workers from abroad for another party;

Audits the official statements and records of foreign labour recruitment offices to ascertain their conformance with the law; and adopts the necessary measures against offices that commit violations;

Settles disputes arising between foreign labour recruitment offices and employers according to the Labour Code and decrees issued to implement it; and refers disputes that cannot be settled amicably to the judiciary;

Issues, renews and cancels work permits according to the law;

Prepares a migrant worker database in coordination with the relevant departments.

(b)Labour Relations Department. It:

Receives, records and studies labour-related complaints and disputes;

Settles labour disputes amicably or refers them to the judiciary according to the law;

Approves employment contracts and certificates and documents pertaining to employment;

Raises the awareness of workers and employers concerning labour legislation and provides related advice;

Monitors the implementation of rules and procedures for collective bargaining between workers and employers;

Monitors the implementation of rules regulating collective agreements;

Proposes rules to regulate the requirements and procedures for, and supervises, labour elections;

Examines and records requests for the establishment of labour committees and organizations according to the law in coordination with the competent agencies in the Ministry;

(c)Labour Inspection Department. It:

Monitors the implementation of labour legislation and the general labour inspection plan;

Conducts periodic and surprise inspections of worksites to ascertain compliance with the Labour Code and its implementing decrees;

Provides advice and guidance to employers on correcting violations;

Sends warnings and issue citations for violations and submits them to the competent authorities for the adoption of the necessary measures;

Supervises private enterprises and establishments, ascertains that they adopt the precautions and requirements that must be in place under the Labour Code and its implementing decrees, and evaluates hazards arising from the use of hazardous substances in the workplace in coordination with the concerned authorities in the State;

Monitors employers’ payment of workers’ wages regularly at the designated times;

Monitors and follows up the adoption of occupational safety and health measures.

(3)Relevant ministerial departments

Several departments have been established in ministries and government bodies, including the following:

(a)Human rights Department of the Ministry of the Interior

44.In accordance with the Permanent Constitution of Qatar, which is concerned with freedoms and rights, and based on the Ministry of the Interior’s commitment to promote human rights in all areas of its work, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, by Decision No. 26 of 2005, established the Human Rights Department as the main channel between the National Human Rights Committee and the Ministry of the Interior on the one hand and between the public and the Ministry on the other.

45.The Department’s responsibilities include taking steps, in conjunction with the relevant ministerial bodies, to achieve the aims set out in international human rights instruments as they relate to the work of the Ministry. The Department receives, studies and investigates complaints submitted to the Ministry of the Interior by individuals or through the National Human Rights Committee. It examines the causes of the complaints and makes recommendations thereon. It visits penal institutions, deportation centres and security facilities to ascertain that the laws and regulations in effect in Qatar are being applied properly and that no human rights are being infringed. It submits regular reports to the Minister, issues publications and circulars to raise awareness in the Ministry’s departments that deal with human rights issues and organizes seminars and talks. It represents the Ministry at international, regional and local conferences and seminars on human rights. In August 2010, the Human Rights Department received an ISO certificate of excellence (2008-09), having been found to meet all the requirements for ISO certification.

(b)Human Rights Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

46.The Human Rights Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established under Minister for Foreign Affairs Decision No. 16 of 2003. It comments and offers advice on human rights questions referred to it and on draft international human rights instruments to which the State wishes to accede in coordination with the Ministry’s Legal Affairs Department. It helps draft human rights reports which the State is required, under international conventions, to prepare and submit to the concerned international monitoring bodies in coordination with the Ministry’s Legal Affairs Department. It prepares, in coordination with the competent agencies, replies to reports by international organizations and NGOs on the human rights situation in Qatar and submits them to those organizations. It also drafts replies, in coordination with relevant bodies, to reports by foreign governments on the human rights situation in Qatar and conveys the reports to those governments. It briefs diplomatic and consular missions abroad on new developments in the human rights situation in Qatar. It follows up local and international human rights issues and human rights conferences and activities run by regional and international organizations. It coordinates to engage the concerned agencies inside and outside the Ministry in these activities. It forwards complaints about human rights violations that it receives from abroad to the authorities concerned and follows up on them. It also formulates plans and proposals for using the advisory and technical assistance services offered by international organizations in the human rights domain. It represents the Ministry in the human rights bodies set up by the State.

(c)Administrative Control and Transparency Authority

47.Amiri Decision No. 75 of 2011 was issued to establish the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority. The authority is directly subordinate to His Highness the Amir. It pursues administrative control, transparency and integrity in the civil service, combats corruption of all forms and prevents and controls offenses that prejudice public funds or the Civil Service. In particular, it:

1.Investigates, and recommends means for avoiding, the causes of deficiencies in work and production;

2.Identifies, and recommends ways to avoid, deficiencies in administrative, technical and financial systems that impede the orderly progress of operations in the agencies subject to its supervision;

3.Monitors the enforcement of laws and ascertains whether decrees and regulations in effect are adequate to achieve their purpose;

4.Uncovers administrative, financial and technical violations committed by employees of agencies subject to its supervision;

5.Detects and apprehends persons other than the aforesaid employees who commit criminal offenses that prejudice public funds or the sound performance of job duties;

6.Investigates complaints submitted by persons concerning the violation of laws or negligence in the performance of job duties or work; and studies the recommendations of such persons for improving services and operational efficiency;

7.Examines and studies press and other media reports concerning complaints or investigations of neglect, deficiency, mismanagement or misuse as well as complaints and investigations covered by the various media;

8.Provides agencies subject to its supervision with the data, information or studies which they request;

9.Assists agencies subject to its supervision in conducting background investigations of candidates for positions in the agencies based on the agencies’ request;

10.Investigates financial transactions suspected of involving money laundering in coordination and cooperation with the concerned authorities;

11.Researches and investigates complaints concerning employees’ misuse of their positions and abuse of power;

12.Monitors developments in the area of administrative supervision and transparency and applies the latest supervisory methods;

13.Trains members of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority locally and abroad according to an annual plan designed to enhance their competence and skills in supervisory work and auxiliary tasks and to qualify them to hold senior posts;

14.Conducts research and studies relating to its objectives and activities;

15.Coordinates and cooperates with the National Committee for Integrity and Transparency in all that pertains to achieving the highest integrity and transparency indicators.

(ii)Non-governmental machinery

48.In addition to government institutions, the State has established a number of foundations and centres that are concerned with human rights, including children’s rights and the protection of children’s rights, including the following organizations, which are mentioned below elsewhere in the present report and in the second periodic report:

Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs (2001);

Cultural Centre for Childhood (2002);

Family Counselling Centre (2002);

Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women (2002);

Qatar Orphans Foundation (2002);

Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking (2008);

Social Rehabilitation Centre (2008).

Qatar Foundation for Social Action

49.Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser issued a decision establishing the Qatar Foundation for Social Action as a higher body which, through a unified board of directors, monitors and oversees the following foundations and centres: the Qatar Orphans Foundation; Qatar Foundation for the Care of the Elderly; Qatar Foundation for Protection and Social Rehabilitation (which includes the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women and the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking), Social Rehabilitation Centre, Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs, Family Counselling Centre and Social Development Centre.

The greatest impact of this decision will be to strengthen the social action role of civil society institutions in Qatar to enable them to achieve their objectives and to participate positively and effectively in advancing Qatari society, which is a priority of His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar.

Arab Democracy Foundation

50.The Arab Democracy Foundation was established by Amiri Decree No. 51 of 2007 following the hosting by Qatar in May 2007 of the Second Forum on Democracy and Political Reform in the Arab World. The Foundation is headquartered in Doha and is the first institution of its kind in the Arab world. Its goal is to encourage the region to promote a culture of democracy. Qatar has donated US$ 10 million to support the Foundation. More information can be found at www.adf.org.qa.

Doha Centre for Media Freedom

51.The media play a vital role in the State’s orientations, given that the right to freedom of opinion and expression, which the Constitution guarantees, is one of the pillars of a modern democracy. The media also play a key role in promoting dialogue, mutual understanding, tolerance and coexistence and in creating an environment that avoids incitement of terrorism and hatred. Accordingly, in December 2007, His Highness the Amir issued Decision No. 86 of 2007 approving the establishment of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom as a private public-benefit institution. Freedom, credibility, independence, accountability and transparency are the strategic principles underpinning the Centre’s goals of protecting the media in line with international standards, conducting media research and building a database that will be useful to different sectors of the media. The Centre erected a virtual international monument to commemorate leading media figures and pioneers and journalists who have lost their lives fighting for press freedom. The Centre also assists journalists whose rights have been infringed while carrying out their work, particularly in crisis situations. More information can be found at www.dohacentre.org.

Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue

52.The Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue was established on the recommendation of the Fifth Doha Interfaith Dialogue Conference, which was held in May 2007. The Centre was inaugurated in May 2008 to coincide with the holding of the Sixth Interfaith Dialogue Conference. The Centre aims to disseminate and promote a culture of dialogue and peaceful coexistence. More information can be found at www.dicid.org.

Part IGeneral measures to implement the Convention (arts. 4, 42, and 44 (6))

(a)Legislative measures

(a) (1)Progress concerning recently ratified international and regional conventions and instruments

53.The ratification by States of the main international and regional human rights instruments strengthens enjoyment by children of both sexes of the human rights and basic freedoms in all aspects of life. Accordingly, Qatar has ratified a number of such instruments. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009, “ notes with appreciation the steps taken by Qatar in this direction and recommended that Qatar ratify all core international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families as well as the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 73 and 74) .

54.Qatar is currently studying the possibility of ratifying other international instruments relating to human rights.

(a) (2)Progress concerning reservations to the Convention

55. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009, “ while welcoming the information that Qatar withdrew the general reservation entered under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the Committee regretted that Qatar made a partial withdrawal to its general reservation to the Convention by narrowing it to articles 2 (non-discrimination) and 14 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion). The Committee also expresses concern at the number of reservations entered to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and in particular articles 9, paragraph 2 and 16, paragraph 1 (f) which have direct impact on the rights of the child… The Committee encourages the State to review its reservations with a view to withdrawing them ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 9 and 10).

56.In response to these concerns, Qatar affirms its long-standing policy of eliminating all forms of discrimination against children and women and its ongoing efforts to promote equality and to ensure that all children and women to enjoy the rights provided in Qatari legislation in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In recent years, the State adopted a strategic policy concerning general reservations to international conventions and reviewed its general reservations to the human rights conventions to which it is a party. It withdrew its general reservation to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Moreover, it partially withdrew its general reservation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child concerning provisions that conflict with the sharia, whereby its reservation continues to apply to articles 2 and 14 of the Convention.

57.The State waived the procedure for entering general reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women when it acceded to it. It has limited itself to entering reservations only to specific provisions of the CEDAW and stating the reasons for its reservations.

(a) (3)Progress with regard to legislation

58. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ notes the legislative measures that have been undertaken by the State party in order to ensure the implementation of the provisions enshrined in the Convention. However, the Committee remains concerned at the frequent delays which obstruct the adoption of the Children ’ s Bill…and at the fact that the provisions of the Convention have not been invoked or referred to directly in courts ” … The Committee urges Qatar to take, as a matter of priority, all appropriate measures to expedite the adoption of the Children ’ s Bill and ensure its effective implementation ” and “ appropriate steps to give full effect to the Convention in its legal system, so that it is directly invoked before the courts ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 11 and 12).

59.Regarding the status of the Convention in the State’s domestic legal system, the Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar (2004), article 68, confers the force of law on conventions and treaties after they have been ratified and published in the Official Gazette.

60.The review of the Children’s Bill by a committee chaired by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and comprising members from the concerned entities in the State has been completed. The legally stipulated measures required in Qatar to promulgate the Children’s Act are in the process of being taken.

61.Another bill, the Act Regulating Nurseries, is also undergoing legal measures to pave the way for its promulgation. The Council of Ministers has approved it and referred it to the Consultative Council.

62.In another development relating to the amendment of legislation on the combating of human trafficking to harmonize it with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Qatar has promulgated Act No. 15 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons. This Act defines a child as any person who has not reached the age of 18. It contains provisions that are elaborated in Part VIII of the present report below (Special protection measures), paragraph (f), which concerns the sale, trafficking and abduction of children.

63.The Qatari legislator, desiring the best interest of the child, promulgated Act No. 23 2009 amending certain provisions of the Qatari Penal Code and Act No. 24 of 2009 amending certain provisions of the Qatari Criminal Procedure Code. Both acts regulate the mechanisms for the execution of the penalty of community service in general and community service for children in particular and the cases in which such a penalty may be imposed.

64.The Department of Social Protection was established under Amiri Decree No. 40 of 2009 on the organizational structure of the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Department is concerned with juveniles. It raises society’s awareness of the concept of social protection, prepares and implements programmes to prevent juvenile delinquency, rehabilitates delinquents, deals with the social problems of juveniles, and supervises social welfare facilities designated for the care and rehabilitation of juveniles.

65.The Supreme Council for Family Affairs has established a committee, chaired by the Council and with members drawn from the concerned State authorities, to review the national legislation on domestic violence.

66.Moreover the Supreme Council for Family Affairs established and presides over a team, whose members are drawn from other concerned entities, which is responsible for developing statistics on domestic violence.

(b)National plan of action

67. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, notes that “ a national plan of action is currently being developed and that the draft National Strategy for Children 2008 - 2013 has not yet been finalized ” . The Committee recommends “ that the State party finalize the development of the National Plan of Action and expedite the adoption of the National Strategy for Children 2008 - 2013 as a matter of priority ” and that “ the State party ensure that the National Strategy for Children covers all areas of the Convention and takes into account the outcome document, ‘ A World Fit for Children ’ , of the 2002 United Nations General Assembly special session on children and its mid-term review in 2007, and that the body charged with monitoring the implementation of the National Plan of Action for children be allocated sufficient human and financial resources to fulfil its mandate ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 13 and 14).

68. The Committee on the Rights of the Child previously recommended — in its concluding observations issued on to June 2006 following its examination of the initial report of Qatar, in respect of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography — that Qatar “ strengthen its efforts to develop, adopt and implement, in consultation and cooperation with relevant partners, including civil society, a national plan of action for children, with time-bound targets ” and that Qatar “ pay particular attention to combating child labour and eliminating trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution and child pornography, in the national plan of action ” (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/1, para. 13).

69. The Committee on the Rights of the Child — in its concluding remarks issued on 17 October 2007 after examining the initial report of Qatar concerning the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict — notes “ with concern the absence of a component of the obligations of the State party under the Optional Protocol ” and invites the State party to incorporate in its national strategy consideration of the provisions of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict ” (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/1, paras. 13 and 14).

The rights of the child from the perspective of development strategies and plans

70.Qatar has in recent years dedicated increasing attention to children’s rights, development and welfare. It has taken numerous legislative, legal, administrative and other measures to give effect to human rights and to provide sufficient means to establish, develop and update such rights in the context of the integrated social development of the family and its members. This attention has been linked to national terms of reference, principally the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2011-2016, and to other strategies targeting the family and society. These terms of reference, together with certain provisions of the Constitution, are constantly shaping a supportive, stable environment for the realization of the rights of the child and family as called for in international instruments.

Qatar National Vision 2030

71.Based on The Permanent Constitution of Qatar (2004), the Qatar National Vision 2030 envisages the transformation of Qatar into a diverse, advanced, knowledge-based economy capable of sustaining its own development and providing an equitable standard of living to all its citizens and future generations. This vision is based on the acknowledgment of five major challenges facing the State and society:

The harmonization of modernization with the preservation of the culture and traditions of Qatar;

The balancing of the needs of the current generation with the needs of future generations;

Management of growth and avoidance of uncontrolled expansion;

Harmonization of the numbers and types of migrant labourers with the chosen development path;

Harmonization of economic development with social development and environmental management.

In line with the guidelines for meeting these challenges, the Qatar National Vision is based on the following four pillars:

(1)The economic pillar

72.Sustainable economic prosperity. The Qatar National Vision refers to three interrelated objectives concerning the economy. It seeks to sustain a high standard of living, expand innovative and entrepreneurial capacities and strengthen economic and financial stability. The Qatar National Vision defines sustainability as meeting the needs of the current generation without prejudicing the needs of future generations. In order for sustainability to become an integral part of the Qatari economy, progress must be achieved on three interrelated, mutually reinforcing paths:

The expansion of the production base to increase opportunities for future generations as a prerequisite for sustaining prosperity in the economy of Qatar, which is experiencing population growth;

Commitment to economic stability and enhanced efficiency;

Public-private partnerships for diversifying the economy and encouraging a culture of discovery and innovation;

The National Development Strategy 2011-2016 sets out an economic programme to achieve sustainability, diversity and economic stability.

(2)The environmental pillar

73.Protection of the environment for future generations. The National Development Strategy 2011-2016 is the first development strategy of Qatar to clearly harmonize the growth of national prosperity with the reality of environmental determinants. The strategy provides a programme to enhance management of the environment and natural resources and all sectors of the economy. It establishes a framework for continued economic growth and the avoidance of damage to the rights and interests of future generations.

The strategy for the environmental sector includes the development of specific works to protect water, improve air quality, manage waste and protect biological diversity. It thus adheres to the fundamental concept of intergenerational equity.

(3)The human pillar

This pillar concerns the development of the population of Qatar to enable it to build a prosperous society and to meet the needs of this generation without prejudicing the needs of future generations.

74.(a) A healthy population.TheQatar National Vision 2030 is committed to harmonizing economic growth, social development, environmental management and human development. The health of the Qatari people is at once the focal point and desired result of human development in the Qatar National Vision document, namely a physically and mentally healthy population.

The Qatar National Vision 2030 establishes a number of objectives in respect of health:

A comprehensive, world-class healthcare system whose services are accessible to all residents;

An integrated healthcare system that provides high-quality services;

Preventive healthcare that takes into account the different needs of men, women and children;

A skilled national labour force capable of providing high-quality health services;

A national health policy that establishes and supervises standards;

Effective, reasonably priced services;

High-level research to improve the effectiveness and quality of healthcare.

The health sector strategy is part of the National Strategy 2011-2016 to propel Qatar toward the achievement of the health objectives included in the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the objectives of the Supreme Council for Health (“Care for the Sake of the Future”).

75.(b) Building of knowledge and skills. The Qatar National Vision 2030 emphasizes: the provision of a world-class education based on the highest international standards; the right of all Qatari citizens to obtain educational opportunities in line with their abilities and interests; the optimal preparation of Qataris to participate in the labour force; and the strengthening of values and sense of belonging.

The Qatar National Vision 2030 establishes a number of general objectives for education and training:

An educational system that rises to the level of world-class educational systems and equips citizens to meet their needs and the needs of Qatari society;

A national framework for official and unofficial educational programmes that provide Qatari children and youth with the skills and motivation they need to participate in the development of society;

Advanced, independent educational institutions that manage their affairs efficiently according to centralized guidelines and are subject to monitoring and accountability;

An effective system for funding scientific research based on public-private sector partnerships in cooperation with the relevant international bodies and leading international research centres;

An active role for Qatar in international cultural and intellectual activities and scientific research.

76.The requirements specified for the continued development of education and training have been consolidated in 20 initiatives in the education and training sector strategy, which is a key strategic component and input of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016 that will help the State progress toward achieving the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

The strategy’s outcomes specifically concern the areas of general education (kindergarten through twelfth grade) higher education, scientific research and ongoing training and education. The strategy provides for six joint initiatives among these areas, necessitating strong integration in planning at the level of all educational sectors.

77.The development strategy is expected to spawn fundamental developments in the entire education and training system. The present report of Qatar covers a practical national strategy to develop education and training to the benefit of everyone who lives and works in Qatar now and in the future. This strategy is based, inter alia, on the results of an analysis of the current situation, the results of reference comparisons, and a report analysing the gaps between the current situation and what the State aspires to achieve in the field of education and training based on the strategic plan of the Supreme Education Council.

(4)The social pillar

78.(a) Cohesive families. The Qatar National Vision 2030 aims to build a society that promotes justice and equality. It embodies the principles enshrined in the Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar, which protects public and private freedoms, promotes moral and religious values, customs, traditions and cultural identity and guarantees security, stability and equal opportunity. The Qatar National Vision 2030 establishes a number of objectives concerning family cohesion and the empowerment of women:

Strong, cohesive families that care for their members and maintain religious and moral values and high human ideals;

Preservation of strong, cohesive families that care for their children and are committed to moral and religious values and high ideals;

Development of a sound social structure and the building of effective public institutions and active, strong civil society organizations;

The building of an effective social protection system for all Qataris that protects their civil rights, values their effective participation in the development of society, and provides them with an income sufficient to maintain their dignity and health;

Enhancement of women’s capacities and empowerment of women to participate economically and socially, especially in decision-making.

Sectoral strategy to promote family cohesion and empower women

79.This strategy, which forms part of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016, identifies eight development objectives in three principal thematic areas — namely, family cohesion, social welfare and the empowerment of women — as means for achieving the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030. The desired results will be achieved through 12 linked projects, whose objectives are to:

1.Strengthen the role of the Qatari family as a pillar of society;

2.Increase the responsibility of parents and reduce reliance on domestic workers;

3.Reduce domestic violence rates and establish a system for the protection and support of domestic violence victims;

4.Provide systems to support families with special circumstances, such as families of persons with disabilities or juvenile delinquents;

5.Reduce the exposure of Qatari families to economic and social risks and improve their management of their financial affairs;

6.Promote the health, well-being and protection of children;

7.Increase support for working families, particularly support for women;

8.Increase the number of women in leadership posts and political decision-making positions;

9.Counter prevalent stereotypes concerning the roles and responsibilities of women.

(b)Social protection

80.The Qatar National Vision 2030 embodies the principles of the Permanent Constitution of Qatar. It conceptualizes an effective social protection system that guarantees the civil rights of all Qataris, values their participation in the development of society, and assures them an income sufficient to maintain a healthy, dignified life. The Qatar National Vision 2030 envisages the promotion of this social protection system within a sound social structure comprising effective public institutions and strong, active civil society organizations.

81.The Qatar National Vision 2030 establishes a number of social protection objectives:

The building of an effective social protection system for all Qataris that protects their civil rights, values their participation in the development of society, and assures them an income sufficient to maintain a healthy, dignified life;

The development of a sound social structure and the building of effective public institutions and active, strong civil society organizations.

82.The Qatar National Vision 2030 targets equitable, coherent social welfare based on high moral standards. The social protection sector strategy within the National Development Strategy 2011-2016 supports this objective and provides a medium-term framework for creating a social welfare system that:

Is more integrated, coordinated and inclusive;

Preserves and protects the heritage and Arab and Islamic identity of Qatar;

Ensures growth and development for all citizens through inclusion of less fortunate groupsvulnerable to social risks;

Is sustainable and based on broad partnerships.

National Development Strategy 2011-2016

83.The National Development Strategy 2011-2016 is the first inclusive development strategy of Qatar. It includes 14 sectoral strategies covering all sectors in Qatar. These strategies have long-term objectives that harmonize with the orientations and priorities of the development pillars comprising the Qatar National Vision 2030 and with the requirements of the roadmap for reaching those objectives. The National Development Strategy Plan 2011-2026 adopts sectoral programmes and projects for achieving the goals specified for each sector by 2016.

(c)Coordination

84. The Committee ’ s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not include a paragraph on coordination. In addition to the information mentioned in this regard in the initial and second reports of Qatar, the following should be noted:

85.The Supreme Council for Family Affairs is the supreme authority responsible for issues relating to the family, including child welfare, and everything relating to the coordination of efforts to develop policies, measures and programmes relating to children’s rights. It is also responsible for following up the concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. In cooperation with the competent authorities, the Council endeavours to respond fully, in national strategies and plans relating to children, to the observations made by the Committee. It publishes on its website the national reports that it submits to the Committee and the Committee’s concluding observations and disseminates them to the national authorities responsible for children so that they can implement the Committee’s recommendations in their annual programmes and activities.

(d)Independent monitoring

86. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ notes with appreciation the establishment of the National Human Rights Committee in 2002 in accordance with the Paris Principles and has recently included non-citizens in its mandate. The Committee also notes the information that the National Human Rights Committee is currently looking into establishing a children ’ s rights unit ” ... The Committee encourages Qatar to undertake all effective measures to ensure that the National Human Rights Committee is easily accessible to, and user-friendly ” and “ to ensure that the National Human Rights Committee has a clear mandate to monitor children ’ s rights at national and local levels and to receive and investigate complaints on the violations of children ’ s rights... In this regard, the Committee recommends that the State party establish a children ’ s rights unit within the National Human Rights Committee ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 15 and 16).

87.As a follow-up to the preceding, the mission of the National Human Rights Committee is to protect and promote the human rights of all persons subject to the legal jurisdiction of Qatar. To fulfil that mission, the National Human Rights Committee strives to raise awareness of those rights. It also protects and supports individuals and develops their capacities. Furthermore, it empowers them by offering opportunities to gain diverse knowledge and skills, particularly knowledge of their rights and the ability to identify and request their needs and to defend their rights. Since its establishment, the National Human Rights Committee has sought to ensure that all groups of society — including marginalized groups such as children, women and persons with disabilities — have access to its services. To achieve these objectives, the National Human Rights Committee:

1.Has held many activities to raise awareness of itself and to inform the members of the public on how they can avail themselves of its services. To that end, various media have been used and printed materials have been prepared and circulated;

2.Established a hotline to receive calls and complaints around the clock;

3.Enables any person to submit a complaint to its headquarters either on his or her own behalf or on behalf of someone else; this means that a child may submit a complaint directly or through another person;

4.Has conducted several media campaigns in which people were encouraged to contact it by phone, fax or e-mail;

5.Hastens to visit children directly upon receiving knowledge, observing or being notified of any problem being faced by any child to investigate and study the situation according to the act establishing the National Human Rights Committee. This is a key means by which children may communicate with the Committee;

6.Established a website through which anyone, including a child, may easily submit a complaint.

