The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council participated in the meeting of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, as part of the 143rd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), currently being held in Madrid, Spain.

The Council was represented by HE member of the Shura Council and Chairman of the Council's Internal and External Affairs Committee Ali bin Fetais Al Marri, who is also a member of the Permanent Committee on Democracy and Human Rights of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

During the meeting, the Committee's draft resolution related to worldwide legislations to combat online child exploitation, was discussed.

HE Dr. Al Marri indicated, during a statement, that this topic was discussed in many committees of the United Nations and other international organizations without tangible positive results.

He pointed out that, based on his experience as a former public prosecutor for nearly 20 years, he has addressed such issues related to child abuse, adding that no radical or a clear-cut solution to end it have been reached.

HE referred to the need for an international will to reach solutions to this problem, indicating that some countries have not developed solutions to end it. He added that some of those countries are still circumventing legislations to legalize child trafficking in one way or another.

Dr. Ali bin Fetais also referred to the need for these discussions to be taken seriously, and that a comprehensive and exemplary legislation should be put in place and imposed on everyone, with having mechanisms in place to hold those who violate it accountable.

He pointed out that when the international community wanted to stop a number of dangerous phenomena such as terrorism, it was made through the various UN agencies, the International Criminal Court or the Security Council, noting in this context that the issue of child abuse is no less dangerous than terrorism, corruption and money laundering.

HE underlined the need to impose strict legislations in this field through the United Nations and its tools, pointing out that the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights should have a role, through the development of a proposal that contributes to the United Nations agencies putting in place strict legislation to end this issue.

During the meeting, a number of issues related to human rights as well as work on the draft resolution on worldwide legislations to combat online child exploitation were discussed.