Qatar is not a safe place!

countries with different norms and cultures. Most of those who come to work in this country are adults and old enough to know what is right and what is wrong.

By the way, regarding allowing a rapist to marry his victim is not true, it is allowing a couple who had an illegal relationship (adultery) to marry and not a rapist to marry his victim! This is how people used to think 100 years ago.

Regarding the prevalence of 'honor' killings, this is also a very old custom that rarely happen now a days and usually happens in rural areas where the majority of the population are uneducated and isolated from the rest of the world..

Regardless of which country they come from I bet on that there is any parent who teach his or her kid that rape is legal and women who do not dress properly should be raped.

I agree this is happening in every part of the world but justice should be serve.

writer's story about that woman who was jogging and attacked by a young man was one mentally retarded man who approached me twice in madinat khalifa. Although he looks normal and dress normal, he just jumped inside my car once and was talking non sense. On another day, he approached me and was asking me where i am going and if he can join me. He looked weird and was talking non sense. Later on, some friends told me that this guy has mental problems and well known in that neighborhood. So I said to myself, maybe that was the guy who attacked that woman who was jogging as per the writer's story.

Oh, sorry Tarsiers, I misinterpreted.

And actually that sort of proves my point: the bigger issue here isn't whether rapes and assaults are reported, it's that they're happening. And they're happenign because men have been taught by the society aroudn them that they can get away with it. That's the thing we have to change.

And I do think one of the reasons instances of this sort of thing are more common in certain parts of the world is that the attitude towards women is such that men are 'allowed' to behave this way, if a woman isn't veiled/is alone/ is unmarried/ is behaving in a certain way/ or otherwise 'asking' for it. These attitudes exist everywhere, but at least in the West something is starting to be done to change them-- here, you only need to look at the laws in various countries that allow a rapist to marry his victim and the prevalence of 'honour' killings to see they're not just not changing, they're accepted!

indeed tarsiers, I do the same.

but I always like to look at things from different angels and find the reason behind things that happen. I don't tell oh, he or she is guilty and so bad because he or she did this or that. I, I try to find why did he or she do that. This does not mean that he or she is not guilty.

I'd say there is never an excuse to violate ANYBODY. In any kind of way.

I am just trying to figure out the reason of high rape and assault crimes in the country as claimed by some people here.

Sometimes we better use logic and investigate scientifically instead of using our own naive interpretation and understanding based on our personal opinion and way of thinking. If you think this way, others don't.

oh dear ! stealth why so upset

take your private chit chat outta here

uh. . . why does the phrase 'they look for alternatives', alluding to rape and assualt, get a smiley face??????

I don't care if there are so many more men than women. it is NEVER an excuse or a reason to violate a woman! And I hate that people drag that out as the 'reason' behind why such assualt happen. 'oh he couldn't help it, you know it's all men here'. BULL HOOKEY.

Teach our men and boys, teach our sons, to respect women. STOP putting all the emphasis on teaching women and girls to be afraid of men, and blame themselves if something happens to them.

GRRR argh.

yup too much

Is still so humid?

just here in qatar will enjoy out in this cold weather :0(

I am spending Eid in Europe :)And you?

going on fine. so was the plan for eid highness

Hello babu, I am doing very well, thank you! How are you?

hello highness how u doing

Indeed.

might look for an alternative:)

Well tarsiers, I don't know. Due to the vast amount of single males, it may not be that safe for men either.....

"On the 30th of April 2010, the Qatar Statistics Authority estimated the total Population of Qatar as being 1670389 individuals, distributed among 1270968 males and 399421 females"

This was in 2010, so you can guess the numbers by now after all those labors came and will come.

Lets say the ratio between men and woman will stay the same since 2010. This means that 24% of the population are women and 76% are men. Remember how many married women, women in relationships, and locked housemaids are there. If you visit Qatar Statistic Authority site and check the figures of the population by gender and marital status, you can roughly figure that single men account over 90% and single women account 10% or less.

This 10% of the population are the ones who are in more risk of rape and sexual harassment.

haha thanks! I'm a committed QL lurker-- I end up getting frustrated with the trolls and roundabout arguments and having to go sit quietly in a corner somewhere.

you came back with a bang.... and by that I mean bang on target... both you and bachus:-)

Step one might be having laws. and communicating those laws clearly. and you know, enforcing them consistently for everyone always!

we need to stop this 'oh it's just Doha' permissive shrugging.

And where in the worled is safer than Qatar?

