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Harassed at work in Qatar: where to report and what protects you
If a manager, co-worker or client is insulting you, sexually harassing you or threatening you, you have options. This guide explains how to keep evidence, where to report (your employer, the police, the Ministry of Labour, the NHRC) and how to protect your job and residence.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- In danger now
- Call 999 (police and ambulance, 24 hours, free)
- Crime route
- Police, then the Public Prosecution
- Job route
- Ministry of Labour complaint (free): hotline 16008
- Support
- NHRC, your embassy, Aman 919 (women and children)
Harassment at work can be verbal (insults, humiliation, threats), sexual (comments, messages, unwanted touching or demands) or online (messages, posts or calls outside work). It is never your fault, and Qatari law gives you more protection than many people realise: offending a woman by words or gestures is a crime, and a worker whose manager physically assaults them or commits an indecent act against them may leave the job early and keep their end-of-service rights. This guide is for any employee in Qatar, of any nationality, and for the friends and family helping them. The usual order is: get safe, write down what happened and keep evidence, use your company's internal complaint route where it is safe, then report to the police, the Ministry of Labour or the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) depending on what happened. Take advice before you resign or stop going to work, because your residence is linked to your job.
Before you start
- A private note (on paper or in an email to yourself) listing each incident: date, time, place, what was said or done, and who saw it
- Screenshots of messages, emails, voice notes and call logs, with the sender's name or number and the date visible
- Names and phone numbers of colleagues who saw or heard what happened and may be willing to confirm it
- Your employment contract and the company's staff handbook or grievance policy, if you have one
- Copies of any complaint you made to HR and any reply, plus warnings, transfers or pay cuts that came after it
- Medical reports if you were hurt or have needed treatment for stress
- Your QID, a copy of your passport, and your Metrash login, so you can check your residence status
- A safe copy of all this outside your work laptop and work email, which the company can access
Step by step
If you are in danger, get safe first
If someone has hurt you, is threatening to hurt you, or will not let you leave a room, vehicle or accommodation, call 999 straight away. It is free and works 24 hours. Move to a public place or near other people if you can, and tell someone you trust where you are. Get any injury checked at a hospital emergency department or health centre and ask for it to be written in your medical record, because that record can support a complaint later. Everything else in this guide can wait until you are safe.
Read guide: Emergencies in Qatar: who to call and where to go →Know what the law covers
Several things can count as harassment: repeated insults or humiliation, threats, sexual comments or jokes aimed at you, unwanted touching, demands for favours, and unwanted messages or calls. Under Article 291 of Qatar's Penal Code, offending a woman by words, sounds, gestures or displays meant for her to hear or see, or intruding on a woman's privacy, can be punished with up to one year in prison, a fine of up to QAR 5,000, or both. More serious acts such as physical or sexual assault, threats and online abuse fall under other criminal laws. The Labour Law also gives you a job right: under Article 51 a worker may end the contract early and keep full end-of-service gratuity if the employer or the responsible manager commits a physical assault or an indecent act against the worker or a family member. If you are not sure where your situation fits, a lawyer or the NHRC can tell you.
Write it down and keep evidence
Start a private log today and add to it after every incident: the date, time, place, exact words or actions, and who was around. Screenshot messages before the sender can delete them, making sure the name or number and the date show, and keep a copy outside your work phone, laptop and email. Ask colleagues who saw something whether they would confirm it later, and note their names. Do not secretly record people or photograph them without their consent, and do not post accusations or the person's name on social media: Qatar has strict privacy and defamation rules, and this can turn you from the complainant into the accused. Ask a lawyer before you use any recording.
Use your company's complaint route
If it is safe, report in writing to HR, to the harasser's manager, or through the grievance or whistleblowing channel in your staff handbook. Keep it factual: what happened, when, who saw it, and what you want (for example, that the behaviour stops, or that you no longer report to this person). Ask for an acknowledgement and keep a copy. A written complaint shows the employer knew, which matters if things get worse or you later complain to the Ministry. If the harasser is the owner or the HR manager, or you fear retaliation, you can skip this step and go to the outside routes below.
