The Government of Qatar has made some progress in addressing shortcomings identified in the 2004 TIP Report. However, this progress remains uneven and inadequate given the overall scope of Qatar's anti-trafficking concerns. Actions included the formation of a national anti-TIP committee and appointment of a national coordinator to oversee the government?s effort to monitor and combat trafficking, the investigation of over 20 cases of trafficking offenses since June 2004, some of which are still pending and unresolved, (last year Qatar prosecuted about 10 cases), and the inauguration of a hotline for victims of trafficking. The Government has begun the drafting of new legislation that would establish 18 as the minimum age for work as camel jockeys, and set penalties for those caught breaking the law.
The Government has not shown any significant effort to rescue the significant number of children trafficked into the country as camel jockeys, nor has the Government made any discernable effort to prosecute the traffickers behind this child trafficking. Domestic workers still lack adequate protection under Qatar's labor laws, although the Government has drafted a new law that has a provision which could be used to extend protection to this group of workers. The Government, however, has yet to take concrete steps to make this possible.
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