UAE: Human rights body to open platform for complaints

Teams will visit prisons, labour camps to independently observe and prepare reports

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Mon 9 May 2022, 9:16 PM

The UAE’s National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) will soon start accepting complaints and reports from the public, its chairperson Maqsoud Kruse said on Monday.

The announcement comes at the end of a 100-day plan that was launched to establish a solid organisational infrastructure for a sustainable roadmap to advance and safeguard the human rights of individuals and communities in the UAE.

The NHRI has launched its official website and social media accounts to raise awareness of the importance of protecting human rights. It will designate a toll-free number and launch a call centre in the next three months to facilitate further communication and interaction with the public.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Kruse admitted that they have a monumental task ahead of them.

“We don’t have a system in place yet to determine how to deal with the complaints we will potentially receive,” he said. “It is very much a work in progress. We will have to monitor the kinds of complaints we will get, verify whether they are genuine or not on a case-by-case basis, and then decide what action to take. However, one thing we can confirm is that: we will give every case the attention it requires and do our due diligence.”

In addition to this, the institute will also conduct field visits to ensure that human rights violations are not being committed. Teams will visit prisons, correctional facilities, and labour camps, among others, to independently observe and prepare reports about potential violations.

In the next three months, the NHRI will launch services for:

1. A service to receive complaints both from within and outside the country from all individuals, including citizens, residents, and visitors

2. A service to provide information on any human rights abuse or violation witnessed

3. A platform where the public can submit suggestions, proposals, and ideas for developing human rights in the country

4. A process that facilitates the submission of inquiries or questions to NHRI

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