88.Regarding the measures taken to ensure that the National Human Rights Committee has a clear mandate to monitor children’s rights at the national and local levels and to receive and investigate complaints on the violations of children’s rights, the present report notes the following:

i.The law establishing the National Human Rights Committee

The National Human Rights Committee was established as an independent national body to promote and protect human rights under Decree-Law No. 38 of 2002 as amended by Decree-Law No. 17 of 2010. For this purpose, it has the following authorities and functions:

1.Examines human rights violations; takes steps to deal with complaints and reports of such violations; coordinates with the competent authorities on the necessary follow-up action; and suggests ways for dealing with and preventing such violations;

2.Submits recommendations to the relevant authorities regarding existing legislation and bills and the extent to which they harmonize with the requirements of international human rights conventions to which the State is a party;

3.Monitors the human rights situation in the State; and prepares reports thereon for submission, together with the Committee’s views, to the Council of Ministers;

4.Monitors, and coordinates with the concerned entities to respond to, human rights situations that may arise in the State;

5.Cooperates with international, regional and national organizations concerned with human rights and freedoms and participates in international forums on human rights issues;

6.Conducts field visits to penal and reformatory institutions, detention facilities, labour gatherings and health and educational facilities to observe human rights conditions.

ii.Formation of an observation team

The National Human Rights Committee’s strategy for 2011-2014 includes the formation of an observation team to observe all human rights conditions and any violations. The National Human Rights Committee studies and investigates violations and addresses the concerned authorities. At times, it adopts urgent measures, such as visiting the site of an incident.

iii.Visits programme

The National Human Rights Committee prepares a visits programme that includes visits to all governmental and non-governmental entities and sites pertaining to children’s rights.

iv.Review of legislation

The National Human Rights Committee monitors and studies national legislation to determine the extent to which it harmonizes with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the two optional protocols thereto and other international instruments relating to children’s rights. It encourages the State to ratify or accede to international or regional instruments on children’s rights. It participates in preparing reports which the State is required to submit to United Nations bodies and committees and regional children’s rights institutions. It takes legal action when necessary to protect children’s rights.

v.Complaints system

The Committee receives children’s’ complaints, offers children such legal assistance as its mandate allows and mediates or reconciles between parties to reach amicable resolutions concerning children’s rights before or after resort to the judiciary, taking into account the best interest of the child.

The National Human Rights Committee, in addition to the preceding, follows up complaints about children’s rights under its purview pursuant to the decree-law establishing it and the Paris Principles. The Committee receives, investigates and follows up on such complaints, contacting the State authorities concerned in order to put a stop to any violations of children’s rights. It also submits proposals to address or prevent such violations in the future. When the Committee receives a complaint via its 24-hour hotline or website or from complainants or their representatives who come to the Committee’s headquarters in person, the complaint is referred to the Complaints Section of the Legal Affairs Department, where it is examined and the necessary legal actions are initiated, either by contacting the State executive authorities if necessary or referring the complaint to a social worker for examination to arrive at the best resolution.

vi.Reports

The Committee submits a quarterly report to the Council of Ministers on the human rights situation in Qatar. The report reviews human rights legislation and conditions and covers the Committee’s activities and recommendations. A special section of the report is devoted to children’s rights. The Committee publishes its annual report on its website (www.nhcr.qa.org) to be transparent in its work and to raise public awareness of human rights.

89.Regarding measures to establish a children’s rights unit in the National Human Rights Committee, a Unit for the Rights of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities was established under Decision No. 16 of 2010 of the Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee on the establishment of several legal units in the National Human Rights Committee. This unit examines and studies reports, complaints and petitions concerning violence and discrimination against women and the rights of children and persons with disabilities.

90.The Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women plays a key role in receiving complaints about violations of children’s rights and protecting children from various forms of violence. It implements a series of programmes to achieve the objectives of the General Strategy for the Family, particularly:

Protection of the family from all forms of exploitation and violence, reduction of physical violence and sexual abuse against children by 50 per cent of the total cases recorded by the security departments, and an increase in programmes that provide training to detect violence against children;

Promotion of the role of the media in combating violence against children.

91.The above-mentioned National Development Strategy 2011-2016 covers: projects and activities concerning protection against domestic violence; victim protection mechanisms: a project to develop an early detection mechanism for use in schools to protect children from violence; a project to develop measures to promote children’s rights and protect their interests; the preparation and issuance of periodic reports on monitoring and follow-up of the implementation of the activities and outcomes of the executive plan for the sector in the context of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016, including outcomes relating to children’s rights.

(e)Allocation of budgetary resources

92. The above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009 do not include a paragraph on the budgetary resources allocated to implement the Convention and its two optional protocols.

93.Nonetheless, it should be noted that the National Development Strategy 2011-2016, which aims to achieve the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030, includes a number of projects, programmes and activities for which financial appropriations have been set aside in the government budget. The relevant authorities and agencies assigned roles under the strategy implement these appropriations.

94.Under Act No. 13 of 2008 concerning the contribution of certain joint-stock companies to the support of social and sports activities, 2.5 per cent of the net profits of the joint-stock companies whose stocks are registered on the Qatar Stock Exchange are allocated to support sports, cultural, social and charitable activities, including programmes and activities dedicated to children. There are also many Qatari national and international initiatives that allocate resources to support the needs and rights of children.

(f)The business sector and children’s rights

95.Consistent with the United Nations human rights framework, which the Human Rights Council unanimously adopted in 2008, Qatar, anticipating the Committee’s general comment No. 16 (2013) on State obligations regarding the impact of the business sector on children’s rights, has adopted numerous measures since 2008 concerning the social responsibility of the business sector. It held its first Corporate Responsibility Conference in 2009, during which the Qatari Government announced its resolve to establish corporate social responsibility indicators. A working group was formed in 2010 to propose domestic standards for corporate social responsibility based on Qatari laws and measures and on the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. A second conference entitled “A deeper understanding of social responsibility” was held in 2010, followed by a third conference entitled “Be a part of the event” in 2011. The Ministry of Labour and Commerce has continued to develop the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact in the business environment of Qatar. In May 2013, it held a fourth conference on corporate social responsibility. The conference sought to promote awareness of the importance of the role of the public and private sectors in fostering corporate social responsibility. It also sought to consolidate the efforts of the Qatari Businessmen Association to achieve economic and social development based on the Qatar National Vision 2030. During the conference, a document entitled “Qatari corporate social responsibility standards” was distributed.

96.Finally, the Social Responsibility Report was launched in Qatar in 2012. It reviews the progress made to promote corporate social responsibility, such as the incorporation of the concept of social responsibility in the Qatar National Vision 2030, National Development Strategy 2011-2016, the 2022 FIFA World Cup which Qatar will host, National Day, Sports Day, human development reports, national reports on the Millennium Development Goals and the pioneering experiments of the public and private sectors and multinational companies operating in Qatar.

(g)Data collection

97. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ notes with appreciation the provision of statistical data in the State party ’ s report and the efforts made to collect and analyse statistical data regarding children. However, the Committee regrets the limited data concerning some areas covered by the Convention, for example, violence against children, child abuse and children of migrant workers … The Committee recommends that the State party continue to strengthen its mechanisms for data collection by developing indicators consistent with the Convention in order to ensure that data are collected on all areas covered by the Convention and that they are disaggregated by age and sex, urban and other areas, and by those groups of children who are in need of special protection ” (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/2, paras. 17 and 18).

98.The Qatar Information Exchange Initiative is a national project implemented in cooperation with a number of governmental institutions and bodies, including the General Secretariat for Development Planning, Statistics Agency, Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Supreme Education Council and Supreme Council of Health. The project promotes the long-term coordination and consolidation of mechanisms for publishing and consolidating information in governmental institutions and entities in order to provide for the information needs of strategic planning at the State level.

99.In addition, a Family Database Indicators Manual for 2009 was prepared with a view to establishing a scientific, statistical reference for all data users, decision makers and policymakers to enable them to recognize the importance of indicators, the contexts in which they are used and how to utilize them in studies and research and in monitoring developments in categories of interest.

100.Regarding the provision of statistical data on violence in schools disaggregated by age and sex, etc., the Supreme Education Council has endeavoured to provide all measures and requirements needed to ensure the security and safety of students at home and at school. To that end, it has provided a number of training courses for social workers and psychologists in coordination with the relevant entities, such as the Department of Social Protection in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children, the Social Rehabilitation Centre (al-Uwayn) and the Family Counselling Centre. The courses cover proper methods for detecting, treating and reporting cases of violence. Since 2009, a number of training courses have been provided, initially by support institutions under contract with the Council and subsequently by independent schools in accordance with the approved development plan. The Supreme Education Council continues its efforts to promote the best practices.

101.The State has also made assiduous national efforts to collect information, develop statistics and identify gaps in statistical indicators of domestic violence. For this purpose, a special committee has been formed under the chair of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs with members from the concerned entities in the State.

(h)Dissemination of the Convention and training

102. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, states that it “ is encouraged by the efforts of the State party to disseminate information about the Convention especially to children in schools through the use, among others, of teaching manuals containing child-friendly information on the rights and principles set out in the Convention. However, the Committee is concerned that insufficient measures have been taken to disseminate and raise awareness of all the rights of children, in a systematic and targeted manner… The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to systematically disseminate information about the Convention among children, their parents and other caregivers and all relevant professional groups working with and for children. The Committee further recommends “ that the State party provide relevant professional groups with targeted and regular training on the provisions and principles of the Convention and the international human rights standards in general… The Committee further recommends that the State party take specific measures to make the Convention available to and known by all children in and out of school in Qatar ” (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/2, paras. 19 and 20).

103.In following up the Committee’s observations, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs provides, in its action plan, for the dissemination of the international conventions and covenants ratified by Qatar on human rights in general and the rights of the family in particular, including the rights of children. It publishes on its website all relevant conventions and international reports on the implementation of such conventions by Qatar. It also organizes training workshops for groups working with and for the benefit of the family, women and children.

104.At the Arab level, Qatar, represented by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, hosted the seventeenth session of the Arab Childhood Committee from 24 to 27 October 2011. During the session, discussions were held on children’s issues in the Arab world in connection with international conventions and the protection strategies and mechanisms needed for children in the Arab States.

105.The Supreme Council for Family Affairs has taken the initiative to strengthen awareness of children’s rights and of the third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure. The Council organized a workshop entitled “The Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child”, held in Doha from 3 to 5 June 2012 in cooperation with the Family and Child Department in the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, the Regional Office of UNICEF and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on violence against children, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and Save the Children Sweden.

(h) (1)Measures to raise awareness of the Convention and provide human rights training for students, teachers and school administrations

106.A series of measures have been taken to help disseminate the Convention and raise students’ awareness of the Convention in the context of human rights through human rights programmes for students, teachers and school administrations. A programme was initiated in the schools in March 2012 to educate students at the primary and preparatory levels. It includes contests in daily newspapers designed to educate and raise awareness of human rights among children. The programme includes the following components:

Creation of human rights groups in schools;

Training of teaching staff to spread a culture of human rights in the schools;

Declaration of Human Rights Day for schools;

Giving of lectures to students;

Visits by student rights groups to several governmental agencies;

Holding of contests with human rights themes.

107.The Supreme Education Council and National Human Rights Committee collaborated on the following training programmes and workshops on human rights for students, teachers and school administrators to educate them and convert their knowledge of human rights into practical skills:

A training course on the integration of human rights into primary, preparatory and secondary school curricula;

The preparation of an integrated package of training programmes on integrating human rights concepts at the primary, preparatory and secondary school levels;

A training course provided by National Human Rights Committee on the Human Rights Council and the universal periodic review mechanism;

A workshop on human rights based on the right to education held at Duhail Model School;

A workshop on the nature and characteristics of human rights, held at Ali ibn Abi Talib School in coordination with National Human Rights Committee.

108.As part of its broader human-rights activities and awareness-raising campaign, the National Human Rights Council and a group of schools introduced a contest entitled “Know your rights”. The 12 boys’ and girls’ schools that participated in the contest were honoured.

(h) (2)Incorporation of the Convention in school human rights curricula

109.Several guides on human rights in education have been developed, including:

A guide to teaching values;

A guide to teaching human rights at the primary level;

A guide to teaching human rights at the preparatory level;

A guide to teaching human rights at the secondary level.

(h) (3)Efforts to systematically disseminate information about the Convention among children, their parents and other caregivers and all relevant professional groups working with and for children

110.The Qatari Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women has developed the “Friends of Child Protection” programme. The programme is intended to: raise awareness of internationally recognized children’s rights; intensify national efforts to promote and protect the rights of children and train educators in how to give effect to those rights; develop comprehensive national programmes to foster the rights of children; and engage the participation of civil society, including children, in efforts to give effect to and raise awareness of children’s rights. Coordinators of the programme in participating schools have held meetings. Some 614 students at various stages of education from 153 schools have participated in the programme since its inception in May 2009. The programme’s activities include:

The organization of field and educational visits to more than 30 schools at all levels in order to disseminate information about and raise awareness of children’s rights;

The organization of an introductory meeting for members of “Friends of Child Protection” in March 2010;

The organization of a training course for social workers and counsellors in independent schools on fostering a culture of children’s rights and responsibilities and on methods for responding to cases of abuse, violence and neglect (May 2011);

The holding of a contest for the 16 schools participating in the programme and awarding of prizes for outstanding artistic and creative activities that promote children’s rights.

111.In addition, a programme to disseminate a culture of children’s rights has been implemented at various levels of education with a view to raising awareness of children’s rights and providing protection against violence between students in schools. The programme encourages students to assume a role in mitigating the negative impacts and consequences of violence and abuse in their community. It also seeks to enable teaching staff to detect abuse and delinquency by raising the awareness and upgrading the skills of social workers and teachers to deal with cases of violence and abuse against children. The programme has included field visits to independent and private schools and schools for expatriates and consists of lectures on various aspects of protection (social, health, psychological and legal) and on mechanisms for reporting violations and submitting complaints.

(h) (4)The State’s provision of relevant professional groups with targeted and regular training on the provisions and principles of the Convention and international human rights standards in general

112.The Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women has held numerous workshops and training courses for workers in the security, health and education sectors concerning: the promotion of children’s rights; protection from violence, abuse and deviant practices; and mechanisms for reporting and submitting complaints.

113.As part of its effort to provide training concerning international human rights instruments and their protocols (including but not limited to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children), the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women, in cooperation with the College of Law at Qatar University, organizes an annual legal clinic on the subject. This clinic is an educational/training programme that is part of the practical training component of the College of Law curriculum. Its purpose is to promote understanding of the rights enshrined in the Constitution of Qatar, which guarantees the right of every person to defend himself/herself and the right of human trafficking victims to receive legal assistance. It is also an expression of the social responsibility of the law students and the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women. The legal clinic is held in the spring and autumn quarters and comprises 120 hours of training over 10 weeks. It also includes a series of introductory lectures regarding the Act on Combating Trafficking in Persons, a series of exercises in the skills needed to support victims of human trafficking, visits to the competent authorities and some training workshops, the most important of which involves the preparation of a draft law on the regulation of domestic workers and a model contract for domestic workers. The students also work with counsellors and experts of the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women to provide legal assistance to human trafficking victims.

(h) (5)Awareness raising and education concerning the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict

114.The Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women organized a discussion workshop on the “Protection of children as a multilateral responsibility” during 18-19 September 2012. The workshop included a presentation of a paper entitled “Children in armed conflicts”. The paper explained the accession of Qatar to international instruments in this regard. It also dealt with Military Service Act No. 31 of 2006 and emphasized that military service in Qatar is voluntary, not compulsory, and that persons below the age of 18 are not conscripted. The laws of Qatar clearly and unambiguously prohibit the conscription of children and the participation of children in armed conflicts. The armed forces observe the highest humanitarian standards and standards of respect for human rights in the performance of military service.

(h) (6)Awareness raising and education concerning the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography

115.The State has continued to disseminate information in Qatari society on the sale of children, particularly among children, fathers, mothers, care providers and persons who work with children. The Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking has worked to enhance understanding in Qatari society of patterns and forms of human trafficking. To this end, it has:

Held training workshops for social workers in schools entitled “How do we protect our children from sexual harassment?” The workshops provide insights into the methods used by perpetrators of sexual harassment against their victims and ways to detect sexual harassment cases;

Held a workshop entitled “Making youth aware of the risks of sex tourism”;

Held a workshop entitled “Mechanisms for protecting children from sexual exploitation”;

Disseminated laws and conventions on the combating of human trafficking on the Foundation’s website and the Internet;

Conducted an awareness-raising campaign under the slogan, “Making upcoming generations aware of the dangers of human trafficking” to deepen understanding of human trafficking and the need to combat it. The two-month campaign targeted male and female students in primary, preparatory and secondary schools in its trial phase;

Conducted an awareness-raising campaign to stop human trafficking of children and adolescents in cooperation with the Body Shop Company in Qatar;

Staged presentations for male and female students of preparatory and secondary schools to raise awareness of human trafficking and to introduce them to the Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking.

i.Cooperation with foundations and civil society

116. The Committee notes, in its above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009, “ the active role played by various organizations, including entities such as the Qatari Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women and the Qatar Orphans Foundation, as well as by civil society in the provision of services, particularly health and social services for children, including children with disabilities and children without parental care.

“ The Committee recommends that the State party:

“ (a) Continue and strengthen its cooperation with foundations and civil society organizations and involve them systematically at all stages in the implementation of the Convention as well as in policy formulation;

“ (b) Provide civil society organizations support as necessary, including financial and other resources, to enable them to contribute effectively to the implementation of the Convention in all parts of the country;

“ (c) Ensure that foundations and civil society organizations comply with the principles and provisions of the Convention, for example, by providing them with guidelines and standards for service provision ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 21 and 22). ”

117.The Supreme Council for Family Affairs and its strategic partners have followed up these measures by intensifying efforts to strengthen cooperation and partnership to implement the general executive plan for the General Strategy for the Family and by strongly linking the Council’s programmes and projects with components of the Strategy for Family Cohesion and Empowerment of Women 2011-2016, which is in the framework of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016.

(i) (1)Guide for social welfare and protection service providers

118.The Supreme Council for Family Affairs is preparing a guide for social welfare and protection service providers as part of its policymaking and policy implementation monitoring role. The guide provides information to institutions concerned with families and family members to:

Enable families and family members to access social service providers in general and social welfare and protection service providers in particular to meet their needs;

To promote the role of service providers by highlighting the services and activities they offer;

Incentivize cooperation and networking among social service providers at the local level to promote their integration;

Instruct the institutions about providing material to entities concerned with monitoring trends in the growth, development and types of social services provided to families and family members in Qatar.

(i) (2)Cooperation between the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and the National Human Rights Committee

119.The Supreme Council for Family Affairs works to ensure the overall implementation of the provisions of human rights conventions. It coordinates with institutions active in this regard to achieve the objectives of international instruments concerning family affairs, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In this connection, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs concluded a memorandum of understanding with the National Human Rights Committee in 2010. The memorandum seeks to spread awareness of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by carrying out 12 activities over a three-year period. These activities include symposia, workshops and training courses for workers in the relevant agencies.

120.In this connection, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs organized, in cooperation with the National Human Rights Committee during 23-24 of May 2012, a training workshop on “Aspects of the relationship between the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child”. The workshop discussed the impediments and problems facing children with disabilities and their families. Participants included representatives of governmental and civil society institutions. The workshop identified comparable aspects of, and the relationship between, the two conventions and the role of officials in charge of programmes for children and students in the schools in promoting the four foundations for the application of the two conventions, namely empowerment, participation, integration and protection of children. Participants also discussed skills and mechanisms for advocacy and lobbying for children’s obtainment of their rights, particularly children with disabilities.

(i) (3)Role of the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women in strengthening cooperation with civil society

121.Key purviews of the Foundation include promoting cooperation and coordination among ministries and governmental agencies, public organizations and institutions, civil society organizations, individuals and all social groups with a view to facilitating the exchange of expertise and information on giving effect to children’s and women’s rights. The Foundation acts on the basis a community partnership paradigm in working with governmental agencies and national and international non-governmental organizations to improve services offered to target groups and to support national efforts to promote children and women and protect their human rights. The key areas of cooperation include:

Case intake and referral to agencies based on the agencies’ purviews after all procedures have been completed;

Facilitation of the provision of services to target groups by exchanging information and facilitating interactions;

Participation in activities organized to promote protection of children’s and women’s rights in particular and human rights in general;

Exchange of experience and expertise by reviewing key research, studies and reports on children’s rights;

Participation in relevant international conferences and forums.

(i) (4)Role of the Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking in promoting cooperation with civil society

122.Among the Foundation’s key purviews are: the promotion of cooperation with civil society organizations, including non-governmental organizations and groups concerned with children and youth; and ascertainment of the extent to which they are involved in planning for the implementation of the Convention and its optional protocols. To this end:

The Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Social Rehabilitation Centre on the exchange of information and expertise. They also agreed that the Centre will rehabilitate victims of sexual exploitation referred to the Foundation, particularly women and children;

The Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Qatari Red Crescent Society on the holding of relevant symposia and conferences and the organization of joint activities.

(j)International cooperation

123.International cooperation is a cornerstone of the foreign-policy of Qatar as set forth in the Qatar National Vision 2030, through which the State seeks to strengthen and promote human rights at the national, regional and international level and to achieve global security and peace.

124.According to the Foreign Assistance Report 2010/2011 issued by the International Development Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, humanitarian and development aid and assistance (governmental and non-governmental) provided by Qatar in 2010 and 2011 totalled 5,337,430,071 Qatari rials. This assistance, which benefited 108 States on various continents, totalled 0.54 per cent of the State’s GDP in 2011, up from 0.4 per cent in 2010.

125.The assistance provided by the State can be divided into governmental and non-governmental assistance as follows:

(j) (1)Governmental assistance

126.Governmental assistance is divided according to beneficiary into:

(a)Governmental assistance for international governmental organizations.

(b)Governmental assistance for non-governmental organizations, foundations and centres and non-profit organizations.

Governmental foreign assistance and aid in 2010 and 2011 totalled 3,731,405,938 Qatari rials. Governmental assistance in 2010 totalled 1,075,299,095 Qatari rials. It was increased by almost 1 ½ times in 2011 to total 2,656,106,843 Qatari rials. This increase reflects the response of Qatar to changes in the Arab region and its support for reconciliation, peace and reconstruction efforts in the world.

Figure 2 Distribution of foreign aid and assistance according to continent

Source : Foreign Assistance Report 2010-2011 .

(j) (2)Non-governmental assistance

127.Non-governmental assistance is divided into:

(a)Assistance provided by Qatari charitable associations and humanitarian foundations to governmental agencies abroad and to governmental organizations;

(b)Assistance provided by Qatari charitable associations and humanitarian foundations to their branches and certified partners from among non-governmental associations, foundations and organizations abroad.

Non-governmental foreign assistance and aid totalled 1,606,024,133 Qatari rials. Assistance in 2010 and 2011 totalled 799,690,991 Qatari rials and 806,330,142 Qatari rials respectively, which is considerably higher than the assistance provided during 2004-2009.

Figure 3 Distribution of nongovernmental assistance according to continent

Source : Foreign Assistance Report 2010-2011

Initiatives of Qatar

128.Qatar, in addition to providing humanitarian and development assistance, also undertakes international humanitarian and development initiatives, including the following:

The “HopeFor” initiative

129.The Qatari Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs launched the “HopeFor” initiative in New York in June 2010 to improve the effectiveness and coordination of the use of military and civil defence assets to respond to natural disasters and conduct relief operations. The initiative seeks to establish an international network of relief workers from assisting and damaged countries. Qatar hosted an international conference on the initiative during 27-29 November 2011 with support from Turkey, the Dominican Republic and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

“Dry Land” and “Education Above All” initiatives

130.The “Dry Land” and “Education Above All” initiatives were developed during 2010/11 based on the belief of Qatar in the importance and necessity of dealing with humanitarian and development challenges and of working to provide sustainable solutions for such challenges. These initiatives are intended to fill a gap in humanitarian and development work by emphasizing the engagement of all parties concerned with the advancement of humanitarian and development efforts throughout the world.

131.Qatar also made a major contribution by holding a conference for donors on investment and development in the Comoros in March 2010 in Doha in cooperation with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Qatar pledged to provide 73 million Qatari rials following the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 and established a special Fund for the Reconstruction of Haiti for that purpose. In the same context, Qatar made a donation to Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan and established the Qatar Friendship Fund in cooperation with the Government of Japan to contribute to reconstruction efforts in the affected areas.

“Protecting Education in Insecurity and Armed Conflict” initiative

132.Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser established the “Protecting Education in Insecurity and Armed Conflict”, an international initiative of the Education Above All Foundation in 2008 to protect, support and promote the right to education in zones experiencing or liable to experience crisis, conflict and war zones. Her Highness did so under article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (which concerns the right of each child to an education) and articles 22, 50, 94 and 108 of the Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949).

133.The Education above All Foundation seeks to achieve its objectives by:

Conducting studies and research, organizing study sessions, forums and conferences, and launching multimedia programmes to disseminate and deepen knowledge and increase individual, societal and international awareness of the dangers posed by crises, conflicts and wars to the right of education and the effect thereof on international peace and development;

Monitoring, investigating and documenting all violations committed against the educational system in situations of crises, conflicts and wars;

Developing an international legal mechanism to defend the right to education from all violations and encroachments and to prosecute violators.

“My library” initiative

134.Based on the desire of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser to educate children and adolescents and strengthen their Arabic language skills as a primary component of Qatari identity, Her Highness initiated the establishment of bookstores in shopping malls through the “My library” project. Implementation of the project, which is intended to encourage children to read when they are at shopping malls with their families, began in 2011. Children’s bookstores have been inaugurated in several malls, including but not limited to the Villagio Mall.

Al-Fakhurah initiative

135.The war against Gaza resulted not only in the killing and wounding of innocent children but also in the destruction of the education infrastructure. More than 40 Palestinians were killed and a large number of innocent persons were injured when al-Fakhurah School in the Palestinian Jabaliya refugee camp was bombarded by artillery on 6 January 2009. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser launched the al-Fakhurah initiative in the same year to support and protect students and schools in conflict zones around the world, particularly in Gaza.

“Teach a Child” initiative

136.“Teach a Child” is a global initiative launched by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser in 2012 to reduce the number of children who lose the right to education all over the world, estimated at six million primary school age children, most of whom live in abject poverty.

137.The programme currently targets 34 — and is actually active in 17 — countries throughout the world, which account for more than 70 per cent of the children worldwide who are not enrolled in school.