Report a crime to the police
Sexual harassment, assault, threats and serious insults are criminal matters. You can report by calling 999 or by going to any police station, and you can bring someone you trust. Your statement is written in Arabic and you will be asked to sign it, so ask for an interpreter if you need one and ask to have the statement read back before you sign. Always ask for the case reference number. The police pass the case to the Public Prosecution, which questions the people involved and decides whether it goes to court; you may be called to give your account again. If the harassment included sexual violence, the domestic abuse guide explains medical care and support.
Read guide: Help for domestic abuse in Qatar →If it is happening online
Abuse by WhatsApp, social media, email or calls, including sexual messages, threats, fake profiles or sharing your photos, is handled by the Ministry of Interior's Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department. Save the evidence first, then block the person and report the account to the platform. Report quickly, because digital evidence can be lost. Our online blackmail guide gives the reporting channels and explains how to lock down your accounts.
Read guide: Blackmailed online or account hacked in Qatar: what to do and how to report →Complain to the Ministry of Labour when your job is affected
The Ministry of Labour (MOL) deals with breaches of the Labour Law and your contract. File a free complaint if the harassment has turned into a job problem: you were dismissed or pushed to resign after complaining, your pay was cut or withheld, your passport is being kept, or you want to leave under Article 51 and the employer will not settle your rights. Use the MOL online complaints platform, the hotline 16008, or a labour office, and keep your complaint number. The labour complaint guide walks through each stage, from settlement to the Labour Dispute Settlement Committee.
Read guide: Filing a labour complaint in Qatar: unpaid salary and other disputes →Do not just walk out
It is natural to want to stop going to work, but leaving without telling anyone can let an employer report you as absconding (having left your job), which can affect your residence. Before you stop working, put your reason in writing to the employer and file with the Ministry of Labour or the police, so your side is on record. You do not need your employer's permission (NOC) to change jobs, and if the harassment is a physical assault or an indecent act by the employer or your manager, Article 51 lets you leave early with your end-of-service rights. Check your status in the Metrash app from time to time.
Read guide: Absconding reports in Qatar: what they mean and how to respond →Ask the NHRC and your embassy for help
The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) receives complaints from workers through its hotline and community offices; its legal researchers review complaints with the parties involved and can refer cases to lawyers. The domestic worker rights guide lists its contact details. Your embassy's labour or welfare section can also advise you, contact the employer, recommend local lawyers and go with you to the police or the Ministry. Both are especially useful if you do not speak Arabic or English well.
Read guide: Domestic workers in Qatar: your rights and where to get help →If you are a domestic worker
If anyone in the household touches you, makes sexual demands, hits you, locks you in or takes your phone or food, call 999 if you are in danger; women can also call the Aman Centre on 919, which works 24 hours. Report to the Ministry of Labour (16008) and your embassy as soon as you can, so your side is recorded before the employer reports you as absconding. Domestic workers have their own law and their own guide, which explains your rights, the shelter and how to change employer.
Read guide: Domestic workers in Qatar: your rights and where to get help →Get legal advice
A Qatar-licensed lawyer can tell you whether what happened is a crime, whether you can leave under Article 51, and how a police case and a labour complaint affect each other. This matters most before you resign, sign any settlement or 'clearance' paper, or give a police statement about a complicated situation. Free help may be available through the NHRC, your embassy or the court's legal aid scheme. The legal help guide explains how to find and check a lawyer and what it costs.
Read guide: Finding a lawyer and legal help in Qatar →Look after yourself
Harassment wears people down, and stress, poor sleep and dread before work are common reactions. Talk to someone you trust. The National Mental Health Helpline (16000, option 4) is free and confidential, and your health centre doctor can refer you for counselling. Women and children affected by violence can call the Aman Centre on 919 for advice and support. Keep a note of any treatment, as it can also be evidence of the harm caused.
