Introduction

The Human Rights Department was formed as a progressive step in the context of democratic transitions that the country witnessed since the mid-1990s, the most prominent of which include the establishment of the Central Municipal Council, the issuance of a permanent constitution, the launch of civil society organizations, freedom of the press, and planning for human development issues in a parallel to economic development.

The establishment of the department came in line with the state’s concern for human rights and the provision of the necessary pledges to promote and protect them in all areas including political, economic, social and cultural aspects so that it became a national strategic choice that governs the over-all movement of the state and society. It was then strengthened with an institutional framework that includes the National Human Rights Committee, the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking, and institutions concerned with family welfare and other relevant public and private institutions.

The establishment of the Human Rights Department stands on the view that the areas of the Ministry's service are directly in touch with the human rights of the public who deal with the services departments of the Ministry. The areas include maintenance of order, the protection of the law and the prevention and control of crime, as well as its specific procedures of organizational, service, social and humanitarian character like traffic, civil defense, passports, juvenile police, Al Fazaa, and the rehabilitation of offenders in penal and correctional institutions. It covers the general residents of the State (citizens and residents) as well as persons who are subject to the security and criminal procedures of the competent departments of the Ministry.