138.The “Teach a Child” initiative provides an education to children harmed by conflicts, wars and natural disasters as well as children living in poor urban neighbourhoods or remote rural areas and groups that may face particular challenges in accessing education, such as girls, persons with disabilities and minorities. The initiative was inspired by the Millennium Development Goal of ensuring that children everywhere can complete a full course of primary schooling. The project cooperates with a group of international and national organizations to surmount the obstacles to reaching the poorest, most fragile children.

139.Qatar hosted a high-level strategic meeting of the “Teach a Child” initiative entitled “Intensification of efforts to reach children not enrolled in schools” to assist millions of children in obtaining their natural rights to a primary education. The initiative has helped 600,000 children receive a good education in the most challenging areas of the world.

Qatari-Mauritanian Social Development Foundation

140.The Qatari-Mauritanian Social Development Foundation was established in 2005. Its activities include programmes to eradicate illiteracy, particularly among children, by teaching and training them and by establishing micro enterprises to assist children. The foundation continues to operate as of this date.

141.In the framework of international cooperation and the financial assistance provided by Qatar to international organizations and United Nations bodies, Qatar provided financial support in the amount of 15,000 French francs to the Committee on the Rights of the Child to finance the meeting it held in the Swiss city of Sion in February 2013 to formulate general comments on the bylaws of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure.

142.Qatar also provided 25,000 French francs in financial support to the Defence for Children International organization in Geneva to sponsor a training workshop for workers in the organization’s branches on defending the rights of children and juveniles in the legal system and to organize an activity entitled “The sentencing of juveniles in the Arab world” on the side-lines of the twenty-third session of the Human Rights Council.

143.Qatar also provides $100,000 in annual support to the basic resources of UNICEF.

Part IIDefinition of the child (art. 1)

144. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009, “ is still concerned at the disparity in the minimum age of marriage for boys and girls and particularly that the age for girls is set at 16 years. The Committee recommends that the State party rectify the disparity in the minimum age of marriage for boys and girls by raising the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 years ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 23 and 24).

145.As of the preparation of the present report, the Family Act has not been amended in respect of the minimum age of marriage, which is set at 18 years for males and 16 years for females. The draft Act on the Rights of the Child clearly defines a child as “any person who has not reached the age of 18”.

Part IIIGeneral principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12)

(a)Non-discrimination

146.Article 34 of the Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar of 2004 states, “Citizens shall be equal in terms of public rights and duties”. Article 35 states, “All persons are equal before the law and there shall be no discrimination whatsoever on grounds of gender, race, language or religion”.

147. Nonetheless, the Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009, “ is concerned about the remaining laws such as the Family Act and the Nationality Act which perpetuate discrimination against women and girls in the Qatari society. Furthermore, discrimination against children born out of wedlock and children of migrant workers is an issue of particular concern to the Committee ” … The Committee recommends that the State party make greater efforts to ensure that all children within its jurisdiction enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Convention without discrimination, in accordance with article 2, by effectively reviewing its existing laws which are not in accordance with the principle of non-discrimination… and that the State party adopt a proactive and comprehensive strategy to eliminate de jure and de facto discrimination on any grounds and against all children, paying particular attention to girls, children with disabilities, children born out of wedlock and children of migrant workers ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 25 and 26).

148.The present report affirms that Qatari law does not discriminate in respect of the gender of children. Society and State institutions continue to eliminate all forms of discrimination in daily practices between males and females, including children. For example, the Qatar Orphans Foundation makes the utmost effort to eliminate discriminatory behaviours among children fostered within the foundation and children fostered in alternate foster families.

(b)Best interests of the child

149. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009, expresses its concern “ that the general principle of the best interests of the child contained in article 3 of the Convention is not fully integrated in national legislation, regulations and practices concerning children ” . The Committee accordingly recommends that “ the State party take appropriate measures to ensure that the principle of the best interests of the child is fully incorporated in legislation as well as in judicial and administrative decisions and in the various policies, programmes and services which have an impact on children ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 27 and 28).

150.In follow-up of these observations, the present report points to the custody, guardianship and maintenance procedures derived from the articles of the Family Act of 2006, all of which assign priority to the best interests of the child in making decisions and resolving conflicts in matters that affect the child’s life and development.

151.For example, the present report mentions custody provisions and procedures for deciding custody according to article 165 of the Family Act. These provisions and procedures are based on the idea that the right of a minor takes precedence over the right of an adult. Accordingly, if abuse of a child is determined, the Department of Social Protection in the Ministry of Social Affairs recommends to the juvenile court judge to revoke one or both parents’ custody and remand the child to another person, relative or specialized State institution. The judge takes into account the best interest of the child and the child’s opinion before and during the rendering of a decision.

152.The Qatar Orphans Foundation-Dhreima observes the best interests of the child in respect of orphans of unknown parentage by fulfilling the foster care eligibility requirements and selecting appropriate foster families. For this purpose, the foster care providers must:

Be of legal age;

Be of sound mind and demonstrate mental competence;

Demonstrate integrity based on a criminal background investigation conducted by the Criminal Evidence Department in the Ministry of Interior;

Be capable of raising the foster child (orphan of unknown parentage) as demonstrated by their household situation and history, economic ability, and the capacity of their dwelling to accommodate the foster child in a way that facilitates decent care of the child.

Be the subject of a careful home study conducted by social worker, with a focus on ascertainment of chronic diseases present in the family before the child is placed in foster care.

153.Under article 172 of the Family Act, if the family is unable to accept custody of the child, a social and psychological study is submitted to the judge to enable him to select an appropriate family that can take custody of the child. The judiciary has revoked custody of a child in some cases based on the child’s interests after it was proven that the child’s custodian harmed the child.

154.The Foundation adheres to ethical and legal policies, procedures and rules that take into account the child’s best interest without discrimination. It observes individual differences among beneficiaries of the services which it provides for the benefit of the child. It also provides children with the necessary protection.

(c)Right to life

155. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009, “ notes with concern that injuries, many of them preventable, and particularly road traffic and domestic accidents, are an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality ” . The Committee accordingly “ recommends that the State party strengthen its measures to protect children from injuries, including road traffic and domestic accidents … ” and that “ the State party continue to include the prev ention of accidents in national policy priorities and objectives, and strengthen its public campaigns to increase traffic awareness among children, parents, teachers and the public in general ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 25 and 26).

156.Qatar attaches great importance to safe movement, which is fundamental to the achievement of sustainable human development. This concern is manifest in the issuance of Council of Ministers Decision No. 33 of 2010 on the formation of the National Road Safety Committee under the chair of the Minister of State for Internal Affairs. The Committee, whose members are drawn from the concerned State agencies, is responsible for drafting road safety policies.

157.The strategy for family cohesion and the empowerment of women sets three specific goals for improving unhealthy behaviours (smoking, chewing tobacco and reckless driving) of youth by 2016.

158.The Supreme Education Council, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Shell Corporation, organized a workshop entitled “The general educational framework for road safety in Qatar”. The goals of the workshop were to establish a road-safety curriculum that will be studied in the coming year in six independent schools in the State to spread road-safety awareness and to unify the efforts of State institutions and ministries in this regard.

159.The National Road Safety Strategy 2013-2022 was introduced in Qatar with a view to reducing the number of traffic accident fatalities and severe injuries as a step towards achieving the long-term vision of Qatar for road safety.

160.The strategy focuses on the concerned entities’ shared overarching vision. It provides a working framework for determining the commitments required and serves as a reference for the implementation of the highest-priority, most effective road safety initiatives. The strategy complements other strategies in Qatar, e.g., the Strategy for the Master Plan, Sustainable Transportation and Transportation Demand Management.

161.The strategy includes a Working Plan for National Road Safety in Qatar 2013-2017. Thirteen agencies in Qatar are implementing the plan to make Qatari roads among the safest in the world through an ambitious programme of activities and projects that will be implemented over the next five years.

162.The National Traffic Safety Committee, in cooperation with Maersk Oil Qatar, has inaugurated a new campaign under the motto “Moment”. The campaign seeks to convey innovative media messages to the public at large to achieve its goals and to serve as an umbrella for all road safety initiatives and campaigns.

163.The National Traffic Safety Committee has taken measures to protect children from road accidents, including prohibiting children below the age of 16 from sitting in the front seat of a moving vehicle and prosecuting underage drivers. In addition, the Traffic Department in the Ministry of Interior is responsible for promoting programmes to raise the traffic awareness of children. The Department gives lectures and organizes educational activities at schools. It has also organized a “Schools without Accidents” campaign, introduced a traffic education curriculum to the schools and has worked to construct a traffic village for driver education purposes.

164.The Supreme Education Council is keen on the safety of children in schools. To this end, it has formulated a school safety and security policy that includes a number of directives and guidelines for managing security and safety in the schools. A specialized committee was formed under Ministerial Decision No. 25 of 2009 to supervise the implementation of the school health and safety policy. The Committee prepared a guide to the management of security and safety. The guide covers the steps for managing security and safety, the formation of a security and safety management team in the school and the team’s duties. The aforesaid steps include knowledge of roles, first aid training, periodic monitoring of general security and safety management guidelines and instructions, training plans for all students and workers (including evacuation plans), and educational and awareness-raising programmes conducted jointly by the Civil Defence Department in the Ministry of Interior and the schools. Schools must also periodically fill out forms for the evaluation of fire safety procedures, laboratory safety, building and building annex safety, safety of services, the evacuation and emergency plan, and the guide to communications safety and quality. A team from the Supreme Education Council inspects all security and safety procedures at the schools at the beginning and in the middle of the academic year.

165.To strengthen measures to protect children from injury, including accidents in the home, the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women provides psychological services for children who have suicidal ideations or who attempt suicide. It also provides medicines and psychological treatment depending on the type of mental illness. Each case is monitored and evaluated. Cases may be referred to the Psychiatry Department of the Hamad Medical Corporation if the family cannot be monitored, depending on the nature and severity of the symptoms. The services provided by the Foundation also seek to raise the awareness of the family, parents and teachers about mental health issues and how to deal with them.

(d)Respect for the views of the child

166. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, while “ noting the various programmes to promote the right of the child to express views, such as the school press and radio groups, student rights groups and student councils, the Committee expresses its concern that the views of the child are sometimes not duly solicited or taken into account in other settings affecting the child, including in judicial proceedings (trial in absentia), in public debates as well as within the family ” . The Committee accordingly recommends that “ the State party incorporate, facilitate and implement, in practice, within the family, schools, and the community as well as in institutions taking care of children and in administrative and judicial proceedings, the principle of respect for the views of the child ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 29 and 30).

167.In follow-up of these recommendations, the present report informs the Committee that the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children, Qatar Orphans Foundation and Department of Social Protection in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs guarantee the right of the child to express his or her views in personal matters through the procedures and measures which those entities implement, each according to its purview.

168.For example, the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women:

Ensures that social service providers who conduct intake of children and victims of abuse, violence and neglect verify the substance of the complaint with the child himself after making sure that the child understands that he or she can respond safely and confidentially and that his or her privacy will be protected. The service providers employ skills for guiding the child to state his or her views through the use of drawings in the context of a psychosocial treatment and rehabilitation programme or through games or other means. They also take into account the child’s choice of parent to assume custody if one of the parents is the source of violence against the child until the grounds for the complaint no longer exist or, in the case of a battered child, the court renders a custody decision;

Enables a battered child or the child of a battered woman to communicate with the judicial or security authorities if the child is summoned for questioning regarding the occurrence of violence or regarding the child’s custody choice;

Delivers awareness-raising and educational lectures to staff and students in schools to promote the child’s responsible expression of his or her views by ensuring respect for the child’s view;

Issues educational pamphlets that promote the rights of the child, particularly the right to express an opinion.

Part IVCivil rights and freedoms (arts. 7, 8, 13-17 and 37 (a))

(a)Name and nationality

169. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ regrets that no sufficient follow-up has been given to its recommendation on the right to acquire a nationality in the previous concluding observations (CRC/C/15/Add.163, para. 41) reiterates its concern that the Nationality Act does not confer de jure citizenship to children of Qatari women married to non-nationals, as it does where the father is Qatari. In accordance with articles 2 and 7 of the Convention, the Committee urges the State party to critically review its Nationality Act in order to ensure that nationality can be transmitted to children through both the maternal and paternal line without distinction ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 33 and 34).

170.The State has been working to harmonize national legislation with international instruments. The Supreme Council for Family Affairs, in coordination with the competent parties in the State, has reviewed the legislation on the rights of children of Qatari women married to non-Qatari men. It is examining the possibility of amending the legislation for the benefit of this category. As stated in the second periodic report of Qatar, the Nationality Act (Act No. 38 of 2005), article 2, grants priority for naturalization to persons whose mother is Qatari to ensure equality between men and women in respect of the granting of Qatari nationality to their children. In furtherance of humanitarian considerations, the final paragraph of the aforesaid article 2 grants persons born in Qatar of unknown parentage Qatari nationality and the same status as a naturalized citizen. It also deems foundlings to have been born in Qatar barring evidence to the contrary (see also CRC/C/QAT/2 of 16 December 2008, para. 86).

(b)Preservation of identity

171. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ is concerned that the child born out of wedlock does not have the full right to know and be cared for by his or her parents in accordance with article 7 of the Convention and especially that no procedures are provided by law to fully guarantee this right. In line with article 7 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party take all appropriate measures, including legislative ones, to ensure that the child born out of wedlock has the full right to know and be cared for by his or her parents and that procedures are established by law to guarantee this right ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 35 and 36).

172.In response to these issues, the present report notes the provisions of Act No. 20 of 2007 amending several provisions of Act No. 5 of 1982 regulating the registration of births and deaths. Article 8 of the Act states, “Any person who finds a new-born child must hand the child over to the nearest police station. The police must immediately notify the Qatar Orphans Foundation of the child and take the necessary measures to provide medical care for the child. The police shall prepare a report on the circumstances in which the new-born was found, stating the place, date, and time at which the child was found, the child’s sex, the condition in which the child was found, and a precise description of the child, including any distinguishing marks, the child’s clothing and any objects found with the child. The report shall state the name, identity card number, occupation and address of the person who found the child”. The details concerning the child’s condition, which must be included in the police report under the aforesaid act, are intended to facilitate the reuniting of the foundling with his or her parents in the future. The Act is designed to obtain information on the condition in which the parents abandoned their child, so that if the parents change their minds and wish to take custody of and support their child, they may do so.

173.Regarding the right of a child born out of wedlock, the Qatar Orphans Foundation gives a name to any child born of unknown parentage and obtains a birth certificate and Qatari passport for the child according to the Act No. 38 of 2005 on Qatari nationality.

174.The Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking — in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, Family Court and Supreme Council of Health — has obtained identity documents for 42 children born out of wedlock. Such children are sheltered with their mothers at the Qatari Shelter and Humanitarian Welfare Home, which is associated with the foundation, pursuant to Act No. 20 of 2007 amending several provisions of Act No. 5 of 1982 regulating the registration of births and deaths.

Table 1

Number of children sheltered with their mothers and the Qatari Shelter and Humanitarian Welfare Home according to sex (2006-2013)

Year	Male	Female	Total
2006	5	6	11
2007	5	8	13
2008	-	4	4
2009	4	3	7
2010	1	1	2
2011		1	1
2012	3	-	3
2013	1	-	1
Total number of children	42

(c)The right to access, receive and disseminate appropriate information

175. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ recognizes the use of modern technology, including the Internet as a teaching tool for children, but it remains concerned at the lack of information on monitoring mechanisms to protect children from being exposed to harmful information, such as violence and pornography, transmitted through the media and the Internet… The Committee recommends that the State party consider adopting specific legislation and develop mechanisms, guidelines and programmes for parents and children to protect them from information and material injurious to their well-being such as violence and pornography (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 37 and 38).

176.Regarding the adoption of legislation and follow-up of the aforesaid recommendations concerning the exploitation of children in acts of prostitution, under article 292 of the Qatari Penal Code promulgated under Act No. 11 of 2004, “Imprisonment of up to one year and/or a fine of up to 5,000 Qatari rials shall be imposed on any person who produces, imports, publishes, possesses, obtains or transports for the purposes of exploitation or distribution of a book, publication or any other written material or depiction, image, film, symbol or other item offensive to public decency and morality. The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who advertises or offers for sale or rent, even privately, any such item and on any person who distributes or supplies such an item for distribution by any means”.

177.The Qatari legislator, conscious of the danger of pornography and its effect on children, strengthened the penalty in the aforesaid offense to “up to two years and/or a fine up to 10,000 rials if a child 16 years of age or younger is exploited” (Penal Code, article 292 last paragraph).

178.Act No. 15 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons, article 2, which concerns the methods and objectives of human trafficking, deems a person to have committed the offense of human trafficking if the person has in any way exploited, transported, handed over, sheltered or received any natural person, whether inside the country or abroad, through force or violence or the threat thereof, abduction, deceit or subterfuge, abuse of power or by exploiting a condition of weakness or need, promising to give or receive money or other benefits in return for the consent of a person to allow the trafficking of another person under their control, when such acts are intended to exploit a person in any way whatsoever … including the exploitation of children in pornography, etc.

179.Inasmuch as the offense of trafficking in children entails an aggravating circumstance, the legislator strengthened the penalty imposed on a person who traffics in children for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Thus, under article 15 (1) of Act No. 15 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons, “A person who commits the offence of human trafficking shall be punished by imprisonment of up to 15 years and a fine up to 300,000 rials if: (1) the victim is a female, a child, an incompetent person or a person with disabilities”.

180.The Qatari Council of Ministers also approved a draft act promulgating an act on the combating of electronic crimes in its session of 29 to May 2013. The draft act punishes: any person who unlawfully accesses, through the Internet or any means of information technology, an electronic site or information system of a State agency, institution, authority, or entity or corporation subordinate to the State; any person who establishes or administers an electronic site on the Internet or any means of information technology to disseminate inaccurate news with the intent of endangering the safety of the State, public order or the internal or external security of the State; and any person who offends social principles or values or disseminates news, images, or voice or video recordings bearing on the inviolability of the personal and family life of an individual, even if accurate, or offends another person through slander or defamation through the Internet or any means of information technology.

181.Regarding institution building, the Centre for Combating Electronic Crimes was established on 24 December 2009. It is subordinate to the Criminal Investigation Department and is headquartered in the Security Department in the capital. It combines the latest equipment and technologies for combating electronic crimes with elite cybercrime specialists.

182.Regarding Internet safety measures, an Internet Safety Division has been established in the Supreme Council for Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR). In addition, the National Committee for Internet Safety was established in July 2012. The Committee, which is supported by the aforesaid council, includes representatives from all relevant sectors, including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic affairs, Qatar Computer Emergency Response Centre in the aforesaid council, Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Supreme Education Council, civil society institutions and a number of private-sector companies. The National Committee for Internet Safety aims to increase awareness regarding the responsible use of Internet security in Qatar.

183.The activities and efforts of the National Committee for Internet Safety since it was established in February 2012 have focused on three target groups — students, teachers, and parents — through an initiative implemented in cooperation with the Supreme Education Council. The initiative involves a trial instructional programme on Internet safety in State schools for students in fifth, eighth, and tenth grades. The program, which has been implemented in 12 separate schools in Qatar, includes training for instructors and parents and a comprehensive curriculum for students on the basics of Internet safety and the concept of the digital culture.

The National Committee for Internet Safety has established a number of subcommittees, including: 1) the family committee; committee to develop and manage digital content for promoting Internet safety and controls for Internet users (individuals or families) and to raise awareness; and the legal action committee, which seeks to provide the necessary guidelines and recommendations on legislation and policies.

184.Regarding protection of children from information and material that is harmful to their well-being, the Supreme Education Council has employed technologies in the schools and has developed procedures and measures for monitoring and protecting students by preventing them from accessing pornography sites and by controlling the devices of students centrally through the Supreme Education Council, which downloads programmes and applies policies in a centralized, safe manner. The Council has also established a shop for the free distribution of a safe, useful series of applications for its specialists. Regarding Internet surfing, the system permits students to enter only safe sites selected and approved by the Council.

185.In follow-up of the Committee’s recommendations, the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women is making major efforts to protect children from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation, including violence and pornographic materials conveyed through the media and Internet.

186.The Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women also launched a campaign under the motto “End the Silence” to combat sexual violence against children. The campaign, which ran from 2009 through 2012, was conducted in commercial centres and malls in three stages, one of which involved the participation of children with disabilities.

187.Aman (Safety), a quarterly periodical dealing with the protection of children’s rights, is distributed to various official governmental and non-governmental bodies, civil society institutions and other entities and individuals concerned with women’s and children’s issues.

188.Issues relating to women and children are covered in print and broadcast media programmes and activities involving audience participation in discussions. In addition, the Qatari daily al- Rayah features a weekly local page entitled “Safe haven”, which is dedicated to deepening social and legal awareness of areas where women and children in the family and community need protection to ensure the safe use of modern technology.

189.The Juvenile Police Department in the Ministry of the Interior, in coordination with governmental agencies and civil society organizations concerned with children’s affairs, has developed a strategy to protect children from harmful information and material such as violence and pornography. It issues posters, educational brochures and pamphlets on this topic, with a view to protecting children. Moreover, it conducts field studies in order to determine the magnitude of this problem and methods for treating it. It holds training workshops and lectures to raise awareness among schoolchildren and their parents in order to enlist the family’s cooperation in reducing children’s exposure to such abuse and protecting them. The department also helps produce radio and television programmes geared towards child protection.

190.The Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking has undertaken numerous, urgent efforts to protect children from cybercrime and exploitation in pornography. In particular it has:

Prepared a study entitled “The negative effect of Internet use on increased rates of human trafficking offenses and the dangerous effects thereof on adolescents and youth in Qatar - theoretical field study”;

Organized — in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Communication and Information Technology, Ministry of Interior and relevant international organizations, including Interpol — a workshop entitled “Human trafficking cybercrimes”. The workshop sought to build awareness of the danger of human trafficking crimes on the Internet and the best international practices for combating cybercrimes involving human trafficking. It also developed practical capacities to monitor cybercrimes and use the latest technologies.

191.The Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking, in order to effectively combat and curb the various forms of the sexual exploitation of children, has:

Organized a workshop entitled “Making youth aware of the risks of sex tourism” to train various groups in society in methods for educating youth about the dangers of sex tourism and the exploitation of women and children in pornography, which is considered a form of human trafficking. The workshop also sought to raise the awareness of young people age 18-30 of the dangers of sex tourism when traveling to countries that are notorious for this type of tourism, particularly the dangers posed by international gangs that specialize in sex tourism and attempt to attract as many tourists as possible;

Launched an awareness-raising campaign entitled “Making upcoming generations aware of the dangers of human trafficking”. The campaign targeted students and administrative and teaching staff in 10 schools at all levels. It sought to familiarize participants with the offense of human trafficking and its effect on society and to raise the awareness of the upcoming generation in order to counter this phenomenon;

Launched an awareness-raising campaign entitled “Stop trafficking of children and adolescents” in cooperation with The Body Shop Company to celebrate the collection of 16,000 signatures on a petition of Qatar to stop the trafficking of children and adolescents for presentation to the Secretary-General of the United Nations;

Launched the educational briefcase, which contains a series of films appropriate to various age groups and academic levels that explain in simple terms the offense of human trafficking and its effect on society;

Launched a campaign under the slogan “Sanad” (Support) to introduce school students to the dimensions and dangers to society of human trafficking crimes, including cybercrimes. The campaign was launched on the social communication sites Facebook and Twitter as part of an effort to communicate with various age groups and to reach the greatest possible audience;

Organized a symposium entitled “Personal safety for children from sexual harassment” in cooperation with the targeted educational institutions. The symposium sought primarily to raise the awareness of parents and school teaching staff of the importance of personal safety for children and methods for dealing with a child who has been subjected to sexual harassment. It also sought to explain the psychological, physical and behavioural effects of sexual harassment;

Organized a symposium to discuss measures and mechanisms for combating the exploitation of children.

(d)Freedom of thought, conscience and religion

192.The Committee’s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not include a paragraph concerning freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

193.With respect to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the present report refers to the two previous periodic reports of Qatar.

(e)The child’s right to the protection of his or her privacy

194.The Committee’s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not include a paragraph concerning the child’s right to the protection of his or her privacy, as provided in article 16 of the Convention.

195.The Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women provides children and their families with counselling services that promote respect for the child’s privacy and non-interference in the child’s personal life and help parents acquire skills for modifying and monitoring their children’s behaviour in a way that instils self-confidence in their children while maintaining their privacy.

196.The aforesaid foundation provides legal advice and legal education regarding children’s rights to the parents or guardians of children concerning the importance of respecting the child’s privacy. If the offense of slander or defamation or any act that harms the child’s honour or reputation is committed against the child, the legal unit provides legal assistance by appointing an attorney for the child’s parents or guardian, communicating with the child and following up the case with the security authorities.

(f)The right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including corporal punishment

197. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ while noting that measures are being taken to address corporal punishment in the context of disciplinary measures in schools and in the penal system, the Committee expresses concern that corporal punishment of children is still lawful in the family and alternative care settings… The Committee urges the State party to take a series of measures including:

“ (a) To critically review its current legislation with a view to prevent and end the use of corporal punishment of children as a method of discipline and to introduce explicit legislation prohibiting all forms of corporal punishment of children in all settings, including in the family, schools, penal system and alternative care settings;

“ (b) To introduce … awareness-raising and social mobilization campaigns on alternative non-violent forms of discipline with the involvement of children in order to change public attitudes to corporal punishment ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 39-41 ). ”

198.In follow-up of the aforesaid remarks and recommendations, the present report refers to amendments of legislation on protection from violence, including Act No. 8 of 2010 amending the Criminal Code promulgated by Act 11 of 2004, which replaced Article 159 of Act No. 11 of 2004 with the following text:

“Any public official who uses or orders the use of torture, force or threats against an accused person, a witness or an expert for the purpose of obtaining a confession to an offence, coercing the person into making a statement or providing information about an offence or covering up an offence shall be imprisoned for up to five years. If the victim sustains an injury leading to permanent disability as the result of an act committed by a public official, the offender shall be imprisoned for up to 10 years. If the victim dies as a result of the act, the offender shall be liable to the death penalty or life imprisonment”.

