Qatar: Rights groups warn against reinstating exit permits for domestic workers

According to Middle East Eye, Human Rights Watch and other advocacy groups have expressed grave alarm over a recent proposal by Qatar’s Shura Council to reinstate exit permit requirements for migrant domestic workers. As reported, this move would represent a 'disastrous' regression for human rights in the country, effectively undoing one of the few tangible labor reforms implemented ahead of the 2022 World Cup. The report claims that the Shura Council, an advisory body, is pressuring the government to restore the requirement that domestic workers obtain their employer's explicit permission before leaving the country. Critics cited by Middle East Eye argue that this would empower abusive employers to hold workers hostage, particularly in cases where the worker is attempting to flee physical or sexual assault. The proposal is framed by its proponents as a way to protect the 'financial interests' of Qatari families against workers who leave their contracts early. However, human rights organizations assert that this logic treats human beings as property rather than employees. The report highlights that domestic workers are already excluded from many of the protections in Qatar’s general labor law, and the reinstatement of exit permits would cement their status as modern-day serfs. Allegations suggest that the Shura Council is also pushing for a return to rules that require workers to obtain a 'No Objection Certificate' to change jobs, which would fully resurrect the most predatory elements of the kafala system. This development is seen as proof that Qatar's commitment to reform was merely a public relations exercise designed to survive the scrutiny of the World Cup.