No day off: The hard life of domestic workers in Qatar The human rights record is under scrutiny as the World Cup continues in the capital D...

No day off: The hard life of domestic workers in Qatar

The human rights record is under scrutiny as the World Cup continues in the capital Doha. Much has been written about the treatment of migrant workers who built parks and hotels, but what about the domestic workers who work for the rulers of Qatar? The BBC's gender and identity correspondent Megha Mohan spoke to two domestic workers about life working long hours with no days off

 "I know my experience is not a common experience," Althea (not her real name) tells the BBC by phone from the basement of the Qatari royal family's Al Thani residence.

 Althea is cheerful, and likes to dress up, with long hair and make-up. She is not wearing a uniform when we speak but she says she is wearing a long skirt and blouse and Nike sports shoes. She would not be able to wear these clothes at home in the Philippines. It's hard to get a salary at home, that's what brought her here.

Althea lives in a large house with other domestic workers from the Philippines, who greeted me and joined the phone conversation.

They have their own bedrooms and their own kitchen. Domestic workers, or khadama, Althea look at TikTok and Facebook begging for food, and asking people to help them, they have no luck.

"I see those videos on the internet all the time, that's why I feel so lucky," she says. "for me every day feels like a story."

Althea's iPhone is a gift from her employers. They have also provided her with luxurious clothed shoes, and more perks of 500 Qatari (£115).

In general, she has worked in four areas of the Kingdom, all belonging to the family of the kingdom.

"It's four Cinderella castles," she says, describing the castle's rooms as elegant with painted walls and castles surrounded by fragrant flowers, and well-trimmed unicorns. There are well-maintained gardens, swimming pools, and tennis courts.

The working day in the royal residence generally starts at 12.30 in the morning, when the servants prepare breakfast for the family.

Althea eats food immediately after the family finishes eating. After that they clean the rooms and prepare the places for lunch.

"It's an easy job because there are many of us," Althea says.

After having lunch, the workers rest in their residence between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM, after which they prepare dinner.

After dinner Althea is done with work, and is free to leave if she wants.

Rights of domestic workers

Many Gulf countries use the "kafala" system, which prevents foreign workers from changing jobs or leaving the country without the employer's permission, and allows the employer to withhold the workers' passports.

Qatar took steps to change this after winning the right to receive the 2022 World Cup and international scrutiny.

In 2017, it introduced a labor law, which theoretically limits working hours to 10 hours per day, and provides for daily rest, one day off per week and holiday pay.

In 2020, it also introduced a minimum wage and gave workers the right to change jobs or leave the country without asking for permission.

However, the human rights organization, Amnesty International says these laws are not always followed and people are overworked, there is a lack of rest, and violence continues.

Mary Grace Morales, a Manila-based executive who brings together Filipino workers and VIPs in the Gulf countries, the Emir of Qatar is an important client – ​​especially when extra help was needed in preparing for the World Cup. Almost all the guest rooms are occupied by important guests (VIPs) who need services, says Ms. Morales.

Housekeepers are divided into five categories in the Al Thani House: cleaners, caterers, nannies (formerly nurses), cooks and "female nurses" for driving the women of the royal families.

"The women who are sent to work in the Qatari royal family are between the ages of 24 and 35 and are very beautiful," says Mrs. Morales.

She hesitated to look at the screen, watching from BBC headquarters in London. "Prettier than you," she tells me, smiling.

Mary Grace Morales says Qatari film workers must be educated and "very beautiful"

"They must be young because the Qatari royal family needs very strong and healthy people who can handle the busy environment of the palace.

"And those applying for a job must have good looks - very, very beautiful," she stressed.

To work as a personal assistant in the royal family, you must have a university degree and speak English, Mrs. Morales tells me, while cleaning workers must have completed secondary school studies.

She says she has sent hundreds of workers to the royal palace for more than five years. They always extend their contracts.

One of them is Gladys (not her real name), who works for one of the important people (VIP) in the royal family of Qatar.

In a short interview with the BBC, while her employer was asleep, she says she works from 2 am to 11 pm every day.

They clean, help prepare food, and raise children. She eats leftovers, and says she hasn't had a single day off since she was hired 18 months ago.

"Madam is a bad person," Gladys says of her employer. "She yells at me every day."

 Gladys can't find her passport, but she feels lucky, because she has her phone. She doesn't want to leave or ask the Philippine embassy in Qatar to help her because she is over 40 years old and thinks he can't get a good job right now.

She earns a salary of 1,500 Qatari Riyals per day (just under £350) and sends all the money home.

Another reason Gladys feels lucky is that she is not physically abused. She says she knows several other domestic workers in Qatar who are beaten.

Joanna Concepcion of the international migrant organization - Migrante International, which supports Filipino workers working in foreign countries, says she hopes that Althea's evidence of working as a domestic worker for the royal family is true, but adds : "It's hard to know that when she's still in Qatar and working in such a powerful family."

 Some employees have complained after leaving the country, in 2019 three British employees and two Americans - a security guard, a personal trainer and a personal teacher - sued the sister of the emir of Qatar, Sheikha al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa.

 Al Thani and her husband claim that they have been forced to work long hours without extra pay. The family denied the allegations and claimed diplomatic immunity as the two were working in New York.

Mrs. Concepcion says domestic workers who work in foreign countries are sometimes silent about the bad working conditions because of their priorities to continue earning money for their families.

 But when those from the Gulf states feel brave enough to speak out, she says, they sometimes mention the terrible abuses they have suffered. One woman said her employer used to push her into the toilet and deny her food and water when she was hungry.

"Reporting, solving cases of abuse and torture, lack of security and health and lack of good housing are always a challenge," says the International Labor Organization (ILO) representative for Arab countries, Ruba Jaradat.

 The ILO says it is working with Qatar to implement the new labor law, although this remains a "challenge".

Althea, In her kingdom environment, she says she is happy despite not being given one day off a week.

When she goes to sleep, she sends a message to one of her siblings or her parents in the Philippines. She often misses their home.

However, she is still a source of income for her family.

"I would not support my family without a job," she says.

The BBC asked the Qatari royal family and the Qatari embassy in London for comment, but did not receive a response.