Act No. 8 of 2010 also added a new article, 159 bis, to the Criminal Code, which is as follows:

“Any public official or any other person acting in an official capacity who uses or instigates torture or agrees or acquiesces to the torture of any person shall be imprisoned for up to five years. If the victim sustains a permanent disability as a result of being tortured, the offender shall be imprisoned for up to 10 years. If the victim dies as a result of being tortured, the offender shall be liable to the death penalty or life imprisonment.

“Torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act that he or a third person committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind. Torture does not include pain or suffering arising solely from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions”.

Part VFamily environment and alternative care (arts. 5, 18 (paras. 1-2)), 9-11, 19-21, 25, 27 (para. 4) and 39)

(a)Guidance of parents

199. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ welcomes the information provided by the State party regarding the Maternal and Childhood Cultural Centre and the Family Consultancy Centre to raise awareness of effective child-rearing techniques in all developmental stages and to avoid harmful practices. However, the Committee is concerned that responsibilities of the parents may not be equally shared in the upbringing of their children ... The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to ensure appropriate support programmes for parents in the exercise of their equal responsibilities towards their children in accordance with article 18 of the Convention ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 42 and 43).

200.Measures have been adopted to provide appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in assuming there responsibilities for child-rearing. The Human Resources Management Act promulgated by Act No. 8 of 2009 guarantees the right of a woman to take leaves from her job. Article 108 of the act grants a female employee 60 days of fully paid maternity leave, which may not be deducted from other types of leave. The employee must submit a medical report or original copy of her child’s birth certificate to substantiate the birth. In all cases, the balance of the employee’s regular leave may be added to her maternity leave.

201.Article 109 of the aforesaid act grants a female employee two hours for breastfeeding each day for up to one year, beginning immediately after the end of maternity leave. It is left to the employee’s discretion to set the time for breastfeeding.

202.Regarding the granting of leave to a female employee to care for her children, under article 110, a Qatari female employee’s superior may grant her leave to care for a child with disabilities below the age of six twice during her period of service, for up to three years in each case. Subject to the exigencies of the public interest, the Prime Minister may, at his discretion, grant a Qatari female employee leave to care for her children. In any event, leave will be given with full pay during the first three-year period and with half pay thereafter.

203.Nonetheless, a workshop on “The right of women to work and national legislation and international instruments”, which was organized by the National Human Rights Committee in April 2012, called for amending article 97 of the Qatari Labour Code promulgated by Act No. 14 of 2004 to delete the requirement that a female worker must be employed for at least one year in order to be granted maternity leave. The workshop also advocated amending the Human Resources Management Act promulgated by Act No. 8 of 2009 to establish a female employee’s right to take fully paid leave to care for her children who do not have disabilities or a chronic disease three times throughout her period of employment.

204.Under the Family Act (No. 22 of 2006), both parents are responsible for the upbringing, guidance and care of their children. The capacity to provide direction and guidance is a criterion which the judge must take into account when assigning custody of a child. The person awarded custody must allow the legal guardian or agnate relative to supervise the upbringing of the child (arts. 166-171 of the Family Act). Civil society institutions concerned with children’s rights play a role in the guidance process.

205.The Qatar National Vision 2030 seeks to build a society that promotes fairness and equality. It establishes the following objectives to promote family cohesion and empower women:

Strong, cohesive families that take care of their members and maintain religious and moral values and high human ideals;

Maintenance of cohesive, strong families that take care of their members and maintain religious and moral values and ideals;

Development of a sound social structure and the building of effective public institutions and active, strong civil society organizations;

Building of an effective social protection system for all Qataris that upholds their civil rights, values their effective participation in developing society and provides them with an income that allows them to live decently and stay healthy;

Promotion of the capacities of women and the empowerment of women through economic and political participation, especially in decision-making.

206.The Sectoral Strategy to Promote Family Cohesion and Empower Women, which forms part of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016, sets eight main development outcomes in three main areas — namely family cohesion, welfare and the empowerment of women — as a means of achieving the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

207.Regarding the executive measures adopted to develop child welfare institutions, facilities and services, the Family Counselling Centre has established a day-care unit for the children of female and male employees. The unit provides their children with educational care, educational and recreational field trips and behavioural education during the official workday. These activities have significantly reduced childcare pressure on mothers working at the centre and have enhanced the psychological and job stability of employees. The centre’s role in childcare consists of providing:

Essential services to persons awarded custody of a child and to the child in their care following the separation of the child’s parents;

Friendly educational advice upon the request of one or both parents;

Family mediation and reconciliation between parents involved in a dispute over the rights of their child. Such services are provided by the centre’s reconciliation division.

208.Regarding programmes and activities that educate parents in methods for educating and protecting children, the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children has published a manual on the detection of abuse (violence and neglect) involving children and women. The manual focuses on the detection of abuse, the reporting and complaints mechanism and treatment methods for rehabilitation and reintegration.

209.In addition, the aforesaid foundation has conducted awareness-raising campaigns featuring activities for various segments of society, e.g., the “Stop the silence” campaign and the “Combating violence against persons with disabilities” campaign, which focused on ways to guide parents and guardians of children to care for children and protect them from violence.

210.Awareness-raising and educational programmes include a quarterly publication entitled Himayah (Protection). Five issues of the magazine Aman (Safety) were published and distributed to various official governmental and non-governmental bodies, civil society institutions and other entities and individuals concerned with women’s and children’s issues. In addition, the Qatari daily al- Rayah features a weekly local page entitled “Safe haven”, which is dedicated to deepening social and legal awareness of areas where women and children in the family and community need protection. The page includes advice on social, legal, health and psychological issues and questions, suggestions and observations from readers in order to create a lively interaction.

211.Also, the Social Rehabilitation Centre — in the framework of its educational and preventive programmes plan to enhance capabilities and impart skills and expertise to parents, social workers, psychologists and workers in relevant institutions who deal with the target group — has delivered the following lectures in the context of an ongoing education programme for parents:

“An hour with children” (June 2010);

“Aggression in children” (25 January 2011);

“How to raise our children” (1 March 2011).

(b)Separation of the child from his or her parents

212.The Committee’s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not contain a special paragraph on the right of the child not to be separated from his parents, as provided in article 9 of the Convention.

213.Nonetheless, the present report refers to the information contained in the second periodic report of Qatar submitted in 2008 (CRC/C/QAT/2, paras. 143-148), particularly the measures adopted by the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women, which include the establishment in July 2007 of the Qatari Dar al-Aman (Safe House). Dar al-Aman provides shelter for women and children victims of abuse and violence, separating them from the perpetrator of the violence and ensuring their physical and psychological safety and protection from domestic or social neglect and abuse. It provides them with psychological, social and legal support based on a treatment plan under the supervision of qualified staff. It also provides subsistence welfare services and ensures employment and school continuity. The aforesaid foundation continues to take in such cases and provide them with all services.

214.The present report points in this regard to general statistics on the number of children that were sheltered during 2009-2012 in the following table:

Table 2Number of children sheltered in Dar al-Aman during 2009-2012

Target group	2009	2010	2011	2012	Total
Number	36	31	30	38	135
Percentage	27	23	23	27	100

215.Regarding the right of a child who is separated from one or both parents to maintain personal relations and direct contact with both parents on a regular basis, the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women ensures that a battered child who is sheltered habitually in the safe house has contact with his or her family under the supervision of specialists and supervisors at the safe house, taking into account the child’s best interests and assurance of continuity in the child’s school and social life. The children of broken families requiring ongoing care and shelter in the Qatar Orphans Foundation may have visits with their families unless such visits are harmful to the children.

216.Regarding a child’s right not to be separated from his parents, the measures adopted by the Qatar Orphans Foundation are applied from the moment the child is brought by the police or is returned by the foster family. The Foundation conducts a social work assessment of the family’s situation. If it is proven that the child is abused, the case is submitted to the Minors’ Court for a decision, and the child is separated from his parents based on the best interest of the child.

(c)Family reunification

217.The Committee’s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not include a paragraph on family reunification, which is covered in article 10 of the Convention.

218.The present report refers to the efforts made by the State to enrich, strengthen and protect the rights of the child, including Act No. 4 of 2009 concerning the regulation of the entry, exit, residence and sponsorship of migrant workers. Under article 16 of the Act, residence permits may be granted to the wife of a resident, his male children who are no older than 25 years and have not completed their education and his unmarried daughters. The resident’s parents may be granted residence permits at the discretion of the Minister or his appointed deputy if the Minister or deputy believes that there are grounds to do so. The conditions for granting residency permits under the previous two provisions are specified by decision of the Minister.

219.The Human Resources Management Act (No. 8 of 2009), articles 46-48, deals with the entitlement of a non-Qatari employee to a travel ticket for himself and his family. Under article 46, “A governmental agency shall assume the cost of the travel tickets for a non-Qatari employee who works under an external employment contract as well as travel tickets for his spouse and up to three of his children age 18 and below in the following cases: (1) upon the employee being hired for the first time, (2) upon the employee’s taking of periodic leave, (3) when the employee is summoned from a periodic leave and (4) upon the end of employment and final departure of the employee from the State”.

220.Under article 47 of the aforesaid act, a non-Qatari employee’s entitlement to a travel ticket for his family is conditioned on the family being resident in the State or its coming to the State for the purpose of residence from the country specified upon the hiring of the employee.

221.Another matter relating to family unification concerns women and other victims of violence who in some cases resort to the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women to request assistance to bring their children to live in Qatar and gain custody of them. The Foundation’s legal affairs unit provides legal counsel in this regard. It directs one or both parents to the Department of Passports and Expatriate Affairs of the Ministry of Interior to obtain the necessary authorizations. It also coordinates with liaison officers in the concerned agencies in this regard. The legal unit refers cases that do not meet the legal requirements to the National Human Rights Committee. If the guardian of the children involved does not cooperate and acts arbitrarily, the Foundation directs the mother to bring an action before the competent judicial agencies to obtain custody of the children.

(d)Illicit transfer and non-return of children abroad

222.The Committee’s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not include a paragraph on the illicit transfer and non-return of children abroad, which is covered in article 11 of the Convention.

223.No change has occurred in the information contained in the first and second periodic reports of Qatar during the period covered by the present report.

(e)Recovery of maintenance for the child

224. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ is concerned at the lack of a mechanism which ensures the payment in case of lack of funds or assets of the legally designated responsible person for the payment ” and “ recommends that the State party complete its system of recovery of maintenance for the child by creating a national fund ” and “ that the State party consider ratifying the 1973 Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions relating to Maintenance Obligations ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 44 and 45).

225.If a guardian required to pay maintenance fails to pay it to the female custodian of the child, the custodian may submit the matter to a judge. In such a case, the judge typically orders compulsory enforcement under the relevant provisions of the Qatari Family Act (No. 22 of 2006). The executing judge, in coordination with the guardian’s employer, is responsible for deducting the maintenance sum at source (the guardian’s salary) and handing it over to the custodian.

226.These procedures are carried out even if the two parents are divorced or separated in order to ensure the child’s right to maintenance from his father and the father’s compliance therewith.

227.If the legally designated person responsible for the payment lacks funds or assets, the Family Counselling Centre refers the case to the Ministry of Social Affairs to initiate access to benefits under the Social Security Act, which provides a pension to persons who lack other means. Under article 3 of Act No. 38 of 1995 concerning social security and amendments thereto, a divorced woman, needy family, person with disabilities, orphan, person unable to work, elderly person, family of an inmate, abandoned wife and the family of a missing person are entitled to a pension. Article 3 also permits the addition of new beneficiary groups by decision of the Council of Ministers.

228.Cases not entitled to Social Security under the aforesaid article are referred to the Social Development Centre, which arranges a permanent livelihood for the family by investing in and promoting the productive capacities of the family members and encouraging them, especially women, to engage in permanent production work.

(f)Children deprived of a family environment

229. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ notes the establishment of the Qatar Orphans Foundation which provides alternative care for orphaned children. However, it regrets the limited information regarding the evaluation of the alternative care and the review of placement, including informal forms of alternative care based on the provisions of the Convention. The Committee recommends that the State party establish an effective evaluation mechanism for alternative care, including care provided by the Qatar Orphans Foundation and other forms of alternative care, such as kafalah (guardianship). It recommends that the State party develop, standardize and control the alternative care and related programmes and services in accordance with articles 20 and 21 and the principles of the Convention ” and “ that evaluation should involve direct consultation with children in a cultural and gender-sensitive manner ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 46 and 47).

230.Qatar provides — through the Qatar Orphans Foundation-Dhreima — care, assistance and protection to orphans whose father or both parents have died, orphans of unknown paternity, orphans of unknown parentage and social orphans, including children of broken families, where a social work assessment substantiates that the biological families cannot care for the children, e.g., the children of prisoners, mentally ill persons and drug addicts, children who lack relatives, and children who are homeless or neglected as a result of the separation of their parents. The Qatar Orphans Foundation-Dhreima, a public benefit foundation, has the following objectives:

Provision of services to orphans to ensure that they have decent lives;

Sheltering of orphans of unknown paternity or parentage who lack means of subsistence within a family by providing integrated subsistence services;

Follow-up of cases of orphans in alternate foster families to ascertain their condition and whether the quality of care provided them is consistent with proper rearing;

Provision of shelter care in institutions for children who come from families that been broken up by death, divorce, disability, imprisonment or illness. The family’s inability to properly care for such children is first established. The children are returned to their families after the Foundation helps improve their family conditions;

Raising society’s awareness of the issues of orphans and correcting misconceptions about orphans to promote social solidarity;

Directing of scientific theoretical and applied research to serve centres serving orphans, and cooperation with official and private, Arab, Islamic, and international institutions to exchange expertise and knowledge.

231.The Qatar Orphans Foundation-Dhreima provides:

Internal shelter, i.e. appropriate housing, nutrition, healthcare, social and psychological care, supervision and recreation for orphans who have lost their parents, are of unknown paternity or parentage, or come from broken families within Dhreima;

External shelter, i.e. appropriate housing, nutrition, healthcare, social and psychological care, supervision and recreation for orphans who have lost their parents, are of unknown paternity or parentage, or come from broken families outside Dhreima;

Alternative families, i.e., families that care for orphans who have lost their parents, are of unknown paternity or parentage, or come from broken families. The families provide the necessary care for the child in a normal family setting.

232.If a child lacks a safe care environment during a divorce, the Family Counselling Centre consults with the extended family and the concerned judge to identify temporary care as provided in article 20 (1) of the Convention. The Family Counselling Centre monitors the child and protects the child’s interests in coordination with the temporary custodian until the judge decides the dispute and awards custody to another custodian.

Table 3

Number of children separated from their parents and living in foster care or the Qatar Orphans Foundation

Category of child	Number
Children separated from their parents and living in the Qatar Orphans Foundation- Dhreima	13
Children in foster care	521

(g)Periodic review of the placement of a child in an institution

233.The Committee’s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not include a paragraph on the periodic review of the placement of a child in an institution, which is covered in article 25 of the Convention.

234.Nonetheless, paragraphs 240-246 of the present report refer to the measures adopted by the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women to ensure that a battered child who is habitually sheltered in a safe house has contact with his or her family under the supervision of specialists and supervisors at the safe house, taking into account the child’s best interests and assurance of continuity in the child’s school and social life.

(h)Abuse and exploitation, physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of the child (arts. 9 and 39)

235. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding remarks issued on 14 October 2009, “ appreciates the work carried out by the Qatari Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women with regard to children in need of assistance, including through the establishment of a Qatari ‘ safe house ’ offering protection, care, rehabilitation and treatment for child victims of abuse. The Committee also notes that the Foundation has formulated a comprehensive training strategy targeting personnel who deal with children and women subjected to abuse. However, the Committee is concerned at the limited information on the magnitude of domestic violence, including child abuse and neglect ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, para. 48).

236. “ The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Strengthen public education programmes, including awareness campaigns and provide information, parental guidance and counselling with a view, inter alia, to prevent child abuse and neglect; (b) Ensure that professionals working with children (including teachers, social workers, medical professionals, members of the police and the judiciary) receive training on their obligation to report and take appropriate action in suspected cases of domestic violence affecting children; (c) Strengthen support for victims of abuse and neglect in order to ensure their access to adequate services for physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration ” CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, para. 49).

237.In follow-up of these observations and recommendations, Table 4 below shows the number of cases of domestic violence against children during 2009-2012:

Table 4Number of cases of domestic violence against children during 2009-2012

Case type	2009	2010	2011	2012	Total
Physical violence	31	17	55	84	187
Psychological violence	3	2	1	6	12
Neglect	11	10	16	32	69
Sexual violence	12	9	10	12	43
Family breakup	11	10	9	11	41
Denial of education	1	6	5	33	45
Total	69	54	96	178	397

238.The above table shows a steady increase during 2009-2012 in the number of reported cases of domestic violence thanks to the awareness-raising efforts of the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women regarding violence, abuse and neglect and the Foundation’s educational campaigns and free 24-hour hotline to support children.

239.The efforts of the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women are summarized below.

(h) (1)Development of effective procedures and mechanisms for reporting and submitting complaints

240.The Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children offers multiple mechanisms for reporting victims of violence and violations of children’s rights, as follows:

Complaints are received on a free child support safe line, 919, which is available around the clock. Complaints may also be received at one of the Foundation’s offices at the Hamad Medical Corporation, security stations, schools and governmental and non-governmental agencies;

The initial information of the abused child is recorded. The provision of social, psychological and legal services is initiated. Sheltering is provided in the Safe House (Dar al-Aman) if the child is determined, in cooperation with the family prosecutor and court, to be in danger;

An office of the public prosecutor has been opened in the Foundation’s headquarters to facilitate official proceedings.

(h) (2)Investigation and trying of abuse cases

241.After becoming thoroughly apprised of the circumstances of the battered child, the Foundation adopts measures to refer cases requiring police or legal intervention to the competent authorities. The Foundation monitors the case and provides legal assistance through its volunteer attorneys. It also provides psychological, health and social services to the child and the child’s relatives.

242.The Foundation also shelters, in the Safe House, children referred by order of the family prosecutor. Children sheltered in the Safe House are provided with all programmes and means of comprehensive care and recovery.

243.In investigations or trials requiring the child’s appearance, the Foundation seeks to provide an appropriate psychological environment in which the child’s rights are protected. This is handled by staff psychologists and legal experts who accompany the child during the investigation and trial.

(h) (3)Provision of appropriate care and the reintegration of child victims of abuse

244.To ensure recovery from the adverse effects of violence, the Foundation provides children victims with health and psychological services. The child is administered a clinical examination and receives psychological, behavioural, cognitive and chemical treatment if necessary. Such services are provided not only to the child but to the family as well.

245.The foundation partners with governmental and quasi-governmental institutions and agencies in Qatar to provide housing in cooperation with Social Security Services as a part of long-term integrated treatment programmes for children.

246.The child’s and social needs are provided in cooperation with charitable and private sector organizations that partner with the Foundation.

(h) (4)Training of the various professionals who work with and for children

247.The training and development of child protection workers underpins the mission of the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women to increase the capacity of the relevant institutions to provide first-class, effective services at the highest level of quality and professionalism. This is achieved through training courses and workshops.

The foundation has provided specialized professional courses for workers in the various State sectors, as shown in Table 5 below.

Table 5Number of workshops for professionals working with and for children provided by Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women

Sector	Target group	Number of beneficiaries
Education	Educational leaders, school principals and school social workers	400
Health	Emergency department physicians and nurses	295
Security	Investigators in security stations and police departments, evidence officers, police officers in security stations and community police officers and members	190
Religion	Mosque preachers and other preachers	38
Civil society	Persons who work with children with disabilities, and social workers and specialists in society institutions who work in family counselling	205
Media	Journalists who work in the audio, visual, print and social media	30

Table 6 Workshops organized by the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women for specialists working with and for children

Title of workshop	Number of beneficiaries
Abuse and mental health	63
International instruments for the protection of children and women	40
Help and support phone lines	37
Behavioural therapy	76
Protection of children is everyone ’ s responsibility	35

Part VIDisability, basic health services and welfare (arts. 6, 18, para. 3, 23, 24, 26 and 27, paras. 1-3)

(a)Children with disabilities (art. 23)

248. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ commends the State party for the efforts made to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities are observed, particularly in the area of health and education including through the establishment of various institutions offering treatment, training, social and advisory services… However, the Committee is of the view that access to quality education, health and leisure for children with disabilities needs further strengthening… The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Continue to collect adequate statistical data on children with disabilities… (b) Continue to develop measures for early detection of children with disabilities ” and “ (c) Provide all children with disabilities with access to adequate social and health services, quality education, physical environment, information and communication, and strengthen its efforts to standardize service provision ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 50 and 5).

249.Accordingly, based on article 23 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 24 December 2006 and ratified by Qatar in May 2008, Qatar has adopted strategies, mechanisms and measures to ensure that children with disabilities enjoy all basic rights, including a Strategy for the Family whose objectives cover persons with disabilities.

250.The National Strategy for the Integration of Children with Disabilities in Schools was launched in 2003. In addition, the National Health Strategy 2011-2016 includes a draft strategy for modifying environments to accommodate persons with disabilities. It seeks to develop the healthcare system based on a forward-looking concept of “Healthcare for the future”, i.e. healthcare for children to secure the future and achieve the healthcare objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030, which are:

A comprehensive world-class health system whose services are accessible to all residents;

An integrated healthcare system that provides high-quality services;

Preventive healthcare that takes into account the different requirements of men, women and children;

A skilled national labour force capable of providing high-quality medical services;

A national health policy that provides for the setting and monitoring of standards;

Effective, reasonably priced services;

High-quality, high-level research directed at improving healthcare effectiveness and quality;

Support for the national health vision of the Supreme Council of Health through:

A focus on providing the individual appropriate care in a timely manner in a convenient location;

The concentration of all individual energies on the achievement of health and wellness;

Assurance of sustainability;

Ongoing incentivizing of excellence and innovation;

Evidence-based healthcare;

Achievement of the highest levels of excellence and safety.

(a) (1)Development of institutions concerned with children with disabilities

251.On the institutional level, a Department of the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities was created in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The Department’s functions are to:

Contribute to the implementation of national strategies, plans and policies relating to persons with disabilities and the elderly;

Develop and carry out programmes and services for the care and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and the elderly, in cooperation with relevant governmental and non-governmental institutions;

Raise awareness and educate the public about the rights of persons with disabilities and older persons and implement training programmes for those who work with them, in cooperation with relevant governmental and non-governmental institutions;

Join in representing the State at conferences and workshops to discuss issues relating to persons with disabilities and the elderly;

Organize seminars, conferences and workshops to discuss issues relating to persons with disabilities and the elderly.

252.The Supreme Council for Family Affairs attaches considerable importance to coordination and cooperation with all governmental agencies and to the support and engagement of civil society organizations. It affords particular attention to volunteer work, encouraging the involvement of the private sector and effective contributions by target groups, namely, families, children, women, young persons, persons with disabilities and the elderly.

253.The Council has helped implement legislation to fulfil the State’s obligations under international human rights conventions and has adopted a number of executive measures. It founded a number of institutions that deal with families, children, women, the elderly and persons with disabilities, including the Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs, in response to the Qatari public’s demands for the establishment of a cutting-edge, non-profit integrated specialist centre catering to children in all categories of disability from the age of birth to 27 years. The Shafallah Centre is a private public-benefit institution subject to the provisions of Decree Law No. 21 of 2006 concerning public-benefit institutions and amendments thereto. The Centre’s specialized medical team offers educational and support services in the areas of special education, rehabilitation, social services, child and adult psychotherapy, paediatric medicine, cognitive assessment, behavioural analysis and diagnosis, counselling, music therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy.

Other aims of the Centre are to:

Provide educational, rehabilitative, social, recreational, health and vocational services for children and adults with special needs;

Provide support and family counselling services to families of children with special needs, including individual and group sessions;

Raise community awareness of issues involved in dealing with children with special needs; and foster acceptance and understanding of the nature of disability;

Provide training opportunities, conduct research and establish a national and global association specializing in disability;

Work to create and develop legislation providing for the delivery of appropriate educational and learning services to children and adults with special needs.

254.The Noor Institute for the Blind, founded in 1998, provides educational and rehabilitative services for persons with visual impairment to help them overcome their disability and prepare them for socially productive roles in the community. The Institute provides services to individuals ages 3-21. It implements various programmes for educating blind and visually impaired persons from birth, enabling them to adjust to life and maintain contact with their communities. It also provides various psychosocial and health services.

Its other objectives are to:

Detect visual impairment in the Qatari community;

Eliminate difficulties and obstacles inhibiting the education of persons with visual impairment;

Deliver comprehensive care for persons with visual impairment, covering all aspects of education, culture and health;

Provide psychosocial care for persons with visual impairment through its support service;

Prepare and train students with visual impairment to adapt to life, as well as work for their social integration;

Assist persons with visual impairment in accessing appropriate jobs;

Offer classroom and extracurricular activities focused on achieving the integrated development of students with visual impairment.

255.The Institute delivers a number of programmes, including, early childhood, kindergarten, primary school, mainstreaming, special classes and vocational training programmes.

256.The Qatar Society for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Special Needs has produced a thoughtful sign language translation of the Qatar National Vision 2030 for Sustainable Development to allow deaf people to become familiar with the vision. The translation has been distributed to all deaf persons in Qatar and to specialized centres for the deaf in schools and in centres and associations outside Qatar.

257.The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, issued by the United Nations in 2007 and signed by Qatar, was also translated into sign language and copied onto compact discs to be accessible to all. The translation enables the deaf to understand their rights and privileges under the Convention, which, from its inception, Qatar had an active role in developing.

258.The Qatar Society for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Special Needs also published, in 2011, the Sign Language Atlas and List of the Names of Countries and Cities of the World, a unique reference in the special-needs care field and a primary reference for researchers, students and persons wishing to learn sign language. The atlas, whose publication was sponsored by the Qatar Petrochemicals Company, contains many terms and words that help hearing-impaired persons communicate with each other.

259.The Qatar Society for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Special Needs is currently developing a plan to translate the Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar into sign language to support hearing-impaired persons. The society is working to overcome all difficulties facing the deaf in their lives and help them acquire knowledge and develop their capabilities to be able to enter all areas of life. The translation of the Constitution is one in a series of translations undertaken by the society to apprise the deaf of key legislation and services and programmes provided by the State to persons with disabilities in general and the hearing-impaired in particular and to engage the deaf in decision-making conducive to strengthening their capabilities and aptitudes.

