Following the release of the US State Department’s 2011 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, Joseph LeBaron, the US ambassador to Qatar, has highlighted positive steps taken by the Gulf state to reduce human trafficking.

In an op-ed run by the Gulf Times newspaper, LeBaron counts the establishment of the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking as one of the country’s recent successes. 

Describing Qatar’s National TIP Action Plan for 2010-2015 and a new law passed by the Cabinet & Shura Council, he says:

The new anti-TIP law will make Qatar a more humane place to live and work for all foreign workers. It will improve Qatar’s international reputation. In fact, Qatar will have an opportunity, through the enforcement of this law, to distinguish itself as a regional anti-TIP leader.

Despite the positive steps and the hopes expressed by the US ambassador, the actual State Department report is less upbeat:

The Government of Qatar does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the eliminationof trafficking. The government did not demonstrate evidence of significant efforts to punish traffickers or proactively identify victims; therefore, Qatar is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a third consecutive year.

Here’s the full report on Qatar: 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report – Qatar

Credit: Photo by Richard Messenger and released under Creative Commons

<![CDATA[// <![CDATA[
// <![CDATA[
(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();
// ]] // ]]]]>]]>