A/HRC/26/35/Add.1 the work, including the contract period, travel expenses, wages, accommodation, medical care and annual leave, but it does not provide any details concerning a description of the work to be performed or the working conditions. The model contract provides that the contract may not be terminated before the expiry of its duration (one or two years) except upon mutual agreement by the employer and the employee. It also provides that the employer shall give the employee a personal loan if requested. These loans are often used as a reason not to let the employee change sponsor or leave the country. 40. The bilateral agreements state that a joint committee, comprised of representatives of Qatar and the sending State, shall meet every year to coordinate implementation of the agreement, interpret its provisions in case of disputes, review job opportunities in Qatar and propose review or modification of the provisions of the agreement. However, the Special Rapporteur was informed that such meetings do not take place regularly with all sending States. 41. The Special Rapporteur believes that it will be important for Qatar to include in all bilateral agreements with migrant-sending countries a revised uniform model contract for all workers, including domestic workers, which should ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of migrants, including labour rights and a minimum wage. Labour contracts based on such a model should specify the job description, wages and labour conditions. In this respect, the mandatory standards of migrant workers’ welfare of the Qatar Foundation could be used as an inspiring model. E-government solutions could be developed to protect contracts against change upon arrival in Qatar. D. The role of migrant-sending countries 42. While the Government is responsible for human rights violations committed against migrants in Qatar, the sending countries also have a role in preventing abuse of their own nationals who migrate for work. Many of the problems migrants in Qatar face relate to the recruitment process in their home country. Prospective migrants routinely pay high recruitment fees and sign contracts which are not respected once they arrive in Qatar and some are given a business or tourist visa rather than a work visa. As some of these recruitment agencies seem mostly concerned with making a profit, they simply promise contracts to whoever can pay the fee. This often results in persons getting a contract for a job for which they are not qualified; thus when they arrive in Qatar, without the required qualifications, they are given a different job with lower pay. Better regulation of recruitment agencies in sending countries would be an important tool in combating the exploitation of migrants in Qatar. Many migrants receive false promises from the recruitment agency in their country, but so do the employers – who often do not get workers with the qualifications required. Better regulation of recruitment agencies in sending countries would thus also be in the interest of employers in Qatar, who would then get better qualified employees. 43. Providing information sessions and pre-departure training for potential migrants could help ensure that they have the necessary training and skills, as well as information on working conditions in Qatar, their rights and how to access those rights. V. Human rights violations in the workplace 44. While it provides some rights and safeguards for workers, the Labour Law of 2004 has important limitations. It does not provide for a minimum wage, it bans migrants from forming organizations and from collective bargaining and it excludes domestic workers from its application. Implementation of the law is also a problem. Many migrants in Qatar 10

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