(a) (2)Collection of appropriate statistical data on children with disabilities

260.The main State agencies responsible for collecting statistics and data are the Statistical Agency and General Secretariat for Development Planning. The State attaches importance to persons with disabilities and the services provided to them by specialized institutions and centres. The Statistical Agency prepares a statistical section on persons with disabilities. The section includes data on persons registered with centres for persons with disabilities. The data are disaggregated according to disability type, sex, nationality and age group. The section also contains data on persons who work in centres for persons with disabilities, disaggregated according to occupation, sex and nationality.

(a) (3)Early detection of children with disabilities

261.The Family Act (No. 22 of 2006) requires both Qataris and non-Qataris to undergo medical tests before marrying. Under article 18 of the act, “Each of the two parties shall submit, to the notary, a certificate from a competent medical entity verifying they he/she has no hereditary diseases or any of the diseases specified by decision of National Health Authority in coordination with the concerned authorities. The notary must notify each party of the medical certificate submitted by the other party before notarizing the marriage contract. The notary may not refrain from notarizing a contract due to the results of a medical examination if the two parties desire notarization”. The purpose of the test is to ensure early detection of certain diseases for the sake of a healthy marriage and to reduce the potential risks posed by hereditary or serious diseases to both partners. The test screens for three categories of diseases: congenital diseases that could be passed on to children; communicable diseases, such as communicable liver diseases and immune deficiency diseases; and chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

262.The Supreme Council for Health also delivers health services and programmes for the early detection of disabilities. For this purpose, it:

Has established early detection, diagnosis, and health education programmes and providing means of early, specialized intervention;

Provides diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative services and develops existing health programmes to promote the advancement of persons with disabilities;

Supplies, trains and qualifies health personnel specializing in various types of disabilities;

(a) (4)Rehabilitation and health services provided to children with disabilities

263.The Supreme Council for Health, represented by its specialist treatment centres of all levels, makes no distinction between persons with disabilities and others in providing treatment, health examinations and, for those who so request, access to the family planning and reproductive health programme.

264.The Hamad Medical Corporation also develops the following multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes, which are offered free of charge for hospitalized patients and out-patients at specialist clinics, taking into account their special needs: child rehabilitation, early rehabilitation, referral for completion of treatment at home, therapeutic rehabilitation and occupational therapy.

265.All rehabilitation programmes are provided free of charge for Qataris and non-Qataris who are hospitalized or are out-patients at specialist clinics. Hamad Medical Corporation annually performs, at its genetic testing laboratory, 7,000 diagnostic tests for disability in the context of programmes for early detection and early intervention at birth and in the first years of life in respect of autism or developmental, metabolic or genetic disorders.

266.The Supreme Council for Health works with persons with disabilities in carrying out awareness activities designed to promote an image of those persons as individuals capable of contributing to society who enjoy the same rights and freedoms as all others. These awareness programmes and activities include:

Harnessing medical teams specializing in rehabilitation to disseminate awareness of all available treatments and health programmes, including among all children taking part in medical and community-based rehabilitation programmes from a very young age and their parents, with the aim of promoting positive social attitudes towards the rights of persons with disabilities;

Encouraging all media outlets to portray persons with disabilities in such a way as to ensure that they ultimately participate in the community, exercise their individual rights as a socially active group and are properly integrated into the family setting and labour market;

Promoting partnerships between persons with disabilities and the entities that serve them to arrive at the best way forward to their proper and healthy integration into society.

267.The Supreme Council for Health selects and employs foreign experts and specialist teams trained to deal with all disabilities. It promotes continuing development and training programmes for doctors and personnel working to implement rehabilitation programmes in urban and rural areas. These specialist teams conduct regular home visits and train families and mothers in caring for children with disabilities, looking after their health, taking them through physical exercise regimes and assisting in their cognitive, social and psychological development.

268.Concerning measures to increase awareness and provide information in accessible formats, including Braille, the Noor Institute for the Blind provides educational and information materials concerning HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention appropriate for blind and visually impaired students. It works to create the least complex and most natural possible environments and provides school textbooks and important medical papers in Braille for blind persons and large print books and audiobooks for visually impaired persons. The Institute also endeavours to stock resource rooms in schools where the visually impaired are mainstreamed with essential media and tools for visually impaired students.

269.The Supreme Council for Health cooperates closely with the Noor Institute, exchanging expertise and specialist advice on the subject of disability. Training courses and symposiums are organized at the Institute for persons with disabilities and their parents. The Institute also directly refers visually impaired persons to rehabilitation clinics if they need advice or more specialized rehabilitation, particularly in cases of multiple disabilities.

The National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness was established by a decision of the Minister of Health and has espoused the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Respect for privacy

270.The Supreme Council for Health and its administrative offices and treatment centres are careful to protect the confidentiality of personal and health information pertaining to persons with disabilities, which is seen by no one other than those concerned, this being one of the Council’s key policy principles (Policy No. OP 4042). Ministries, institutions and centres working with persons with disabilities, such as the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Shafallah Centre, are equally careful to maintain the confidentiality of that information and ensure that only interested parties have sight of it. Measures taken by the Shafallah Centre to protect the confidentiality of information concerning its students, which is likewise one of its principles and rules, are as follows:

Its staff sign an undertaking to maintain the confidentiality of information pertaining to students;

Students may not be photographed during activities in classrooms without the written permission of their families;

Information on its students is provided to the concerned authorities on the basis of an official letter of request and only with the family’s consent.

(a) (5)Achievement of equal access for children with disabilities to good, quality education

271.In line with the Compulsory Education Act (No. 25 of 2001), as amended, which affirms compulsory, free education for all children from the primary level through the preparatory level, article 2 of the Persons with Special Needs Act (No. 2 of 2004) provides a number of rights, including the right to education, training and rehabilitation on the basis of capability.

272.The measures that have been taken in this regard include:

1.Integration of numerous students with disabilities into mainstream education;

2.Opening of schools and centres for students with disabilities;

3.Ratification of the recommendations of the World Education Forum held in Dakar in 2000, preparation of the national “Education for all” plan incorporating the six goals adopted at Dakar, and presentation of a mid-decade report evaluating progress in achieving the indicators outlined in the plan;

4.Creation of an appropriate school environment and facilities for persons with disabilities;

5.Development of a policy on additional academic support for students with disabilities or learning difficulties;

6.Facilitation of the learning of Braille, alternative script, augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication, orientation and mobility skills, as well as facilitation of peer support and mentoring;

7.Facilitation of the learning of sign language and promotion of the linguistic identity of the deaf community;

8.Provision of education for blind or deaf persons and persons, particularly children, in the most appropriate language and mode and means of communication; and creation of environments conducive to the highest possible degree of academic and social development.

273.The number of male and female students with disabilities enrolled in mainstream schools totals 1,487, distributed as follows: kindergarten — 82, primary — 841, preparatory — 324 and secondary — 240.

Table 7

Number of students with disabilities enrolled in independent private Arab schools in academic year 2010 / 11 according to disability type

Disability type	Total
Dual disability (deafness and blindness)	31
Speech and language disorders	546
Autism spectrum disorders	66
Visual impairment	213
Physical and mobility impairment	217
Cognitive impairment	308
Hearing impairment	17
Multiple impairments (physical and cognitive)	89
Total	1 487

Figure 4 below shows that speech and language disorders are the most prevalent disabilities among students with dual disabilities in independent private Arab schools in academic year 2010/11.

Figure 4

Multiple (physical and cognitive)

Hearing

Cognitive

Physical and mobility

Visual

Autism spectrum disorders

Speech and language disorders

Dual (hearing and vision)

274.The number of students with disabilities registered at the nine educational centres for persons with disabilities in Qatar totalled 5,771 male and female students, including 2,207 females and 3,564 males.

Table 8

Number of students registered at the educational centres for persons with disabilities according to sex

Centre	Male	Female	Total
Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs	335	188	523
Audio Education School	43	32	75
Noor Institute for the Blind	233	187	420
Doha International Centre for Persons with Special Needs	61	21	82
Tamakon Comprehensive School for Special Needs	30	19	49
Qatar Association for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Special Needs	2 449	1 544	3 993
Qatar Cultural and Social Centre for the Deaf	120	72	193
Qatar Paralympic Committee	239	97	336
Qatar Social and Cultural Centre for the Blind	54	46	100
Awsaj Academy, Qatar Foundation	91	25	116
Total	3 655	2 232	5 887

Table 9

Number of plans students with special needs and the cost of sponsoring them according to facility (20 09 -20 12 )

Beneficiary	Number of students	Sponsorship sum in dollars
Tamakon School	53	392 452
Farah Centre for Special Needs	14	103 206
Doha International Centre for Persons with Special Needs	15	115 343
Qatar Autism Centre	9	79 452
Total	91	690 453

275.The State furthermore supplies all school materials, including textbooks, needed for each student and all teaching materials needed for use in schools, laboratories, sports halls and so on. Transport is also provided to take students to and from school, and teaching equipment and aids are provided based on the type of disability of the students.

276.The Supreme Education Council has worked hard to create an appropriate learning and school environment for students with disabilities. Mainstream schools are therefore fully equipped to meet the needs of students with disabilities in terms of access, facilities and the like.

277.Training and learning facilities are provided for children, their families and teachers who need to master augmentative and alternative modes of communication and the use of communication tools appropriate to the individual. Training is also provided to teach those working in mainstream education about disability and the integration of persons with disabilities into mainstream schools. Measures applied by these schools in order to cater to students with special needs include the following:

Helping the individual to achieve psychological and social stability;

Encouraging students to talk about their social difficulties;

Using assistive tools and techniques to support students with special needs and promote their academic attainment;

Integrating students with special needs into school groups, activities and competitions;

Training teachers to interact with persons with special needs;

Organizing individual or group sessions for students with disabilities;

Appointing a psychologist and promoting the psychologist’s role;

Promoting the role of the educational advisor;

Implementing a programme for communicating with parents of students with disabilities;

Using the services of centres for the rehabilitation and care of persons with disabilities;

Ensuring that the situation of students with disabilities is monitored by the school, its deputy administrator and its social worker.

278.In addition to organizing a series of vocational and first-aid workshops, learning institutions for persons with disabilities implement programmes for enhancing the knowledge of students, promoting upstanding behaviour, teaching etiquette for interacting with others in different situations and circumstances, and developing practical skills and knowhow in such areas as leatherwork, carpentry, handicrafts, sewing and sports. Efforts are likewise made to further the professional development of all teaching and administrative staff working in these learning institutions

279.The Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women employs a range of measures for promoting effective education and full integration, including in particular:

Helping to promote integration mechanisms in independent schools by referring cases of children with disabilities that it will be dealing with to the Supreme Education Council for the purpose of following up their registration and facilitating their enrolment in independent or private schools;

Referring individuals not included in the integration process to the Shafallah Centre for Persons with Special Needs so that the necessary care and attention can be devoted to their learning and rehabilitation;

Communicating with schools to ensure that students with disabilities are attending school regularly, and providing the necessary facilities to them in cooperation with the Supreme Education Council.

280.The Supreme Education Council has organized a series of professional development workshops for teachers covering teaching methods and strategies and classroom management. It has also organized training workshops on the policy on the provision of additional support to students with learning difficulties or disabilities. Centres and schools catering to students in this category also offer various training courses for their staff.

281.The Continuing Training Centre at the Noor Institute for the Blind, for example, makes efforts to bolster the number of individuals qualified to work in the fields of special education and early childhood and to enhance the effectiveness of the services provided. These efforts include:

Delivering long and short-term training programmes in accordance with trainee needs;

Delivering courses for raising awareness, enhancing knowledge and improving the capacity for interacting with students with disabilities;

Providing educational advice to special education institutions to help them develop their services;

Undertaking scientific studies on issues relating to the development of educational programmes and assessment tools used in special education;

Offering e-learning and distance learning programmes to teachers for whom it is difficult to attend courses.

282.Schools are responsible for developing practices for assessing the needs and progress of deaf students as part of the process of integrating them fully into education, enabling them all to learn and participate effectively in mainstream classes, and promoting their right as learners to engage in the whole learning experience to enable them to highlight their knowledge and abilities.

283.Numerous school initiatives and programmes are in place for promoting the linguistic identity of deaf students, including a speech therapy programme for developing and strengthening their language abilities and a standardized Arabic sign language programme so that they can understand the content of learning and other school activities translated into sign language. A specialized team provides individual speech therapy sessions for hearing-impaired students.

284.Staff have received training in the standardized Arabic sign language in order to facilitate communication with students. Measures to facilitate learning for students with hearing disabilities include:

1.Pre-teaching the language and concepts needed to ensure that students are equipped in advance with essential knowledge about the activity concerned;

2.Ensuring that teachers can always be seen by students;

3.Following interactions between deaf students and other members of the school community;

4.Using assistive technology, such as frequency modulation systems and sound amplification;

5.Providing speech therapy programmes for all students from the start of the school year in order to develop their verbal and language abilities;

6.Delivering a standardized Arabic sign language training programme for deaf students to enable them to understand sign language translations of various school activities;

7.Providing one-to-one speech therapy sessions (auditory training, auditory discrimination, phonetics, etc.), conducted by a team comprising a speech therapist, a teacher and a pronunciation coach, for students with hearing impairment;

8.Delivering a standardized Arabic sign language training programme for new staff to facilitate their communication with deaf students and staff.

285.Concerning students integrated into mainstream schools, three levels of learning support have been established according to the additional learning support policy adopted by the Supreme Education Council:

Level I (classroom-based): This level entails planning measures and the establishment of teaching methods, assessment procedures and report preparation strategies consistent with the learning needs of all students, including those with disabilities. Further measures and facilities may be required to enable students with disabilities to participate fully in school life on the basis of their individual needs.

Level II: This level calls for a cooperative teaching method and consultation with school support staff working with students with disabilities who need more support in addition to that provided at level I. The support at this level must be consistent with the classroom learning programme.

Level III: In addition to the support provided at levels I and II, this level calls for intensive teaching methods, usually requiring expert assistance.

286.Schools utilize all of the communication methods appropriate to students on the basis of their disability and modern assistive technologies. Some entities use individual hearing aids, communal equipment, speech training programmes and hearing measurement equipment. Training programmes are also offered for blind students in the use of the Ibsar screen reader, talking software programmes, Braille and text magnification software. School learning resources centres are stocked with a variety of resources for developing students’ independent skills and enriching the learning process.

287.Other measures include the organization of school awareness campaigns and the delivery of appropriate support to students with special needs to ensure effective learning and full integration. Training and learning facilities for children and their families are also provided.

288.Teachers and experts participate in specialist courses and workshops organized in their respective fields by the Supreme Education Council, schools or the country’s specialist training centres. The schools concerned produce plans and strategies for helping teachers through staff development programmes to develop and improve their ability to interact with students with disabilities. Full integration into the education system is designed to increase the participation of all learners in school life and to create learning experiences that are relevant to their lives.

289.Full integration entails a set of measures designed to enable all students to learn and engage effectively in mainstream education, experience it fully and have access to the learning opportunities offered by the school curricula.

290.Full integration is focused on the right of children to be involved in all learning experiences, something which schools must work to ensure. In order to ensure that this right is realized, the Supreme Education Council urges all schools to review all their services for children and their parents to ensure that the needs of these particular learners are fully met.

291.Other measures taken by schools in connection with the education of persons with disabilities include:

Providing an additional learning support team;

Determining the level of support to be provided to students through the classroom teacher and the support coordinator;

Formulating a learning support plan for each individual subject area in line with student needs, and providing measures and facilities accordingly;

Supplying a shadow teacher for certain students with disabilities in accordance with their needs;

Putting in place an efficient system for registering and producing academic progress reports on students;

Developing a comprehensive school curriculum that responds to the needs of students with disabilities.

(a) (6)Awareness-raising

292.Learning centres for persons with disabilities — such as the Noor Institute, the Shafallah Centre and the Auditory Education School, and mainstream public schools (for integrated students) — also run public awareness programmes, particularly for the guardians of such persons, the aim being to deliver the best services and care for students with disabilities.

293.These programmes consist of family training courses, talks and regular meetings or communication with families during school open days. During these meetings and encounters, it is possible to follow up on students, assess their academic attainment and discuss their difficulties, involve guardians in treatment plans and advise them on appropriate ways of dealing with their children. A planning committee at the Noor Institute also publishes a periodical designed to enhance awareness of different types of disability.

294.The Shafallah Centre has organized five campaigns: one campaign in 2000 to raise awareness of Down syndrome and four autism awareness campaigns in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010.

295.The policy of additional support for learning defines the role of parents or guardians in their children’s education and in supporting the children. Parents or guardians also furnish up-to-date information on their children’s evolving capacities in the light of the policy’s emphasis on engaging and working closely with them in supporting their children’s education. The policy also emphasizes: informing parents or guardians of their rights; supporting them so that they can play their role in helping their children learn; coordination and ongoing contact between school learning support teams and parents or guardians; the participation of parents or guardians of children with disabilities in school governing bodies so that they can communicate their children’s needs; and awareness-raising and guidance through various media.

296.The visual media have continued to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy full and easy access to information for various programmes and news bulletins. For example, Qatar Television has continued throughout its daily and weekly programmes to support all national campaigns organized by the State and to highlight activities relating to persons with special needs, including communication with persons with special needs through educational and media institutions. Qatar Television also devotes attention to persons with disabilities as a group in its children’s programmes, taking care to involve all children in such programmes and allow them every opportunity to express their creativity and ideas. Its religious programmes also focus on ways of interacting with persons with disabilities and the need for sensitivity.

297.Qatar Radio constantly strives to cover activities relating to the rights of persons with disabilities on its live programmes, hosting the organizers of those activities and also talking to persons with disabilities and providing information on their rights.

(a) (7)Participation in cultural life and recreational, entertainment and sports activities

298.In promulgating the Persons with Special Needs Act No. 2 of 2004, Qatar guaranteed the fundamental, legitimate rights of this important segment of society. The Act establishes for persons with special needs many advantages and privileges essential to ensuring that they feel an integral part of the community. Under article 2 (6) of the Act, persons with special needs enjoy the right to engage in athletic and recreational activities according to their particular capabilities.

299.The Qatar Sports Club for Persons with Disabilities was established in 1993 with the aim of holistically preparing young persons with disabilities, through the medium of sport, to adapt psychologically, socially and physically for integration into the community. The Qatar Paralympic Committee, which was established in 2011, also participates in the activities of international, Asian and regional sports federations for persons with special needs with which it is affiliated.

300.Among the services and facilities in place for persons with special needs are those designed to provide the material and human resources required to organize sports activities, allow persons with disabilities to participate in sporting events abroad and sports activities at the community level, ensure easy access to and use of sports facilities for persons with disabilities, and encourage their participation in sports activities by way of the Olympic Committee or Paralympic Committee.

301.As part of the Olympic programme for schools run in cooperation with the Qatar Olympic Committee, persons with special needs play goalball and participate in goalball championships at home and abroad.

(b)Health and health services, particularly primary healthcare (art. 24)

302.The Committee’s above-mention concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not include a paragraph on health and health services, particularly primary healthcare.

303.Nonetheless, it is worth mentioning that the National Primary Healthcare Strategy 2013-2018 was launched in June 2013. The strategy conforms with the principles of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Health Strategy in Qatar 2011-2016. It is intended to address future health challenges by placing primary healthcare at the core of the health system. The strategy has eight objectives: improvement of care, promotion of health, detection, urgent care, non-infectious chronic diseases, mental health, mothers and new-borns, and children and adolescents.

304.The National Health Strategy promotes the improvement of children’s health by providing for permanent programmes and strategies with specific objectives, including increasing the rate of exclusive breast-feeding in the first six months of life from 12 per cent to 25 per cent and inoculating at least 98 per cent of all children in the first year of life with all pertinent inoculations according to the national timetable for the inoculation of children.

305.The National Committee for Nutrition and Physical Activity — which includes representatives from all relevant governmental and non-governmental entities and is concerned with policies and programmes that promote healthy lifestyles and protect from non-communicable diseases — has formulated a National Action Plan for Nutrition and Physical Activity. The strategy covers eight areas, the first being the formulation and promotion of national policies and legislation to improve dietary patterns and encourage engagement in physical activity by establishing guidelines for healthy snacks and nutritional guidelines for children between the ages of 2 and 18 and by developing food labelling legislation in cooperation with the National Food Security Program, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.

306.The second area in the National Action Plan for Nutrition and Physical Activity is physical activity. In this regard, the plan seeks to:

Establish a national coordination mechanism concerning nutrition and engagement in physical activity under the plan;

Facilitate the development of mechanisms for the participation of non-governmental, academic, civil society, private-sector and media organizations in physical and nutrition activities;

The fourth area of the National Action Plan for Nutrition and Physical Activity, which concerns physical activity, aims to:

Introduce and promote physical activities in school curricula and schools;

Review national guidelines on engagement in physical activities that promote health in State schools;

Establish national guidelines on physical activity.

307.The other areas of the plan concern engagement of all relevant sectors and civil society organizations and partnering with the private sector to implement the plan’s programmes.

308.The second stage of the National Obesity Prevention Campaign Program, “Food as the path to health”, was launched in 2010 under the motto, “I am concerned with my food” under the auspices of the Minister for Public Health and the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Health and in cooperation with the World Health Organization. The programme aims to identify obesity among Qatari children and to raise awareness of the need to eliminate unhealthy eating habits and protect children from the risks of eating unhealthy food. A number of schools were visited to raise health awareness of nutrition for primary school children, the risks of obesity and being overweight, and the adverse effects thereof on the psychological and physical health of children and to change the unhealthy eating habits of children.

309.As part of the national campaign to prevent obesity among children undertaken by the Childhood Cultural Centre, a survey study was conducted among State and independent primary schools in Qatar in 2009 concerning “The situation of obesity in Qatar”. The study measured rates of obesity, overweight and emaciation and examined the effects of lifestyle, demographics and social factors on overweight and obesity rates among Qatari children ages 6-12. It also examined the risks and adverse health effects of obesity, such as heart disease, cardiac arrest and diabetes, showing a relationship between childhood obesity and increased risk of early death and disability in adulthood based on a sample of Qatari school students selected randomly using multistage random cluster sampling. The study showed that one half of the individuals sampled suffer from malnutrition, 23 per cent are overweight and obese and 8 per cent are emaciated and that emaciation, overweight and obesity are higher among boys than girls.

(c)Adolescent health, including the promotion of physical and mental health and well-being of children, prevention and combating of communicable and non-communicable diseases, the rights of adolescents to reproductive health and measures to encourage healthy lifestyles

310. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ welcomes efforts made by the State party to protect the health of adolescents and promote healthy lifestyles. However, it is concerned at the emerging trends in obesity, psychological and mental health problems… ” and “ that adolescents know little about other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The Committee recommends that the State party…:

(a) Improve the nutritional status of adolescents, including by ensuring healthy choices in school canteens;

(b) Strengthen its mental health services tailored for adolescents;

(c) Strengthen age-appropriate school education on sexuality and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs); (d) Provide adolescents with gender-sensitive counselling and health-care services that respect privacy and confidentiality; (e) Aiming at prevention, continue to provide adolescents with information on the harmful consequences of drug and tobacco use ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 52 and 53).

311.In follow-up of the Committee’s recommendations, the present report notes that Qatar, in addition to undertaking its National Action Plan for Nutrition and Physical Activity, has actively translated its commitments into strategies and programmes in the Qatar National Vision 2030 and in the First National Development Strategy 2011-2016. It has therefore deepened its commitment to providing for the empowerment, support, protection, healthcare and social, cultural and economic welfare of families and their members in line with the State’s national terms of reference. In the context of this commitment, the concerned institutions have made appreciable efforts to: adopt a comprehensive social development approach based on the nurturing of strong, cohesive families that take care of their members and maintain moral and religious values and humanitarian ideals; establish and sustain social protection and welfare systems; build a safe, stable society governed by the principles of justice, equality and the rule of law; and facilitate the means for living a healthy, active life and for cultural and artistic exploration.

312.The National Health Strategy aims to: build a comprehensive, integrated, high-quality healthcare and prevention system; incorporate prevention and early detection in all aspects of the system: enable people to participate effectively in improving healthcare; treat and prevent diseases; and reduce the risks of injuries and accidents resulting from unhealthy behaviours. This will be achieved by developing the infrastructure and by employing, training and retaining highly skilled, competent labour at all levels. Within the health system, the focus will be more on improving primary and community healthcare. Such care must be a basic foundation in any future healthcare system that revolves around the people it serves. The healthcare system must support and protect individuals before and during the incidence of disease. It must combine all factors that promote health, such as early detection, early intervention and high-quality treatment. This integrated approach provides for a healthcare system that is highly responsive and capable of: combating infection and infectious diseases and treating non-infectious diseases, including chronic diseases and diseases linked to lifestyle and unhealthy behaviours; and addressing the high rate of injuries, particularly due to road and workplace accidents.

313.Means of prevention, care and support for HIV/AIDS have been integrated in national strategies to prevent the spread of the epidemic among the more vulnerable population groups. This is particularly important in view of the culturally diverse population of Qatar, which is quickly growing and changing amid globalization, evolving means of communication and the flow of information, goods, and people across international borders. All of these developments require pursuit of a national strategy that combines prevention, care and specialized support to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Qatar.

314.The “We are healthy” programme has been implemented in primary schools in Qatar (phase V) through cooperation between the Supreme Council of Health, Supreme Education Council, Primary Healthcare Foundation, Maersk Oil (private sector) and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (private, non-profit institution). The programme covers eight weeks. Each week has a special theme. The themes are: your health and your food, healthy snacks, water - the source of life, choose your favourite sport, sleep and health, your food and the health of your teeth, a life without tobacco and confident steps toward change.

315.In a related context, the following measures and programmes were adopted:

Cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning to provide a suitable environment for physical activity;

Prepare for the implementation of a preliminary trial of the “Breaks” programme in preparatory schools to increase students’ awareness of the negative effects of drugs and how to avoid them;

Delivery of lectures throughout the school year at all schools about healthy nutrition and the negative effects of the consumption of tobacco of all types.

