human rights record in the region

The need to improve human rights record in the region
The Peninsula

The success achieved by Qatari and UAE officials must be commended regarding one of the most significant human rights issues in recent years; the enactment of strict laws prohibiting the use of child camel jockeys. One of the highlighted solutions is developing technology to create robots with automated legs, to stimulate the camels to run faster. These robots replaced the previous method of using child riders due to their light weight, who were brought from some countries in South Asia, North, and South Africa. The officials admirably cooperated with some of the institutions affiliated with the United Nations for rehabilitating these children in their home countries, paying compensation to help them meet their basic needs in education, health care, and vocational training.
The efforts made by UNICEF also played a key role in resolving the plight of these children who have been deprived of their childhood, by returning hundreds of them to their countries of origin. In its report, UNICEF revealed that the majority of those who participated in the jockeys were brought through illegal means, from countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sudan and Mauritania. According to the report, the children were under very poor conditions in the camel farms, as they were forbidden from eating healthily so that they could maintain a specific body weight in order to facilitate the movement of the camels throughout the race. In addition, the children were under constant threat of being thrown off camels’ backs, which could expose them to death, injuries, or disabilities.
It is ironic that after having resolved the child jockey crisis in the GCC, it reappeared in Egypt, specifically in the Eastern, Ismailia, and Sinai provinces through the use of infants and children in camel racing. In their last festival, the organizers even attacked human rights organizations for refusing children’s participation in camel races.
The challenge that presents itself today is handling other human rights issues within the GCC, resulting in blacklisting countries either by human rights organizations or foreign ministries of certain countries. Despite praise for the improvement in dealing with human trafficking and labour exploitation issues, such as the imposition of certain fines and closing of recruitment companies, issuing orders to employers to give back employees’ passports, and paying back owed wages, some GCC and Arab countries remain in the blacklists for human trafficking. In addition to criticism that continues to be directed at some governments in strengthening control over charitable organization, lack of enforcement of laws combating money laundering operations.
In spite of the generous contributions provided by some GCC governments to organizations affiliated with the United Nations, such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the paradox is that these governments do not cooperate with most of the efforts of UNHCR to provide protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, asylum-seekers, and those with unidentified nationalities, who the US State Department classifies as “stateless” (estimated at over 100,000 people distributed throughout the GCC, mainly in Kuwait), warning that without resolving their issues, these groups are vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist extremists.
On the other hand, the law provides for criminal penalties for official corruption in the GCC, but many officials are not enforcing the law effectively. Twenty per cent of respondents in a poll conducted by Transparency International within some GCC states claimed that within the past year, they paid bribes or depended on close relatives and tribal affiliates.
As for civil society, several reports indicate that some GCC states allow for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to operate but still refuse to license their establishment, even banning these associations from political practice in public. Those governments also permit international human rights organizations to visit their countries and establish offices, but there is no such organization working at home, publishing periodic reports on human rights conditions. Although laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, language, and disabilities, some GCC states do not enforce those laws in a balanced and stable manner as there are a number of laws and regulations discriminating against women, non-citizens, and domestic workers.
Violence against women remains a serious, unreported problem. Hundreds of reported cases of rape, the main victims being domestic servants, with the police, every now and then, arresting the accused, however, the Court does not always implement the laws effectively. Despite the fact that women represent half of the GCC community and have some political and social rights, they do not enjoy the same rights as men in relation to family law, property ownership, and in the justice system, as they continue to face discrimination in many areas.
It is observable in these various international reports monitoring the Arab region and the GCC in particular that human rights in this part of the world are disappointing, especially when in comparison with other countries sharing the standard of living, material well-being, and annual income. Therefore, the demand for reform and change in human rights are no longer a luxury but an urgent need in our national priorities, which are no longer internal affairs but have become international. The GCC must address problems internally rather than wait and thereby allow for change to be imposed from the outside. The GCC should accept and adapt to the trends, concepts, and practices of international human rights organizations in order to have a foothold and true value in this world.