Read guide: Finding mental health support in Qatar →
What it costs
| Complaint to the Ministry of Labour | QAR 0 (free) |
| Aman Centre hotline 919 and its support services | Free |
| Maximum penalty under Penal Code Article 291 (offending a woman by words or gestures) | Up to 1 year in prison and/or a fine of up to QAR 5,000 |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Waiting months before keeping records: write things down from the first incident, while dates and words are fresh
- Keeping all the evidence only on a work phone, laptop or email that the company can take back or wipe
- Secretly recording or photographing people, or naming the harasser on social media, which can lead to a privacy or defamation case against you
- Walking out without a written reason and a complaint on record, which can lead to an absconding report
- Hitting back or threatening the harasser: under the Labour Law, a worker who assaults the employer or a manager can be dismissed without notice or end-of-service pay
- Signing a statement in Arabic you have not had read back to you, or a settlement paper you do not fully understand
- Resigning in a hurry without checking whether Article 51 lets you leave with your end-of-service rights
Questions people ask
Is sexual harassment a crime in Qatar?
Yes. Article 291 of the Penal Code punishes anyone who offends a woman with words, sounds, gestures or displays, or intrudes on her privacy, with up to one year in prison, a fine of up to QAR 5,000, or both. Unwanted touching, assault and threats are covered by other, more serious offences. Report to the police on 999 or at a police station.
Can I leave my job without notice if my manager harasses me?
Under Article 51 of the Labour Law, a worker may end the contract early and keep full end-of-service gratuity if the employer or the responsible manager commits a physical assault or an indecent act against the worker or a family member. Whether verbal-only harassment fits depends on the facts, so take advice from the Ministry of Labour or a lawyer first. Put your reason in writing and file a complaint before you stop working.
The person harassing me is a co-worker, not my boss. What can I do?
Report it in writing to HR or your manager, who can move one of you, investigate and discipline the co-worker. If it is sexual harassment, assault or threats, you can also report it to the police whether or not the company acts. If the company ignores you or punishes you for complaining, file with the Ministry of Labour.
Can my employer fire me or cancel my visa because I complained?
Some employers do react badly to a complaint, so protect yourself early: keep your complaint in writing and get a reference number from the police or the Ministry of Labour. If you are dismissed, you can challenge it through a labour complaint and claim what you are owed. You can also change employer without an NOC.
Will I be reported as absconding if I stop going to work?
It can happen if you leave without telling anyone. Give your employer a written reason, file with the Ministry of Labour or the police first, and keep the reference number. The absconding guide explains how to check and challenge a report.
Can I secretly record my manager as proof?
Be careful. Qatar has strict privacy laws, and secretly recording people or photographing them without consent can expose you to a complaint yourself. Save messages and emails you have received, keep a written log and name witnesses instead, and ask a lawyer before relying on any recording.
Can I post about it on social media to warn others?
It is safer not to. Accusing a named person or company online can lead to a defamation case under Qatar's laws, even if you believe what you wrote is true. Use the official channels instead, which can actually act on the complaint.
I am a domestic worker and someone in the house harasses me. Who can help?
If you are in danger, call 999. Women can call the Aman Centre on 919, and you can report to the Ministry of Labour on 16008 and to your embassy, so your side is recorded. The domestic worker rights guide explains the shelter and how to change employer.
Official sources
- Al Raya: Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, Part 2 (Arabic text, Articles 51 and 61) ↗
- Qatar Penal Code (Law No. 11 of 2004), English translation (Article 291) ↗
- The Peninsula (March 2024): NHRC's role in handling worker complaints ↗
- Gulf Times (Dec 2024): Ministry of Labour updates its complaints platform ↗
- Qatar Tribune (June 2026): Labour Law amendments (Law No. 9 of 2026) ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.