316.Regarding programmes and services to prevent adolescent health problems, the following measures have been taken:

Implementation of national surveys such as the national survey of oral health among schoolchildren at the age of 6, 12 and 15;

Implementation of a global surveys in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Centre for Disease Control, such as a global survey of tobacco consumption among adults age 15 and over in 2013;

Start of the implementation of a global survey in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Centre for Disease Control, such as a global survey of tobacco use among youth (school students) ages 13-15 in 2013;

Adolescents were engaged to design messages for various world days of the World Health Organization, including World No Tobacco Day, World Day to Combat Drugs, World Glaucoma Week, World Sight Day and World Mental Health Day.

(d)Abolishment of traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children (art. 24, para. 3)

317. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ notes the information provided by the State party ’ s delegation during the dialogue that the rate of early marriage is 1.5 per cent and declining and that the 2.5 per cent adolescent fertility rate is also declining due mainly to education and employment of women. The Committee encourages the State party to strengthen its awareness-raising efforts aimed at girl children, their parents and communities on the many negative consequences of early marriage and other traditional practices harmful to the health, well-being and development of children ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 54 and 55).

318.In follow-up to the aforesaid observation, the present report confirms that early marriage of girls in Qatar does not exceed 1 per cent, and that the adult fertility rate continues to decline for the reasons described in the previous report of Qatar, namely, the educational progress of girls, the entry of women into the labour force, the evolution of the responsibilities of women in the family and society and increased awareness in Qatari society of the need to abandon all traditional practices prejudicial to the health, well-being and development of children of both sexes.

(f)Social security and childcare services and facilities (arts. 26 and 18, para. 3)

319.The Committee’s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not contain a paragraph on Social Security and childcare services and facilities.

320.In this regard, please refer to the information contained in the first and second reports of Qatar.

(g)Standard of living (art. 27, paras. 1-3)

321.The Committee’s above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not contain a paragraph on the standard of living of living and adopted measures, including material assistance and support programmes concerning nutrition, clothing and housing to ensure the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development and to reduce poverty and inequality.

322.Qatar has allocated sufficient resources to improve the standard of living for all citizens, especially children. The Human Development Report 2013 issued by the United Nations Development Programme entitled “ The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World”, States that Qatar occupies first place among the Arab countries in the Human Development Index and is a very high Human Development-Index country.

Part VIIEducational, recreational and cultural activities (arts. 28, 29, 30 and 31)

323. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ expresses appreciation that the State party provides free primary school education for all children, including non-citizen children. The Committee also notes that the Supreme Education Council has recently drafted an early childhood strategy. Furthermore, it notes the increasing number of children enrolled in kindergartens, primary, intermediate as well as secondary education. The Committee expresses appreciation at the inclusion of human rights in school curricula at the preparatory and secondary levels ” .

324. “ However, the Committee is concerned that only boys can access the Qatar Leadership Academy…and recommends that the State party: (a) Continue to take measures to increase enrolment rates in secondary education and technical and vocational training; (b) Further strengthen efforts to improve the quality of education both in public and private schools through providing appropriate and continuous training to teachers; (c) Continue to include human rights in general, and the rights of the child in particular, in the school curricula; (d) Consider opening the opportunity to girls to participate in the Qatar Leadership Academy ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2), paras. 56 and 57).

(a)The right to education, including vocational training and guidance

(i)Kindergarten and early childhood education

325.The Supreme Education Council has developed childcare and preschool based on its view that early education as a fundamental part of the education process, with kindergarten a step on the educational ladder, according to an established plan. The following measures have been taken in this regard.

Provision of high-quality care at the lowest cost to ease the burden on families and incentivize learning. Action has been taken to open kindergartens for children based on the population density in the various regions of the State;

The division of kindergarten into two levels. The first level is kindergarten and the second level is preschool;

The opening of public kindergartens in 49 buildings in all residential areas in Qatar, including 26 kindergarten buildings for girls and 23 for boys. More will be opened in the coming years to accommodate all children of kindergarten age. The buildings are designed according to international standards and equipped with the necessary furniture, teaching resources and games, inside and outside playing areas and equipment. Support policies have been developed as have appropriate mechanisms for following up the implementation of instructional plans and the periodic supervision of the kindergarten administration, taking into account all security, safety and discipline requirements for children and persons who frequent the kindergartens. The instructional atmosphere is designed to incentivize and encourage learning. It includes multiple audio and visual means, safe play areas, resource rooms and appropriate, qualified kindergarten instructional staff who meet all expectations. The subject matter is divided into literary and scientific. An assistant teacher is available in the classroom to accompany the children throughout the day.

326.Qatar University also established the Early Childhood Centre, which is based on the operation of a kindergarten at the university. The kindergarten accepts the children of faculty and university employees and children from the community – some 50 boys and girls annually. It provides them with developmental programmes, including language and active learning programmes and promotes the concept of community partnership and the integration of information technology in daily activities and experiences. The instructional programme is based on national standards for early childhood education in Qatar. In addition to running the kindergarten, the Centre pre-employment training for teachers, particularly students pursuing a diploma in early childhood education or a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, assistant teacher trainees and kindergarten school teachers in the schools. The Supreme Education Council funds the training.

327.The Centre also offers educational research and consulting in the field of early childhood education. The following table shows the numbers of trainees at the Early Childhood Centre during 2008-2012:

Table 10Number of trainees at the Early Childhood Centre during 2008-2012

Academic year	Assistant teacher program	Bachelor ’ s degree in elementary education	Early childhood education programmes
2008 / 09	100	-	280
2009 / 10	55	20	280
2010 / 11	Programme not offered	18	245
2011 / 12	140	38	252 (first semester alone)

328.The Supreme Education Council has adopted a policy of localizing school supervision by providing coordinators in the schools. Each coordinator is the senior teacher or leader. The coordinators monitor teachers and ensure the quality of teacher performance. The academic deputy also supervises the teachers and the coordinators. Kindergarten is part of primary school.

329.The academic deputy also supervises the teaching staff (teachers and administrators) and the early childhood education curriculum and provides support in addition to his monitoring and follow-up role.

330.Work has begun on the formulation of a strategic plan for compulsory education in the future for children age three onward and on basic curriculum standards, which are being revised to cover three-year-olds at the pre-kindergarten level.

331.The State encourages the private sector to invest in education, having opened the way for the establishment of private kindergartens. Private kindergartens will be required to adhere to school building standards and requirements, develop and implement early childhood education plans, and establish and regulate tuition policy commensurate with the educational services provided to the children. The Supreme Education Council supervises the private kindergartens through field visits to ascertain any violations. It also conducts periodic monitoring, particularly regarding legal, academic and administrative aspects.

(ii)The Committee’s recommendation to increase enrolment rates in secondary education and technical and vocational training

(a) (1)Measures and programmes concerning the universalization of free and compulsory education

332.Under the Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar (2004), article 49, “All citizens have the right to education, and the State shall endeavour to make general education compulsory and free of charge in accordance with the laws and regulations in effect in the State”. Progress has been achieved in this regard through the following measures:

Act No. 25 of 2001 on compulsory education, as amended by Act No. 25 of 2009, states, in article 2, that education is compulsory and must be provided free of charge to all children from the beginning of the primary stage until the end of the secondary stage or the age of 18, whichever comes first, and that the Council will provide the requirements therefor. Act No. 25 of 2009, which amends several provisions of the aforesaid act, states that a person who is responsible for a child and who fails to enrol the child in compulsory education without a reasonable excuse shall be subject to a fine of 5,000-10,000 Qatari rials. The upper and lower limits of the fine are doubled for a repeat offender.

333.Article 8 of Ministerial Decision No. 10 of 2010 on the enforcement of the Compulsory Education Act (No. 25 of 2001) specifies the duties and authorities of the committee formed to examine violations of the Act by parents. These duties and authorities include identifying affected children, studying the reasons why some parents refrain from enrolling their children in school, taking appropriate action, specifying the role of the authorities represented in the enforcement decision and developing proposals and procedural steps for the application of the act.

334.During 2010-2012, the Committee examined 70 cases and sent recommendations to the parents urging them to enrol their children in school. During this period, a fine was imposed for 20 violations of the Act.

335.A committee was formed to follow up enforcement of the Compulsory Education Act. The Committee includes representatives from the relevant entities, including the Supreme Education Council (which represents the Education Authority, Office of Legal Affairs and Office of Policy Analysis and Research), Ministry of Interior, Supreme Council of Health, Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women and the National Human Rights Committee.

336.The Committee submits its reports to the Minister on the magnitude of the problem, number of affected children, and the urgent solutions that must be adapted for each separate case to pave the way for the adoption of an appropriate decision in the matter and the designation of the role of each authority concerned with the matter.

(a) (2)Measures and programmes for increasing primary school enrolment

337.A number of measures to increase primary enrolment rates have been adopted, although Qatar does not have a problem with gross and net enrolment rates inasmuch as the overall primary enrolment rate in 2011 was 99.3 per cent. The measures adopted include forming a committee to monitor enforcement of the Compulsory Education Act, opening more public primary schools in all regions of the State and encouraging the private sector to open private schools. In addition, the National Education and Training Sector Strategy 2011-2016, which is currently being implemented, includes programmes designed to absorb more students in the educational system.

(a) (3)Measures and programmes to encourage regular school attendance

338.The Supreme Education Council endeavours to promote the importance of education as the basis for human development and a pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030, which seeks to achieve the following educational objectives:

1.Provision of an educational system on a par with world-class educational systems that will meet the needs of Qatari citizens and society through: educational curricula and training programmes that meet the current and future needs of the labour market; high-quality educational and training opportunities suited to the aspirations and capacities of each individual; and life-long continuing education programmes for all;

2.Creation of a national formal and informal educational network that will equip Qatari children and youth with the skills and high motivation needed for them to contribute to the construction and advancement of their society, by: strengthening national values and traditions and preserving the national heritage; encouraging young people to create, innovate and develop their capacities; fostering a spirit of belonging and citizenship; promoting participation in a wide range of sporting and cultural activities;

3.Provision of advanced, independent educational institutions that are managed efficiently in accordance with centralized guidelines and are accountable;

4.Provision of an effective system for funding scientific research based on public-private partnerships in cooperation with the relevant international bodies and leading international research centres;

5.Establishment of an active role for Qatar in international cultural and intellectual activities and scientific research.

339.The following measures have been taken to incentivize and encourage students to continue their education:

Promotion of student participation in: national and international forums to strengthen national identity and patriotism and in contests in areas that strengthen learning, e.g., the National Exhibition for Student Research, which involves the honouring of students and awarding of financial prizes to winning students; research competitions of the Qatar Fund for Scientific Research; programmes that support identity, e.g., National Day; programmes for developing students’ skills such as the junior broadcast and other programmes; and local educational field trips;

Collaboration with State institutions regarding agreements and memoranda of understanding that provide support to students to enhance their motivation;

Promotion of school councils, e.g., student participation in student councils, communication with the boards of trustees, advisory committees of teachers and school license holders to promote the role of students.

Creation of opportunities for high-achieving students to participate in Academic Distinction Day.

340.A key objective of the National Education and Training Strategy 2011-2016 is outcome No. 5, which seeks to communicate and enhance awareness of the advantages of education to increase students’ motivation to learn and continue learning throughout life. The single output of this goal is the development of a comprehensive communication and incentive plan to encourage students to continue their education and training beyond the secondary school level.

(a) (4)Measures and programmes to continue reducing school dropout rates

341.The State is making efforts jointly with all entities concerned with children’s rights to ensure that children receive an education and are enrolled in school, including efforts to limit dropping out from compulsory education, truancy and repeated absences, all of which adversely affect academic performance.

342.The Supreme Education Council has adopted the following measures in this regard:

Development of a policy for disciplining students that includes: monitoring absences; establishing procedures to prevent students from dropping out, e.g., not deleting any student without first referring to the Supreme Education Council; creating mechanisms for dealing with parents who contribute directly to the dropping out of their children; and enforcement of Compulsory Education Act No. 25 of 2001, which fines any person who contributes to a child’s dropping out from or failure to enrol in school after the school has exhausted all measures and avenues in coordination with the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women;

Support for special needs students, integration of such students in independent schools and provision of an appropriate team to serve them to ensure they receive an appropriate education;

Assurance of the continued participation of children in morning education by prohibiting all small children from participating in the parallel education system (i.e., home-based or evening classes) based on the admission and registration policy in order to properly integrate such children into the school community;

Enhancement of the level of teachers by increasing their salaries and retraining them to deal with students according to proper educational methods. This will help directly in precluding dropouts;

Action to provide appropriate psychological or social guidance services to encourage students to engage positively in the educational environment;

Assiduous efforts to create a safe, productive school environments to help students continue learning without pressures or impediments;

Establishment of student councils to provide students with an opportunity to express their views and ideas and to discuss them with officials;

Development of an electronic system for tracking students to ensure they remain in the educational system and to prevent any child from leaving without communicating with the concerned authorities in the Council to obtain their approval.

343.The Supreme Education Council prepared a study on “Qatari male student dropout from public education”. The study notes a very low dropout rate that does not arouse concern in educational circles. The study does however attach great importance to the absorption of all students in the educational process, making recommendations which the Council and its partners can use to follow up the National Strategy for the Education Sector 2011-2016, which is currently being implemented.

(a) (5)Measures and programmes to develop vocational education

344.The Supreme Education Council attaches special importance to specialized education as a part of the educational system. This concern is translated into a number of measures, including the following:

The conclusion of agreements with civil society organizations in Qatar for the operation of schools. The Supreme Education Council signed an agreement with Qatar Petroleum on the operation of the Qatar Technical School. It also signed an agreement with the Central Bank of Qatar in 2010 to operate an independent secondary commercial school, which will contribute to both economic and social development. The name of the school was changed in academic year 2012-13 to the Independent Secondary School of Banking Sciences and Business Administration. There is a plan to open a school for girls and to add the preparatory level to the commercial education system. In addition, the Religious Preparatory and Secondary Institute has been converted into an independent school that teaches all subjects taught in State schools in addition to providing a specialized education in Islamic law and the Arabic language. An educational plan is currently being developed for the Institute to achieve the goals of this type of education;

Development of educational programmes and plans in the aforesaid schools to meet the requirements of the market and to allow Qatari universities to join the ranks of the finest universities in the world.

345.These efforts are intended to provide educational choices, opportunities for preparing workers for the labour market and sponsorship opportunities for specialized universities through the entities that operate the schools.

346.The Education and Training Strategy also includes projects to develop public academic and vocational secondary education and to diversify the specialties in preparatory and secondary education for girls. These projects are covered in outcome No. 18 of the strategy, which calls for the “establishment of a regulatory framework designed to ensure that training and continuing education address labour market needs”. The outputs of this outcome include the establishment of a national framework for qualifications and occupational standards as well as a supervisory agency. Outcome No. 19 of the strategy concerns programmes and outputs of training and continuing education that are consistent with the needs of Qatari society and the labour market. This outcome includes two outputs: a plan to develop outstanding training and ongoing education programmes that meet the needs of the labour market, and a plan to establish partnerships with the business sector to develop training and continuing education.

(a) (6)Measures and programmes to provide for the enrolment of girls in the Qatar Leadership Academy

347.Enrolment in the Academy is restricted to boys due to the nature of the studies and housing at the Academy, which are not suited to girls according to Qatari cultural norms.

(a) (7)Measures and programmes to help students complete their education

348.Regarding the Committee’s request for more information on assistance for students to complete their education, the Supreme Education Council is keen on students continuing their education and helping low income students and students in special economic circumstances. For this purpose, it has allocated a sum in its budget for material assistance for two students per family. The assistance totals 250 Qatari rials per secondary student, 200 Qatari rials per preparatory student and 150 Qatari rials per primary student. The amount is paid monthly to eligible students in first grade of primary school through third grade of secondary school.

The number of students benefiting from financial social assistance totalled 6,334 male and female students during academic years 2009/10 through 2011/12. The assistance totalled 12,947,960 Qatari rials. The sum allocated annually for assistance is 5 million Qatari rials.

349.The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs educates children through the Alms Fund, which pays tuition for a number of students whose families’ economic situation does not permit them to pay. The assistance covers daily expenses, school supplies and clothing.

Table 11

Steady growth in the private schools ’ share of assistance, 2009-2012

	2009 / 10	2010 / 11	2011 / 12
Number of students	Assistance amount (QR)	Number of students	Assistance amount (QR)	Number of students	Assistance amount (QR)
Private schools	57.2	85.1	46.2	83.4	49.1	90.4
Independent schools	42.8	14.9	53.8	16.6	50.9	9.6
Total	100	100	100	100	100	100
2 096	10 154 141	3 054	12 878 637	5 614	26 342 224

Table 12

Sponsorship of students in schools in Qatar, 2009-2012

Class	2009 / 10	2010 / 11	2011 / 12
Number of students	Assistance amount (QR)	Number of students	Assistance amount (QR)	Number of students	Assistance amount (QR)
Preparatory	40	167 806	72	358 052	182	1 107 248
1/primary	169	994 327	279	1 364 738	475	2 771 512
2/primary	173	938 665	299	1 426 423	511	2 515 654
3/primary	203	1 037 880	284	1 288 244	514	2 407 810
4/primary	178	927 482	298	1 297 781	526	2 444 331
5/primary	190	924 810	268	1 142 159	525	2 492 232
6/primary	182	891 339	293	1 107 383	512	2 404 242
1/preparatory	191	946 639	262	1 031 768	495	2 244 719
2/preparatory	208	913 040	227	1 004 865	487	2 236 388
3/preparatory	143	623 144	205	749 227	377	1 683 939
1/secondary	168	763 552	178	755 672	371	1 779 037
2/secondary	116	486 897	209	717 959	314	1 395 003
3/secondary	108	528 515	180	634 266	325	1 856 330
Total	2 069	10 144 096	3 054	12 878 537	5 614	27 338 445

Table 13

Sponsorship of students in schools in Qatar, 2009-2012

Beneficiary	Number of students	Tuition fees (QR)	Total (QR )
Tamakon School	53	1 432 450	1 432 450
Farah Centre for Special Needs	14	376 700	376 700
Doha International Centre for Persons with Special Needs	15	421 000	421 000
Qatar Autism Centre	9	290 000	290 000
Total	91	2 520 150	2 520 150

(a) (8)Measures and programmes to ensure the management of schools consistent with the human dignity of the student and with the Convention, particularly the prohibition of corporal punishment and violence in schools

350.The following measures has been adopted to ensure management of schools consistent with the human dignity of the child and with the Convention in respect of the prohibition of corporal punishment:

Promulgation of a discipline policy for students in independent schools based on Ministerial Decision No. 32 of 2013. The policy includes eight articles concerning the policy objectives and the roles and responsibilities of the concerned parties (school, teacher, social worker, guidance counsellor, family, disciplinary committee in the school and the student counselling office), analysis of student behaviour, violations, preventive and disciplinary measures and student absences;

The policy focuses on the reinforcement of positive behaviour and on preventive measures, emphasizing the importance of self-discipline for students to motivate and urge them to be compliant with the school regime. It promotes educational values and absolute confidentiality in dealing with all cases, taking into account fairness and equal treatment among students and avoiding the use of non-pedagogical methods, including all forms of physical and psychological abuse, to address misconduct of all types;

Qatar also issued Ministerial Decision No. 33 of 2013 on student counselling, article 3 of which outlines the role and function of student counsellors. Counsellors are responsible for: supervising students in schools based on the school’s discipline policy; educating and orienting students, their parents and the school system in general in the rules of conduct; preparing case studies of student conduct and developing solutions; and cooperating and communicating with the relevant authorities.

351.The following programmes concern the education and training of school workers concerning the prohibition of corporal punishment:

Annual coordination of a number of training courses for social workers. These courses raise awareness about not using corporal punishment, mechanisms for dealing with violence, etc;

The holding of programmes and educational meetings in schools with a high incidence of violence or non-pedagogic treatment of students. Training courses are held for school directors, teachers, and administrators to familiarize them with the characteristics of different age groups and the psychological needs of students at each educational level based on a training plan prepared by the school and approved by the Professional Development Office;

The attachment of social workers and psychologists in training programmes to institutions concerned with children’s rights, such as the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children, to familiarize them with cases of violence between students and ways for handling them;

Assurance of the school’s implementation of a number of awareness raising programmes during the academic year.

352.Initiatives and programmes concerned with maintaining the child’s dignity includes the following:

Development of behavioural modification treatment plans in cooperation with supporting institutions, including the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women;

Formation of a disciplinary committee. One of the members of the board of trustees (in independent schools) is required to play a role in the committee’s efforts to apply the disciplinary regulations.

353.The Supreme Education Council has endeavoured to provide all measures and requirements to ensure the security and safety of students at home and at school. To that end, it has provided a number of training courses for social workers and psychologists in coordination with the relevant entities — such as the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children, the Social Rehabilitation Centre (al-Uwayn) and the Family Counselling Centre — on proper methods for detecting, treating and reporting cases of violence. Since 2009, a number of training courses have been provided, initially by support institutions under contract with the Council and subsequently by independent schools, in accordance with the approved plan for development. The Supreme Education Council continues its efforts to promote the best practices.

354.The approved discipline policy affirms morals and values, such as tolerance, the safeguarding of security and school property, respect and fairness in interactions within the school as part of the school’s general goals and in the school’s social and moral programmes. The policy covers rights and duties that reinforce positive behaviour on the part of teachers and students, including refrainment from using rude or inappropriate language, respect for students, refrainment from insulting or slandering students, and maintenance of a healthy, wholesome educational environment in the classroom at all times. The policy also sets forth the duty of parents to urge their children to be disciplined in their conduct and not to behave inappropriately at school. The policy prohibits students from fighting with or attacking others and to observe good manners.

355.The rules of conduct as set forth in the policy prohibit obscene or immoral language, and possession of weapons or sharp objects, physical attacks against others and the use of violence against other students.

356.The rules of conduct also cover preventive and disciplinary measures, reinforcement of positive behaviour, and employee requirements to categorically refrain from the use of any type of physical harm as a type of punishment and to fully refrain from using improper language.

357.Under the discipline policy, students may be suspended or expelled on only a very limited basis. The policy is based on positive guidance and the desire to keep the student in regular education and to limit suspensions or expulsions. Students may also be removed from public education due to work or marriage, in which case they are transferred to parallel education (home-based or evening classes).

358.The schools and competent authorities communicate to provide notice of appropriate measures taken under a memorandum of understanding with the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women regarding students who have social problems. The number of cases received is two cases per student counselling office.

(a) (9)Measures and programmes to strengthen and encourage international cooperation in educational matters

359.Qatar works assiduously to achieve comprehensive development in all areas of life. For this purpose, it makes efforts on the national level to establish the infrastructure for utilities, making use of international expertise and experience in this regard. The State also seeks to develop human capacities, which are its most important development resource, by developing knowledge and the sciences and creating a suitable academic environment for addressing these objectives.

360.Cooperation with the international community (specialized international organizations and agencies) is a key foundation for supporting, developing and implementing the national education policy included in the Qatar National Vision 2030. The vision emphasizes — in respect of one of its pillars, namely human development (education, health and labour) — the strengthening and encouragement of international cooperation in the field of education.

361.The membership of Qatar in international and regional organizations and specialized agencies provides important backing and renewable resources for the acquisition of new knowledge and the achievement of sustainable human development.

362.The membership of Qatar in educational, cultural and scientific organizations in particular — such as UNESCO and its specialized agencies and organizations, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, the Islamic Organization for Education, Science and Culture and the Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States — has greatly facilitated the development and updating of Qatari educational strategies, plans and systems as follows:

Qatar is currently involved in the plan to develop education in the Arab world, adopted by the Arab Organization for Education, Science and Culture on the recommendation of the Arab Summit and League of Arab States;

These organizations provide Qatari ministries and institutions involved in education with consultants, experts and specialists. The latter provide them with technical advice and supervise their organizations’ projects in Qatar;

These organizations implement pilot programmes in the areas of the environment, education and literacy, preservation of world heritage, and the protection of intellectual creativity in many State institutions, especially in education, culture and science;

These organizations organize many scientific and educational activities for the development of human resources. They hold training courses, workshops, seminars and symposia and convene advisory committees to which Qatari educational workers and thinkers are invited;

These organizations have significant international experience. They have the best minds in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. Their documents cover the most cutting-edge experiments and most recent scientific studies and field trials, and ministries and State institutions working in the fields of education may avail themselves of them;

These organizations hold numerous international and regional conferences in which ministers and officials of Qatari educational institutions have participated. The decisions and recommendations emanating from these conferences enjoy official support from all member States and thus contribute to the development of strategies, priorities and executive action plans;

These organizations develop many international and regional legislative and executive instruments in the form of treaties and international conventions and protocols to ensure the achievement of international cooperation in all areas of life. They help Qatari educational institutions benefit from the results of scientific progress in all aspects of knowledge and to preserve heritage and human and natural resources;

These organizations assess regional and global networks within their purviews with a view toward cooperation among all member States and the exchange of expertise and experience, which redounds positively to the educational process in Qatar;

These organizations represent a platform and global forum that allow member States to present their issues and educational vision to world public opinion and to provide a picture for the entire world of the educational renaissance taking place in Qatar;

Some of these organizations offer the opportunity for Qatari youth of both sexes to participate in many international youth events, and to achieve the humanitarian goal of rapprochement and dialogue between cultures and integration within the global family. A student delegation participated in a youth meeting in New York City in July 2011 under the auspices of a United Nations body.

363.A series of nine agreements and memorandums of understanding and protocols were concluded with nine countries during 2009-2012 including agreements pertaining to various fields of education.

(b)Objectives of education (art. 29), including quality of education

(b) (1)Measures and programmes to and further improve the quality of education in public schools

364.A National Training and Education Strategy has been developed. It covers kindergarten through twelfth grade, higher education, vocational and technical training and training for workers in the educational field. The strategy sets forth 21 outcomes intended to improve general and higher education and training. Outcomes 7 and 8 are designed to bring about an overall improvement resulting in the consistent delivery of high-quality education.

365.Outcomes 7 and 8 of the national training and education strategy include the following outputs:

Infrastructure plan to ensure the ability to accommodate all children;

Compulsory kindergarten and secondary school;

The use of an updated national curriculum at all levels of education from kindergarten through the secondary level.

366.The Supreme Education Council assures action on the following:

Effective use of technology in the educational process. Monitoring is conducted in each academic year to ensure technologies are available and being used more effectively in the classroom or in electronic schoolwork.

