NSHR official details difficulties with complaints

By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS
Published: Aug 14, 2010 23:42 Updated: Aug 14, 2010 23:42
JEDDAH: One of the major difficulties faced by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) while dealing with complaints from aggrieved persons is the lack of documents to support their claims, said the director of the Makkah branch of the NSHR, Hassan Al-Sharif, while giving a lecture titled “Trading in Humans.”
The lecture was delivered in a function organized by NSHR in Makkah on Saturday.
“The society is currently studying the issues faced by the Burmese community in Makkah and the ways to make related government departments solve their issues. But a stumbling block in the way of helping them is the lack of documents to support their claims,” Al-Sharif said.
The Burmese community’s other problems are unemployment and lack of health care facilities in addition to difficulties related to marriage of their youths, he said.
However, he expressed satisfaction at the society’s success in helping the community in many ways.
The official also commended the encouragement provided by the government in the NSHR’s efforts to solve issues involving family violence, treatment of prisoners and denial of the rights of expatriate laborers. He added that NSHR has successfully dealt with complaints by victims of denial of custody, payment of expenses (to wives and children), sexual harassment and forcible or denial of marriage.
He said the major problems faced by prisoners are the delay in their release after serving the full time of their sentences and denial of primary health care.
Withholding laborers’ passports and residence permits by sponsors, denial of their transfer of sponsorship and delaying in the payment of their wages are some of the problems faced by expatriate laborers, he said.