The development of a public-private partnership to support the optimal use of technology and promote scientific research and innovation among students;

Professional development of teachers to equip them with effective methods for managing and maintaining technology in the schools;

Provision of training support to senior and middle management to equip them with optimal methods for improving the quality of teaching and learning;

Promotion of school activities;

Participation in local and international competitions.

367.In addition to the above, the Supreme Education Council is working to provide quality education through outstanding magnet schools that are exemplars of quality in education.

368.National and international school accreditation programmes have been initiated in all schools to enhance the quality of education and promote ongoing development in schools to ensure that all schools in Qatar provide a good education.

369.The educational methods used in the schools have been developed through:

The provision of modern equipment and devices such as smart blackboards, computers and laboratories;

The provision of supportive programmes such as the electronic school bag;

Support for good practices in education;

The provision — by the Supreme Education Council and other entities — of programmes for local and external professional development in all fields and workshops on curriculum standards and all aspects of the school;

Provision of current and updated hardcopy and electronic learning resources;

Integration of information technology in learning through various systems and programmes, e.g., the school administration system, school learning system, etc;

The development of learning resources for the preparation of uniform national textbooks for all public schools; and the development of administrative regulations and rules for schools, which the Supreme Education Council is keen to do in line with the public interest.

370.Regarding efforts to support partnerships with community institutions to enhance the quality of education, the Cultural Centre for Childhood has introduced captivating reading programmes that are run in the primary schools to promote the acquisition of reading skills in Arabic and English. The centre also held a series of training workshops on the development of thinking and problem solving skills and workshops for reading coaches. It organized a series of contests such as “Professions and popular games tournament”, “The promising orator”, “Create your own game”, “Dreams of generations” and “Binoculars”.

371.As part of the National Campaign to Encourage the Reading 2009-2012, the Cultural Centre Children’s launched the National Project for the Development of Reading under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Hesse bint Hamad, which lasted for three years and involved a series of events, programmes, projects and research that encouraged children to read, including:

Three surveys regarding children’s reading trends in Qatar. One survey was conducted in 10 primary schools and included both boys and girls. A survey study and a pilot study were also conducted on the types of reading material that attract children in six primary schools and included both boys and girls;

A “reading coaches” series, which included six sessions for educators and parents on how to encourage children to read;

The organization of a number of competitions, such as “The human book”, “The book of tomorrow” and “My story from my picture”. Some of the stories that the children wrote for the competitions were published;

The organization of a number of training courses for children, which benefited more than 1,200 boys and girls;

The “Colours” mobile library project, which was designed to stimulate the children and encourage them to go to libraries by creating an attractive environment conducive to reading that comes to children wherever they are;

The opening of a bookstore in the Village Mall (“My library”) for the sale of children’s books. The store also offers a range of interactive activities that encourage children to read;

Publication of seven issues of the “I want him/her to be educated”, which concerns reading and writing.

372.The Cultural Centre for Children also organized — in May 2013 in collaboration with the Universal Concepts of Mental Arithmetic Systems-Qatar programme — the first national mental arithmetic tournament in Qatar for children. The programme is designed to promote the mental capacities of children and develop their abilities, creativity and talents. It helps them excel and shine, develops their observation and listening skills, and enhances their self-confidence by building a solid foundation in academic achievement to produce balanced, creative, ambitious children. More than 260 male and female students participated in the tournament. The top achievers will form a Qatari team that will participate in the nineteenth international mental arithmetic competition which will be held in Malaysia at the end of 2013. The tournament is held annually with the participation of 3,000 students representing more than fifty countries.

(b)Measures and programmes to improve the quality of education in private schools

373.The Supreme Education Council licenses and supervises private schools. For this purpose, it has:

Established standards and requirements that are binding on all new or existing school buildings;

Issued the Security and Safety Management Manual;

Set policy on academic tuition and additional fees in schools and kindergartens and regulated increases consistent with the educational services provided;

Supervised legal, licensing and academic matters and ascertained schools’ compliance with its policies;

Approved, through its Curriculum Standards Office, the educational plans of private schools and kindergartens;

Ensured adherence in all schools to the educational ladder, the admission and registration policy and the discipline policy;

Monitored the electronic registration of students on the school administration system in private schools and kindergartens;

Ensured the compulsory teaching of sharia sciences, the Arabic language and Qatari history in international schools and Qatari history in schools for expatriate communities;

Urged schools to obtain national or international school accreditation to ensure the quality of education in private schools.

(3) (b)Measures and programmes to further improve the quality of higher education

374.In regard to the recommendation concerning the need to provide more information about higher education and to develop education and make it available to all, the Community College of Qatar was established in May 2010. The college offers services and credentials for students in three key areas: (1) diploma in arts and sciences, (2) diploma in applied science and (3) certificates of completion of training and personal development courses. Nine hundred male and female students are enrolled full-time in the college, which was established to admit students who were not admitted to Qatar University or the universities in the Education City. Graduates of the Qatar Community College may, after completing their studies, enter the labour force or continue their studies at Qatar University or any other university.

375.Qatar University is keen to develop and improve its performance and has sought to obtain a number of academic accreditations. The College of Business and Economics obtained full academic accreditation for its bachelor’s and master’s programmes from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business in the first semester of academic year 2009. In February 2009, the pharmacy programmes at Qatar University were accredited for three years (January 2009 until December 2012) by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programmes. Similarly, all bachelor degree programmes of the College of Engineering obtained academic accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology in the United States in 2011. The English language division in the Basic Programme Unit obtained, on 10 April 2010, academic accreditation for five years from the Commission on English Accreditation, an American organization that accredits English language programmes and institutions throughout the world.

376.Qatar University has also taken measures to improve its performance, including the following:

1.Preparation and implementation of a strategic plan for the university, which includes objectives and targeted performance indicators covering 2010-2013.

2.Construction of a new building for the university library equipped with the latest learning resources.

3.Construction of an integrated complex for scientific and specialized research.

4.Increased participation in the National Research Programme organized by the Qatar Foundation for Science. Professors and students from Qatar University have been awarded grants to undertake hundreds of research projects.

5.Development of support services for students, such as academic advising, professional development, psychological counselling, focused learning, food service, and others.

6.Purchase and operation of a ship for applied scientific maritime research.

7.Offering of bachelor-level minors and majors in public health, translation, philosophy, psychology, secondary education, policy and planning and development.

8.Offering of an honours program.

9.Offering of a master’s degree in a number of disciplines, such as accounting, engineering, Gulf studies, environmental sciences, Arabic, biomedical sciences, Quranic sciences and interpretation, and Islamic jurisprudence.

10.Offering of doctoral programmes in the disciplines of the College of Engineering.

11.Installation of upgraded versions of computer programmes that support operations — such as Oracle, Banner and Millennium — in order to expand services and enhance performance.

12.Application of an institutional effectiveness methodology.

13.Application of a methodology for the systematic assessment of academic programmes.

14.Application of a methodology for the systematic evaluation of non-academic units.

15.Increase in faculty salaries and certain allowances.

16.Preparation of a number of academic and non-academic policies and procedures.

17.Establishment of a Research Centre for Traffic Safety.

18.Formation of a Council of Student Representatives.

19.Formation of a Council of University Graduates.

377.Higher education has progressed significantly regarding equal opportunity between the sexes to obtain foreign scholarships. The number of female Qataris who study abroad has doubled in recent years, growing at a faster rate than that of male students, due to the following factors:

The country’s educational and developmental boom of recent years;

Economic, political and educational openness to foreign societies;

The launch of initiatives to promote education and establish various projects and educational institutions and the signing of memoranda of understanding with several universities abroad;

The elimination of certain educational difficulties encumbering female Qatari students, and positive changes in prevailing attitudes;

The encouragement of innovation and excellence in education;

The development of mechanisms and regulations to encourage study abroad, creation of incentives for chaperones permissible under Islamic law and facilitation of accommodations for Qatari female students, all of which have helped overcome obstacles facing Qatari female students and contributed significantly to the achievement of the principle of equal opportunity between the sexes.

378.An academic counselling plan was prepared. Based on the plan, an official circular was sent to all schools at the beginning of the academic year regarding the attracting and hiring of qualified personnel to serve as academic counsellors. The circular covered instructions in this regard, including the placement of job announcements in local newspapers and preparation of employment application forms for college and vocational guidance counsellors for circulation to school guidance counsellors with emphasis on the correct use of the forms.

379.Students in grades eight through twelve receive academic counselling. An annual international exhibition of universities is held to familiarize students with the universities on the lists of the Supreme Education Council and provide students with an opportunity to speak with university officials and become familiar with university admission requirements.

(c)Human rights and civic education

380.Regarding the training and educating of school employees and students, a number of measures have been taken to disseminate the Convention and raise the awareness of students regarding human rights. In March 2010, the Supreme Education Council launched a human rights programme aimed at students, teachers and school administrators. Its goal was to educate students at the primary and preparatory levels. It included contests in daily newspapers to enhance awareness of human rights among children as well as the following components:

Creation of human rights associations in schools;

Teaching staff were trained to spread a culture of human rights in schools;

A human rights day was declared for schools;

Lectures were delivered to students;

Programmes were prepared and student rights associations visited some government agencies;

Human rights themed contests were organized.

381.In the context of cooperation between the Supreme Council for Education and National Human Rights Committee, the following training programmes and workshops on human rights were conducted for students, teachers and school administrators to educate them and transform their knowledge of human rights into practical skills:

In collaboration with the National Human Rights Committee, a training course was offered on integrating human rights into primary, preparatory and secondary school curricula;

The National Human Rights Committee, in conjunction with the Supreme Education Council, put together an integrated package of training programmes on incorporating human rights concepts into the primary, preparatory and secondary school levels;

A training course was provided by National Human Rights Committee on the Human Rights Council and the universal periodic review mechanism;

A workshop was held on human rights based on the right to education;

A workshop on the nature and characteristics of human rights was held in coordination with the National Human Rights Committee.

382.The National Human Rights Committee, as part of its broader human-rights activities in the context of an awareness-raising campaign, held a contest entitled “Know your rights” in cooperation with a group of schools. The 12 schools participating in the competition (four from each educational level with an equal numbers of boys and girls) honoured Waban Preparatory Independent School for Girls and the students who won the competition.

383.Several guides on human rights in education have been developed, including:

A guide to teaching values;

A guide to teaching human rights at the primary level;

A guide to teaching human rights at the preparatory level;

A guide to teaching human rights at the secondary level.

384.The National Human Rights Committee, in cooperation with the firm Maximize Qatar for Training and Consulting and the independent schools, organized a programme entitled “My right as a child”, which deals with the rights and obligations of the child and includes a series of training courses. The programme is being offered in implementation of an agreement concluded between the Supreme Education Council and the National Human Rights Committee. It covers the social, health, psychological and educational domains as well as rights. It aims to develop the culture of the child and familiarize the child with his/her rights based on the Islamic religion and international instruments with a focus on basic education, justice and equality, non-discrimination, acceptance of others and the child’s understanding of his/her rights and duties.

385.Regarding the Committee’s recommendation to continue including human rights in general and the rights of the child in particular in school curricula, the national standards for academic subjects include a diverse series of concepts and principles concerning human rights, including:

1.Social studies and human rights curriculum standards: Social studies, particularly citizenship, play a crucial role in building a culture based on peace, justice and respect for human rights. The social studies curriculum seeks to teach knowledge and norms that instil the global values of justice, freedom and human dignity by:

Teaching subjects and norms that strengthen respect for human rights;

Instilling authentic values and traditions in youth to imbue them with the principles of respect for human rights.

The social studies curriculum treats human rights in a citizenship section that includes the following units:

(a)Individuals and groups: This unit develops exploration skills, morals, communication skills, respect, self-reliance, self-confidence, thinking skills, adaptation skills and a sense of group affiliation. In this unit, the student becomes familiar with the rights and duties of groups;

(b)Citizenship:

Starting in third grade of primary school, this unit helps students learn to distinguish between justice and oppression and to know right from wrong. It deals with differences and diversity and familiarizes students with social, political and legal institutions;

At the preparatory level, students gain an understanding of human rights and their duties. They study differences among people, ideas and societies by examining local and international institutions. They also learn about social, political and legal institutions, the economy, production and international organizations;

At the tenth-grade level, the citizenship unit teaches students that people are responsible for their behaviour within their environment and that they may be challenged by certain situations that may result in an improvement in the human rights of others.

2.The citizenship curriculum at various educational levels:

Second level: “My duty to my country”. This unit deals with protecting public and private property and rights and duties;

Third level: “Society in my country”. This unit deals with social institutions in the country. It reinforces the principle of human rights;

Fourth level: the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf and human rights;

Fifth level: social values, human coexistence and social solidarity;

Sixth level: the Islamic civilization, respect for human rights and factors that have influenced the formation of the Islamic Arab identity;

Seventh level: Students study the system of government in Qatar, several governmental institutions (including the National Human Rights Committee), the functions of the family, the rights and duties of family members and the importance of strengthening respect for the rights of others;

Eighth level: the role of Qatar in protecting basic human rights (rights of the child, and combating human trafficking);

Ninth level: affiliation, loyalty, democracy and rights and duties.

Tenth level: the system of government in Qatar, legal and professional institutions, conflict resolution, the roles of the National Human Rights Committee, and the Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar with a focus on articles dealing with rights and duties and respect for human rights. Students also study the international relations of Qatar and the rights organizations in which the State is a member.

386.The schools attach considerable importance to reinforcing human rights principles through students’ participation in curricular and extracurricular activities designed to strengthen the relationship between the school community and the greater community and instil in students Islamic principles which profess human rights in all areas.

(d)Cultural rights of children belonging to indigenous and minority groups

387.There is no discrimination among students in schools based on ethnicity. All students are equal. Moreover, there are school activities designed to strengthen relations between students from different countries and provide an opportunity to become familiar with their cultures and languages. For this purpose, diversity programmes are held in the schools to strengthen and enrich humanitarian values, including school assemblies for Gulf Day, India Day, China Day, Egypt Day, Etc.

388.The Cultural Centre for Children, in cooperation with the Supreme Education Council, has provided a number of training programmes and workshops to strengthen and support appreciation for and familiarity with other peoples and cultures through visits to other countries, commemorations of Children’s Day each year to raise awareness of the importance of coexistence with others, and appreciation of other cultures through artistic performances, exhibitions and training workshops.

389.The Centre also organized a series of heritage activities to familiarize students with the heritage of previous generations and different cultures and to link these heritages with the present and efforts to maintain their authenticity.

(d)Rest, play, recreation, leisure and cultural and artistic activities

390.The Supreme Education Council seeks to strengthen the student’s right to regularly engage in hobbies to realize his or her potential. For the purpose, the Council implements an integrated, comprehensive plan for extracurricular activities. The plan has clearly defined goals and times and does not infringe on planned classroom activities approved by the Supreme Education Council. The Council monitors independent schools’ compliance with the rules and guidelines on extracurricular activities issued by the Office of Independent Schools to ensure that designated school hours are not infringed.

391.Programmes suited to the needs and aspirations of students are organized and coordinated with State agencies and institutions, as are local and foreign visits.

392.The youth centres in the State offer the following activities:

1.Sporting activity: includes the practice of a number of team sports (soccer, basketball and volleyball) and individual sports (table tennis, billiards, karate and taekwondo).

2.Religious activity: The centres hold courses for memorizing and reciting the Koran, lessons on the explanation and interpretation of the Koran and the hadith, and lectures and classes in worship, jurisprudence, Prophetic biography, etc.

3.Cultural activity: includes intellectual seminars and lectures, cultural competitions and workshops in story writing and poetry.

4.Artistic activity: includes fine arts, music, theatre, singing, photography, interest in heritage and traditional crafts.

5.Scientific activity: Scientific activity in youth centres includes computer courses and science lectures and workshops. The Qatar Science Club, which is housed in one of the youth centres, offers specialized courses in computers, electronics, astronomy, mechanics and other fields.

6.Social activity and activity camps: includes trips, visits, camping, community service programmes and the celebration of national and religious occasions.

393.Private schools also organize activities — including academic field trips, recreational and cultural activities and competitions (cultural, sports and recreation) — taking into account the security and safety requirements in the children’s playing areas at the educational facility.

Part VIIISpecial protection measures (arts. 22, 30, 32-36, 37 (b)-(d), 38, 39 and 40)

(a) (1)Children outside their countries of origin - children who are refugees or are seeking refugee status

394. While noting the information provided in the State party ’ s report and by the delegation during the dialogue that there are no refugee children in the State party, the Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ still remains concerned at the lack of legislative measures in this field… The Committee … recommends that the State party consider acceding to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and adopt national asylum legislation and procedures on asylum in accordance with international standards for asylum and international protection… It further recommends that the State party consider acceding to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 58 and 59).

395.In follow-up of the information contained in the two previous reports of Qatar, there is political support in Qatar for accession to several international conventions, as the State is convinced of the importance of these conventions for the promotion and protection of human rights. However, a shortage of human and technical resources preclude Qatar from acceding to any additional treaties at present. The State’s accession to a number of international conventions within a brief time has placed considerable pressure and burdens on the legislative and executive authorities in Qatar due to the shortage of technical and human resources.

396.The present report affirms the State’s considerable concern for refugees in other countries. The State has launched a number of initiatives and has provided refugees and victims in many countries with financial aid and educational, health and social assistance. Initiatives undertaken by the concerned Qatari authorities include but are not limited to the following:

397.Aid provided by the Qatari armed forces to foreign authorities and States during armed conflicts, natural disasters and wars has included:

Humanitarian aid and development aid in 2010 on the Asian continent (Pakistan);

Humanitarian aid and development aid in 2011 on the African continent (Libya, Egypt, Chad and Kenya) and in Asia (Pakistan).

398.Project Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), an affiliate of the Qatar Foundation, undertook the following:

In 2011, ROTA and Vodafone launched a programme that helps 180,000 Indonesian students benefit from improved educational environments and resources;

ROTA and Muslim Aid helped build more than 50 informal schools for Burmese refugees in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh;

ROTA built, rebuilt and maintained 97 schools in Cambodia, Iraq, Palestine, Nepal and Pakistan, including 25 flood-resistant schools in Nepal;

Students numbering 30,430 throughout the world receive an education in a safe environment and flood-resistant school buildings in seven countries thanks to ROTA;

Six thousand displaced persons received emergency education services in the Swat Valley in Pakistan;

Poor students in Indonesia and Nepal were awarded 139 scholarships to attend secondary school;

During a three-year period (2008-2011), ROTA and the Mountain Turquoise Foundation provided educational services to returning refugees, displaced persons and communities suffering from conflict in three provinces (Khost, Ghazni and Kapisa). The project sought to help children living in areas lacking government educational facilities;

Since 2008, ROTA in Indonesia and the Titian Foundation have enabled and facilitated, through the Qatar Titian Scholarship Fund, the education of students who have completed secondary school in the village of Bayat;

During 2010-2011, ROTA, with the support of the Ministry of Education, developed the personal, social and pedagogic skills of primary and secondary school teachers;

During 2009-2010, ROTA in Iraq and Mercy Corps built a middle school for girls and a youth centre;

During 2009-2011, ROTA in the occupied Palestinian territories and the International Islamic Relief Organization improved the level of educational attainment of Palestinian students in the Gaza Strip in a healthy, safe learning environment;

During 2010-2013, ROTA, Sustainable Business Partners, al-Masar and the Syrian Environment Association and Ministry of Education undertook an environmental education initiative for primary and secondary school students in Syria;

During 2009-2010, ROTA in Pakistan, the Qatari Red Crescent and several other agencies undertook an emergency education programme for internally displaced persons through the International Rescue Committee. ROTA has also provided furniture for 14 schools in Narchir Ali Khan Bagh, Bagh Azad and Kashmir. ROTA also undertook a social rehabilitation programme for displaced children in the North-West Frontier province in Pakistan. During 2010-2012, ROTA ran a programme to improve the level and quality of education for displaced children returning to their home areas after a flood.

399.The Qatar Charity Association provided the following international cooperation projects:

(1)Implementation of a project called “Implant them (cochlear implants) and change their lives” for the first time in Kosovo under the auspices of the Qatar Charity Association during May through August 2012. Ten electronic cochleae were implanted in persons with hearing impairment. The Qatar Charity Association fully funded the operations, which resounded in the media and among Kosovans.

(2)An urgent relief project for students displaced from northern Mali. The project was carried out upon the initiative of the Qatar Charity Association and its local partner in cooperation with the Ministry of Basic Education. It was designed to deal with the increase in the number of students displaced by events occurring in the region, where rebels and armed groups have seized control, resulting in closure of schools and flight of teachers and students and their families to neighbouring countries or cities in southern Mali, including Mopti, Segou and Bamako. Those cities recorded the highest numbers of displaced students and teachers (5354 students and 450 teachers) according to the National Education Department in the capital.

400.In order to strengthen and contribute to international cooperation against human trafficking, Qatar launched the Arab Initiative to Build National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in the Arab Countries. The Government of Qatar has assumed all costs of the US$ 6 million initiative.

401.The aforesaid initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and League of Arab States. Its objectives are to: build the capacities of senior staff involved in all aspects of combating human trafficking across the Arab region, including officials responsible for law enforcement in criminal justice agencies and systems, public prosecution, immigration and passports, border crossings, international cooperation, management of migrant labour recruitment and employment, treatment of migrant labour issues, centres and homes for sheltering and providing humanitarian care to victims of human trafficking and civil society institutions. The initiative also seeks to: identify victims; address their situation; repatriate or rehabilitate them; provide them with appropriate protection, care and support; and, when investigating and interacting with the victims, to remain sensitive to gender and the special needs of vulnerable groups, including women and children. The Initiative aims to provide training to:

Officials and senior staff in the agencies of the ministries of justice, labour, the interior, foreign affairs, social affairs, municipal affairs, trade, health and information;

Lawmakers and officials responsible for enforcing the penal code and combating human trafficking, including judges, prosecutors and their staff;

Senior officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the police, the security services, immigration, border crossings and customs;

Senior officials responsible for labour and licensing at the ministries of labour, municipalities, trade and the economy;

Civil society leaders of unions, guilds and professional, charitable and humanitarian associations, chambers of commerce and industry, large private-sector companies, and companies and offices that recruit and employ migrant labour;

Senior officials of social service and humanitarian care centres and shelters, particularly for victims of human trafficking;

Senior officials of the audio-visual and print media.

(a) (2)Children outside their countries of origin - children of migrant labourers

402. While noting that the State party allows the establishment of private schools run by expatriate communities, the Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ remains concerned that the children of migrant workers employed in the private sector may not always have access to public schools. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned that children of migrant workers are more vulnerable to violations of their human rights. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure access to public schools to all children, including to children of migrant workers employed in the private sector… ” and “ that the State party develop and implement policies and practices that will better protect and serve children of migrant workers ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 60 and 61).

403.In follow-up of the information contained in the two previous reports of Qatar, the present report affirms that the educational system in Qatar enables all children to enrol in general education without restriction. The State guarantees education for all children in the territory of Qatar. All Qatari and non-Qatari children whose parents work in companies in which the State has a 51-per cent share may enrol in governmental schools free of charge. The children of private-sector employees may enrol in private schools or governmental schools for which they must pay tuition fees.

404.The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, through the Department of Social Protection, works to ensure that all children (juveniles), whether citizens or residents, attend school. In problematic cases, the Ministry provides assistance, including classrooms and instructional means, and works to enrol children in school through normal channels and to return truant children to school.

405.The Qatari Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women provides educational services to children in general. It seeks to register the children of residents working in the private sector in independent governmental schools. It also monitors the enrolment of children in schools and works to address any difficulties that emerge in cooperation with officials in the Supreme Education Council and the concerned schools.

(b)Children in armed conflicts (art. 38)

406.Concerning the implementation of the concluding observations on the initial report submitted by the Qatar in respect of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict in October 2007 (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/1), and further to the information contained in the previous two reports of Qatar and the first report submitted by Qatar in respect of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict in October 2007 (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/1), the present report notes the following:

407.The present report affirms that there are no regulations or laws concerning the direct or indirect participation of any person below the age of 18 in the Qatari Armed Forces or in military operations.

408.Qatar also makes efforts to uphold international humanitarian law. Council of Ministers Decision No. 27 of 2012 establishes a national committee for this purpose. The committee is chaired by the Ministry of Justice and draws its members from the concerned governmental and non-governmental entities.

409.In order to raise awareness of and disseminate international humanitarian law, the Armed Forces train their members in international humanitarian law. Diplomatic and military staff participate in regional and international conferences concerning international humanitarian law. International humanitarian law is taught at the Legal and Judicial Studies Centre, Military College, training institutes and Qatar University. In addition, the Qatari Red Crescent plays an effective, active role in disseminating international humanitarian law and familiarizing the public with it by holding symposia, conferences and workshops and issuing publications.

410.In addition, the Qatari Armed Forces devote significant attention to disseminating the Geneva Conventions and Their Additional Protocols and training their members to inculcate them with the provisions of the Conventions and international humanitarian law, as indicated by the following:

(a)Several manuals have been prepared on basic subjects relating to international humanitarian law, including: the fundamental principles and norms of international humanitarian law; protection of the civilian population and civilian objectives during armed conflict; the conduct of combatants in the field; the protection of, and provision of humanitarian assistance to, prisoners of war and wounded persons who cannot participate in the hostilities; the protection of humanitarian personnel; and rules and provisions on the treatment of civilian women and children. These manuals have been circulated to the military commands and units for training and application purposes;

(b)A number of officers have attended training courses in various foreign States, including intensive, advanced-level programmes and lectures for international experts on human rights and the child and international humanitarian law;

(c)Members of the Armed Forces participated in local symposia and workshops on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including: a workshop on “The optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the mechanism for submitting complaints” which was held in Doha in 2012 by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and the League of Arab States; and a workshop held by the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women during 17-18 September 2012 entitled “The rights of the child are a multilateral responsibility”;

(d)The law of armed conflicts is taught at the Military College in courses for military personnel of various ranks;

(e)Specialized military staff have been trained to provide instruction in the provisions of relevant conventions for military personnel as needed for missions;

(f)A series of legal manuals has been prepared covering the provisions of international and regional conventions to serve as training and educational references for members of the Armed Forces;

(g)A special reference library concerning international humanitarian law and international conventions has been established in the Directorate for Legal Affairs.

(c) (1)Exploitation of children - Economic exploitation including child labour

411. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ appreciates the efforts undertaken by the State party to prohibit the use of child labour in the formal sector but it regrets the limited information on child labour in the informal sector, for example, small family businesses… In accordance with article 32 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party continue to take effective measures to prohibit the economic exploitation of children, in particular in the informal sector by designing special programmes aimed at combating child labour. It recommends that the State party strengthen the labour inspectorate to monitor the extent of child labour, including unregulated work. In this regard, the Committee encourages the State party to seek technical assistance from ILO and UNICEF ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. and 62 and 63).

412.Further to the information contained in the previous two reports of Qatar, it is worth noting that the current Labour Act promulgated by Act No. 14 of 2004 and amendments thereto raised the minimum working age from 15 to 16 years and established a number of controls and requirements concerning the employment of children. Article 86 of the Act prohibits any person below the age of 16 from being employed in any work or entering a work site. Article 87, third paragraph of the Act explicitly prohibits the worst forms of child labour, i.e., the employment of juveniles in jobs whose nature or work environment would cause harm to their health, safety or morals. The prohibited forms of labour are specified in Decision No. 15 of 2005 of the Ministry of Civil Service and Housing Affairs.

413.The Penal Code promulgated by Act No. 11 of 2004 and amendments thereto criminalizes the forced labour of children in chapter 2 (offenses that infringe on the freedom and the inviolability of the human being), section 1 (abduction, seizure and forced labour), article 322.

414.The Penal Code also establishes strengthened penalties for persons who exploit children in begging in any way in chapter 7 (social offenses), section 3 (offenses of inebriation, gambling and baking), article 278.

415.Act No. 15 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons, article 2, deems a person to have committed the offense of human trafficking if the person has in any way exploited, transported, handed over, sheltered or received any natural person, whether inside the country or abroad, through force or violence or the threat thereof, abduction, deceit or subterfuge, abuse of power or by exploiting a condition of weakness or need, promising to give or receive money or other benefits in return for the consent of a person to allow the trafficking of another person under their control, when such acts are intended to exploit a person in any way whatsoever…, including for begging, forced labour… etc..

416.The present report also notes Act No. 4 of 2009 regulating the entry, exit, residence and sponsorship of migrant workers. It protects a resident’s child, including an adult child, who is still receiving an education, from the dangers of economic exploitation or performance of any work that impedes the child’s education. In this regard, article 16 of the Act grants residence permits to a resident’s male children who are no older than 25 years and have not completed their education and the resident’s unmarried daughters.

(c) (2)Exploitation of children - protection of children from the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (art. 33)

417.The above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009 do not contain a paragraph on protecting children from the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

418.The present report nonetheless notes that most of the programmes and projects undertaken in the context of social and human development include activities concerned with providing high-quality healthcare to children, serious efforts to change harmful behaviours, development of the leadership skills of children, and the instilling within them of the concepts of citizenship and democracy and a sense of civic and personal responsibility. The National Development Strategy 2011-2016, in following up on the progress achieved in changing harmful behaviours, establishes a number of indicators to measure three risky behaviours:

Reduction of the number of drug addicts under the age of 18 to 1 per cent;

Reduction of the number of smokers under the age of 18 to 10 per cent;

Reduction of the number of cases of reckless drivers under the age of 18 by 50 per cent.

419.In addition, the Social Rehabilitation Centre has formed a committee to develop therapeutic protocols that are in line with case types and the culture of the community. The therapy teams use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition in treating addiction and behavioural disorders or other disorders introduced to this category. The Centre has prepared a protocol for treating addiction and a protocol for increasing motivation. These protocols include controls and mechanisms for all types of treatment and therapy, such as individual behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy, family therapy, group therapy, rehabilitation, prevention of relapse, aftercare, other therapeutic activities and training activities for patients.

420.Behavioural therapy for children is given in individual and group sessions. Occupational therapy activities are provided with appropriate safeguards. Parents, a family member, a guardian or a person appointed by the guardian participate in treatment as required by the Centre’s therapeutic protocols.

421.The present report refers to the procedures followed the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women during intake of a child victim of abuse or violence. If the child was observed consuming a narcotic or intoxicating substance, the child is transferred to the hospital to receive treatment. The child’s parents are notified and the matter is referred to the Social Rehabilitation Centre (Uwayn), or the child is reported to the security authorities, depending on the case.

422.The National Committee for Combating Drugs and Alcohol held training courses attended by 76 participants, including directors of independent and private schools, 700 social workers and psychologists of both sexes, and 600 mosque preachers and imams during 2005-2011. The participants were trained in recognizing the behaviour of drug users and the causes of addiction with a view toward protecting children from this scourge and combatting it.

423.The Committee has run a project to raise the awareness of students about drugs and alcohol since 2005 at schools, institutes and military and civil colleges and universities. The Committee also coordinated with the Supreme Council for Family Affairs to craft messages for women, who play in important role in maintaining family cohesion.

424.In the fight against drugs, in 2010, the National Committee for Combating Drugs and Alcohol organized a workshop for employees of the General Customs Administration in cooperation with the Administration. The Committee also holds an annual celebration of the World Day to Combat Drugs in the form of an exhibition at which leaflets and posters are distributed and cultural competitions are conducted. The Committee held a social event to raise awareness of drug prevention. The event included a Prevention Football Championship for universities, which was held for the first time in 2011 with the participation of ten universities and included an exhibition to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs and a summer festival on the side-lines.

425.The Committee publishes a magazine called “Prevention”, which covers its efforts and achievements and matters relating to the implementation of the national strategy and project to raise awareness of the risks and dangers of drugs. Electronic screens in public places, parks, clubs, public transport buses and bank ATM machines broadcast anti-drug flashes.

426.The Committee also organized introductory seminars on the mechanism for implementing the National Strategy to Combat Drugs with the participation of 56 specialists from entities concerned with implementing the strategy. The Committee also held several seminars, conferences and meetings, including the first “Glad Tidings” Conference in 2010, a security culture week, a community policing week and other activities.

427.The Interior Ministry, for its part, implemented awareness-raising media programmes for children that present the dangers of drugs and psychotropic substances. It also conducts surveillance of suspicious places where drug dealers may operate and has intensified patrols around places where children congregate.

428.In a related context, the Social Rehabilitation Centre held a regional conference on youth and the danger of taking drug mixtures during 18-19 March 2012. The conference recommended, inter alia, the design and preparation of educational guidance packages for school students and staff and parents with the aim of prevention and early detection of abuse of addictive substances. The recommendations also address the need to produce documentary films dealing with addiction problems for presentation (taking into account the child’s age and aptitudes) as well as a survey study on addiction to volatile substances among children and young people to determine the prevalence of volatile substances among these age groups and to identify family and environmental conditions and key ancillary factors that lead to the abuse of volatile substances.

429.The Social Rehabilitation Centre conducted, in cooperation with the Supreme Education Council, a study on the abuse of chewing tobacco in the student community. The study determined the prevalence of chewing tobacco abuse and identified the physical and mental health risks and social impacts thereof.

430.There are also many awareness programmes and activities that aim to raise awareness among students, parents, social workers and psychologists in the school sector, youth centres and religious institutions, including the delivery of four lectures in the context of the Communication Programme and Continuing Education Program.

431.The Qatari Juveniles Act (No. 1 of 1994) deems juveniles who commit or abet offenses involving narcotics and psychotropic substances and sexual offenses to be delinquent. The Department of Social Protection rehabilitates and corrects the behaviour of juvenile delinquents through social workers and psychologists.

432.In the same context, the Department of Social Protection of the Ministry of Social Affairs, in partnership with the Sheikh Eid bin Mohammed Al Charitable Foundation and with several private sector enterprises, organized a national campaign to raise awareness about addiction in its broad sense. More than 12,000 students participated in the campaign, whose activities continued for nine months and included awareness-raising programmes and workshops inside and outside the schools. The Department of Social Protection has not received any cases involving drug charges brought against children (juveniles) in the past four years.

433.The Department organizes the “Delni” (“Guide me!”) national awareness-raising campaign annually in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Supreme Education Council, and many private-sector representatives. This year, more than 42,000 school students participated in the campaign.

(c) (3)Sexual exploitation and abuse (art. 34)

434. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ is concerned at the limited data and information provided in the State party ’ s report regarding sexual exploitation and harassment of children. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Strengthen appropriate legislative measures to address the issues of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation; (b) Take appropriate measures to ensure the prompt prosecution of perpetrators of sexual offences against children; (c) Ensure that child victims of sexual exploitation or abuse have access to free, child-sensitive complaints mechanisms and are not criminalized or penalized; and (d) Continue to implement appropriate policies and programmes for the prevention, recovery and social reintegration of child victims, in accordance with the Declaration and Agenda for Action and the Global Commitment adopted at the 1996, 2001 and 2008 World Congresses against Sexual Exploitation of Children as well as the outcome of other international conferences on this issue ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. and 64 and 65).

435.Further to the preceding paragraph, in addition to the information contained in the present report regarding the efforts made by the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women in the area of child protection and prevention in respect of violence, abuse and exploitation, including sexual exploitation, it is worth noting that the Executive Strategy of the Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Children and Women 2009-2012 includes — under the main heading of prevention of violence, abuse and deviant practices — points that have been translated into a package of educational programmes. These programmes include: the “Stop the silence campaign”; preparation of publications and a guide to methods for detecting cases of abuse and violence; field visits to independent schools to provide students with information; therapeutic rehabilitation programmes; treatment programmes; and the psychological and social rehabilitation programme “Change your life”, which has continued for three consecutive years. In addition, persons who work directly with children and women have been provided with the training programmes mentioned above.

436.The Foundation’s executive strategy for 2012-2018 covers the review and implementation of legislation, the conduct of studies and fact-finding, awareness raising and preparation of education and training programmes.

437.The Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking carries out its national humanitarian mission of serving children in many ways. It prepares publications, pamphlets and guides to educate families and society about protecting children and about the effects of human trafficking offenses of all types. It also holds numerous workshops and symposia to raise awareness of the risks of the sexual exploitation of children.

438.To protect sexually exploited children, the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking:

1.Establishes arrangements with the Qatari Shelter and Humanitarian Welfare Home, which is associated with the Foundation, to enable child victims to be safe during proceedings in criminal and civil investigations and trials.

2.Establishes procedures and special measures to protect the privacy of child victims of trafficking by ensuring the confidentiality of information concerning them and not revealing their identities.

3.Ensures special safeguards and care for child victims of trafficking and provides them with adequate legal protection in line with international conventions on children ratified by the State.

4.Adopts measures if a sexually exploited child cannot be returned to his or her family, taking into account the child’s best interest, through the orphan foster care system provided under Islamic law.

5.Prepares the necessary staff, especially social workers and psychologists, to deal with child victims of sexual exploitation (sex tourism) by providing training courses in the art of interacting with child victims.

6.Adopts specialized programmes to protect and support child victims of sexual exploitation (sex tourism) by providing medical, psychological, educational and legal support, shelter and healthcare to enable the victims to recover and be a part of the community.

7.Undertakes to fully rehabilitate child victims through programmes to give effect to the right of trafficking victims to benefit from adequate, fair remedies.

8.Takes specific measures and actions to repatriate sexually exploited children who are unaccompanied by their families or guardians.

439.Another noteworthy effort undertaken by the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking is the national communication network to combat human trafficking in general and trafficking of women and children in particular, including in respect of the sexual exploitation of children. The first national alliance to combat human trafficking in Qatar was established by government agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector. The aim of this alliance is to promote coordination among all the relevant entities in the country, exchange information on victims of human trafficking, organize awareness-raising campaigns and provide support to human trafficking victims.

440.The Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking also conducted a number of awareness-raising and educational campaigns during 2011-2012, which are mentioned above.

(c) (4)Sale, trafficking and abduction of children (including implementation of the recommendations in the concluding observations issued following consideration of the first report submitted by Qatar in respect of the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography in June 2006 (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/1)

441. The Committee, in its above-mention concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ notes the steps undertaken by the State party in combating human trafficking, including through the establishment of the National Office to Combat Human Trafficking in 2005, and the Qatari Shelter and Humanitarian Welfare Home. The Committee reiterates its concerns raised in its concluding observations (CRC/OPSC/QAT/CO/1), especially paragraphs 14 and 21, following the consideration of the initial report under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in June 2006… In light of article 35 and other related articles of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party:

“ (a) Continue to monitor data on trafficking of children and ensure that all data and indicators are used for the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects;

“ (b) Strengthen its procedures for the early identification of child victims of trafficking;

“ (c) Seek to establish bilateral and multilateral agreements and cooperation programmes with countries of origin and transit to prevent the sale, trafficking and abduction of children ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 66 and 67) ” .

442.In follow-up of the preceding, the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking established preventive programmes to protect children from all the forms of exploitation mentioned in the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. These programmes, which are covered by the 2010-2015 national action plan to combat human trafficking, include:

1.The launch of an awareness-raising campaign called Sanad (Support) on Facebook.

2.The holding of a workshop on electronic human trafficking crimes. The aim of this workshop — which was organized in cooperation with relevant international agencies, including the International Criminal Police Organization — was to raise awareness of the use of the Internet in human trafficking crimes, review best international practices in combating electronic human trafficking crimes, and improve participants’ ability to detect Internet crime and make use of the latest technology.

3.The introduction into the year-end examination for secondary school students of a question on human trafficking that requires students to write an essay on the subject. This examination was administered to 5,408 male and female students, of whom 2,163 or 40 per cent received a passing mark on their answer. The purpose of this exercise was to raise awareness of human trafficking and its grave consequences for society. The Foundation introduced this measure in cooperation and coordination with the Supreme Education Council.

443.To promote the early detection of child victims of human trafficking, the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking developed a guide to the identification, assistance and protection of human trafficking victims. The guide is important because it specifies the steps that must be followed by law enforcement officials, health-care workers, psychologists and social workers who work with human trafficking victims.

444.The Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking has adopted measures to protect and support child victims of human trafficking offenses in the framework of its ongoing rehabilitative efforts in this regard, including:

1.Sheltering child trafficking victims in the Qatari Shelter and Humanitarian Welfare Home, which is associated with the Foundation.

2.Providing medical, psychological, educational and legal support, shelter and healthcare to victims to ensure their recovery and reintegration in society.

3.Providing training to social workers and psychologists who work with victims by holding courses on methods for interacting with child victims.

4.Providing recreational and rehabilitation programmes for children, including recreational trips, celebrations on various occasions such as birthdays, various competitions and swimming programmes.

5.Allowing victims to leave and enter the Qatari Shelter and Humanitarian Welfare Home as they desire without an escort. The Foundation provides all means of protection to ensure that victims may leave the Home, taking into account the free will of the victims and compliance with the shelter’s requirements and rules.

6.The Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking has taken appropriate measures to protect the rights and interests of victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation at every stage of the prosecution of offenders and has provided victims with attorneys so that they can sue for compensation.

445.Regarding measures adopted to protect children who have been victims and/or witnesses of practices prohibited under the Optional Protocol during all stages of the criminal justice process, Act No. 15 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons, article 20, provides that any person who reveals the identity of a victim or a witness, thereby exposing the victim or witness to harm or causing the victim or witness injury, assists the perpetrators in contacting the victim or witness, or provides the victim or witness with inaccurate information regarding the his/her rights with the intention of harming him/her or threatening his/her physical, emotional or mental safety shall be imprisoned up to two years and fined up to 50,000 rials.

446.The Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking takes measures required to protect the rights and interests of trafficked children and victims of sexual exploitation at all stages of criminal proceedings, including providing them shelter in the Qatar Home for Shelter and Humanitarian Care, which is associated with the Qatar Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking.

447.Regarding efforts to promote international cooperation and coordination concerning the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution and punishment of the offences covered by the Optional Protocol among national authorities, relevant regional and international organizations and national and international non-governmental organizations: The Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking has concluded several cooperation and coordination agreements and memoranda of understanding with foreign governmental agencies and civil society organizations concerned with protecting children. These agencies include the Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development (associated with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development), Qatar Red Crescent, Qatar Charity Association, Cultural Centre for Children and the UNICEF Office for the Gulf Region.

448.The law enforcement authorities combat and suppress human trafficking by pursuing, arresting and bringing to justice offenders. This requires a concerted effort on the part of all national authorities — including the police, the prosecutors and the courts — within an integrated system for suppressing and combating the trafficking of persons and punishing perpetrators. However, some forms of human trafficking are transnational or have a foreign connection. For example, the preparation and planning of an offence may have taken place in another country; the victims or witnesses are foreign nationals; one of the fundamental aspects of the crime may have been committed in the territory of another country; or the perpetrator may have fled to a third country. Such situations require the law enforcement officials of the relevant countries to coordinate and cooperate with each other to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice in the State with jurisdiction. The preceding are but a few instances in which the judicial cooperation required to combat human trafficking is provided by Qatari law. Under Act No. 15 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons, article 11, the competent judicial authorities must cooperate with their foreign counterparts in combating human trafficking and prosecuting offenders, including by exchanging information, collaborating in investigations, providing assistance, executing letters rogatory, surrendering items, recovering funds and other forms of judicial cooperation, in accordance with the rules set out in the Criminal Procedure Code, bilateral or multilateral instruments in force or the principle of reciprocity, and in a manner that does not contravene the fundamental principles of the State’s legal system.

(d)Delinquent Children, Victims and witnesses of crimes

(d) (1)Administration of juvenile justice (art. 40)

449. While noting the progress achieved in the domain of juvenile justice, the Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ reiterates its previous concern that the minimum age of criminal responsibility, still set at 7 years, remains far too low. The Committee is also concerned that the right of the child to be heard in criminal proceedings may not always be observed. It is further concerned that children between the ages of 16 and 18 may be treated as adults… The Committee urges the State party to …:

“ (a) Raise the age of criminal responsibility to a minimum of 12 years, as a matter of urgency, with the view to raising the age further in accordance with the Committee ’ s general comment No. 10;

“ (b) Provide children, both victims and accused, with adequate legal assistance throughout the legal proceedings and ensure that children are held separately from adults both in pre-trial detention and after being sentenced;

“ (c) Take all necessary measures, including strengthening the policy of alternative sanctions for juvenile offenders, to ensure that children are held in detention only as a last resort and for as short a time as possible;

“ (d) Ensure that children between the ages of 16 and 18 are afforded the same protection as other children;

“ (e) Strengthen training programmes on relevant international standards for all professionals working with the juvenile justice system such as judges, police officers, defence lawyers and prosecutors; and

“ (f) Seek technical assistance and other cooperation from the United Nations Interagency Panel on Juvenile Justice which includes UNODC, UNICEF, OHCHR and NGOs ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, paras. 70 and 71).

450.The two previous reports of Qatar provide information on the administration of juvenile justice. Under the Juveniles Act (Act No. 1 of 1994), the Department of Social Protection provides care and protection to minors (juveniles) through social workers and psychologists. The Juvenile Court meets in closed sessions with the attendance of the social case worker. The following services are provided in respect of juvenile justice:

Social Supervision Facility: It is a government facility assigned by the investigative authority to care for juvenile delinquents until they are brought before the Juvenile Court;

Social Guidance Facility: It is a government facility that specializes in sheltering and caring for juveniles exposed to delinquency;

Social Reform Facility: It is a government facility that specializes in sheltering, caring for, reforming and rehabilitating juvenile delinquents. The Juvenile Court orders the detention or placement of juveniles in the Social Reform Facility.

451.The age of criminal responsibility under the Juveniles Act continues to be 7-16 at the time of the commission of the offense or the juvenile’s exposure to delinquency.

452.The Juvenile Court is responsible for deciding actions brought against juveniles. The court comprises a judge who adjudicates lesser offenses and serious offenses. The court has convened trial sessions in the Department of Social Protection in the Ministry of Social Affairs since 2010. This venue provides a non-intimidating environment for juveniles and permits them to attend secret sessions with their guardians or lawyers, whereas previously trial sessions were held in the courts.

453.A lawyer is required to attend with a minor in cases involving serious offences. In cases where a minor’s guardian is not in a financial position to appoint a lawyer, the court may do so at the court’s expense.

454.Judges sentence juveniles to imprisonment only in very few cases, such as those involving serious offences (abduction, rape) in view of the impact of such incidents on the rights of victims.

455.The juvenile justice system takes care to designate special chambers for juvenile cases, equip facilities for the care of juveniles while they serve their sentences and separate juveniles from older prisoners. The Supreme Judicial Council is also studying the installation of closed-circuit television in chambers to allow a child to be separated from other defendants during trial lest the juvenile be psychologically influenced by them, if even by being seen by them. The juvenile courts convene at care facilities, not in court buildings. The facilities in which juveniles are placed prepare cultural and educational programmes for them and facilitate their engagement in vocations available at the facilities according to the juvenile’s wishes.

456.Juveniles may not be sentenced to death. Juveniles sentenced to imprisonment may be released early for good behaviour, since the sentencing of juveniles is based on flexible judicial measures. The courts impose custodial sentences on juveniles on a minimal basis and, when they do, take care to ensure that the sentences are served in or near to the juvenile’s family milieu.

457.The Ministry of Social Affairs, through the Department of Social Protection, coordinates with the Supreme Judicial Council on the appointment of the Juvenile Court judge. It also coordinates with the Public Prosecutor’s Office on the juvenile prosecutor’s attendance of juvenile court sessions held periodically at the headquarters of the Department of Social Protection, away from the other courts.

458.The Department of Social Protection is responsible for continuing to monitor minors sentenced by the Juvenile Court judge to meet certain obligations and may do so over a number of months in cooperation with other public bodies (the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs, charitable associations and Reach out to Asia/Qatar Foundation) in order to determine whether the behaviour concerned has been corrected.

(d) (2)Children deprived of their liberty, including any form of detention, imprisonment or placement in custodial settings (art. 37 (b), (c) and (d));

Under the Juveniles Act (Act No. 1 of 1994), the Department of Social Protection is responsible for the care and protection of minors (juveniles) through social workers and psychologists. The Juvenile Court meets in closed sessions with the attendance of the social case worker. The following services are provided in respect of juvenile justice:

Social Supervision Facility: It is a government facility assigned by the investigative authority to care for juvenile delinquents until they are brought before the Juvenile Court;

Social Guidance Facility: It is a government facility that specializes in sheltering and caring for juveniles exposed to delinquency;

Social Reform Facility: It is a government facility that specializes in sheltering, caring for, reforming and rehabilitating juvenile delinquents. The Juvenile Court orders the detention or placement of juveniles in the Social Reform Facility.

459.Under the Juvenile Act (No. 1 of 1994), article 8, if a juvenile who has not reached the age of 14 commits a serious or lesser offense, the juvenile may not be sentenced to the penalties of measures established for the offense, except for seizure or closure of a business. Rather, the juvenile is sentenced to one of the following:

(a)Reprimand;

(b)Extradition;

(c)Enrolment in vocational training;

(d)Fulfilment of certain obligations;

(e)A judicial test;

(f)Placement in a Social Reform facility;

(g)Placement in a sanatorium.

460.In accordance with article 14 of the Juveniles Act, specialized reform centres for the care and correction of juveniles are required to submit biannual reports to the court on the situation and behaviour of each juvenile admitted, so that the court may determine the appropriate action. A juvenile may not be placed in such a facility for more than 10 years for serious offences and 5 years for lesser offences. Juveniles with disabilities are admitted to an appropriate institution for their rehabilitation. Minors may only remain in reform centres until the age of 18 years, whereupon they are transferred to prison to serve their sentences.

461.With regard to the separation of juveniles from adults, Act No. 3 of 2009 regulating penal and correctional institutions requires adult prisoners to be separated from prisoners under the age of 18 years. Article 5 requires specific areas to be allocated to juveniles in prisons and reform institutions, while article 24 classifies prisoners according to age group.

(d) (3)Physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration (art. 39)

462.The competent authorities are responsible for: protecting and ensuring the physical and psychological well-being of victims; providing them with educational, health and social services; creating appropriate conditions for rehabilitating them and re-integrating them into society, taking into account their needs, human dignity, age and sex; and ensuring the safe return of victims in cooperation with their countries of origin or permanent residence.

(d) (4)Training activities available for all professionals concerned with the juvenile justice system

463.The Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children has conducted a number of courses to train security sector personnel (officers and investigators) of various ranks in skills for dealing with cases of abuse and violence against children or women as mentioned above.

(d) (5)Protection of child victims and witnesses of crimes

464. The Committee, in its above-mentioned concluding observations issued on 14 October 2009, “ recommends that the State party ensure, through adequate legal provisions and regulations, that all children victims and/or witnesses of crimes, e.g. children victims of abuse, domestic violence, sexual and economic exploitation, abduction, and trafficking and witnesses of such crimes, are provided with the protection required by the Convention and that it take fully into account the United Nations Guidelines on Justice in Matters Involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime (Economic and Social Council resolution 2005/20 of 22 July 2005, annex) ” (CRC/C/QAT/CO/2, para. 72).

465.Further to the preceding paragraph and information contained in the present report, the Social Rehabilitation Centre, in coordination with the Qatar Red Crescent, conducted a training course on psychological and social support for relief workers. The course treated: the impact of psychological, behavioural, emotional and biological trauma in children; and methods for treating and rehabilitating children affected by such trauma, including the identification of the child’s needs and the development of a treatment plan. The course was held in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on 8 July 2012.

466.The Social Rehabilitation Centre also conducted a training workshop on psychosocial support for children in a time of disaster in Doha on 18 July 2012. The workshop examined how minors respond to disasters.

467.The Centre has also held, in coordination with the Qatar Red Crescent, training workshops on methods for providing psychological and social support to volunteer squads working in areas hit by disasters, including earthquakes and armed conflicts. Qatari Red Crescent volunteers who participated in these workshops were trained and qualified on 1 August 2012 in dealing with disaster victims, including children.

468.The Centre provided, in coordination with the Qatari Red Crescent and Tunisian Red Crescent, a training workshop on psychological support for Libyan refugees on the Libyan-Tunisian border. Participants received training in ways to cope with trauma in children. The centre presented working paper on “The impact of psychological trauma on children and adolescents, and the need for rehabilitation and psychological counselling” at a conference on the “Psychological and social effects of the Syrian revolution and mechanisms for coping with them” in Istanbul on 27 September 2012.