I agree to some of what you say but you are the one who make it unsafe to be here, you let criminals away. its everyones job to make it a safe place not just the police.

Relatively safe would be more apt I guess.

learn karate and carry pepper spray.......

I think the issue is differences in the types of crimes. Sure, in the US or Europe or even in my blissfully wonderful Canada (lol), there is crime-- I lived in a part of Halifax for years where you wouldn't walk thru at night lest you get mugged. and in Qatar, yes, I can leave my handbag unattended, leave my door unlocked, and take money from the ATM without fear.

But discriminatory crime is high here. And sexual crime is high here, as it is everywhere. the difference? You're right, the way it's reported, and the way it's talked about. Look at this thread here: it's become an embittered debate between us vs them, devolved into fingerpointing, with a constant thread of people saying it's not Qatar/Qatari's how dare we say it is.

We need to change how we talk about crime here, and that will help with reporting it. Which means we have to get rid of this idea that Qatar and Qataris can never be critized without someone calling unfair or racism and demanding we all pack up our toys and go home. We're talking about bigger problems of censorship, both in the media (and please remember the media is very very strictly controlled in this country before you start blaming us for not reporting things) and in personal conversations.

fluffy--as I said before, it depends on who you are and what your definition of crime is. For a person who lived in a crime-ridden part of the US and now lives in a well-to-do part of Doha, perhaps there is the appearance of less crime in Qatar. But to make a blanket statement and insist on their being less crime based solely on one's personal experiences is narrow and lacking in foundation. A maid from a small town in Indonesia might perceive it differently. I know I certainly do.

Bachus you are wrong about crime not being in the paper. I have read tons of articles in the paper about rape,drug dealers,molestations.etc . Even in the Arabic papers they are mentioned.

And again no said those things happen in Qatar. Never in my posts did I say such a thing. I was simply stating that there is more crime in thr US and UK.

Fluffy--Qatar does release traffic stats. I believe them, and they are alarming in terms of personal safety. A person is far more likely to get severely injured or killed in traffic in Qatar than they are to be mugged at gunpoint in the U.S.

Qatar also generates some criminal data. And I can state categorically those are not accurate. After all, how many workers complain about being criminally mistreated by their employers?

Britexpat and fluffy--There are parts of the UK and US I have no problem withdrawing and walking around with large amounts of cash. I also don't typically lock my car or house in the places I resided, but in Qatar I do live in a secure compound (where I don't typically lock my door either). Obviously your experiences in the US and UK were fundamentally different than mine (especially fluffy with the drug-dealing neighbors and bullet-proof banks--not my experience even remotely).

But then so would a construction driver, who in the US would be in a union, have protection in employment, health and safety, job security, etc. How safe would his counterpart feel in Qatar, who doesn't even have the security of holding his own passport? The last time the US referred to domestic workers who left work without prior notice as "runaways" was in the time of slavery.

But this all goes to my central point: you have no idea what the crime rate is in Qatar and your personal experiences are not indicative of the national crime rate--especially in terms of what maids, workers, etc. experience. I also think it is wrong to equate safety with the safety of your property. Someone coming from a small town in Vermont would likely think Qatar was infested with criminals; by the same token someone coming from the South Bronx or Compton would think Qatar an oasis of safety. But neither of these examples are necessarily reflective of the whole picture. For that you need publicized crime rates and an environment in which victims report crime and police do not routinely discriminate based on nationality and gender.

To read the papers there are no chid molesters, rapists, or serial murderers in Qatar; nor are their organized criminal extortion gangs. Few people hit their spouses, and fewer men sexually assault their dates. Children are not beaten; and hardly anyone is robbed. For those who believe this is an accurate picture of crime in Qatar, need to stop drinking their kool-aid. This happens in Qatar all the time. You're just not aware of it. Sure, elements of Qatar are safer, but elements are not; it depends on where you are coming from by comparison, your nationality, gender, age, income. Don't let the illusion of safety allow you to let down your guard; or worse, let down your guard and endanger your children. After all, Villagio seemed like a great, well-built mall. It was beautiful, modern, and backed by great laws that were designed to ensure safety. Scratch the service, however, and we find something very different.

Some Pplz Do That but Dont Blame Qataries they dont do such athings ..

i Know many Stories of Raping case but didnt Posted but the men wasnt Qataries ..

I'm not trying to say that Qatar is 100% safe . No place is.

But point is that there are people acting as if Qatar is as dangerous as US and UK.

You don't have to know statics to gage how dangerous a place. Just observation you can tell.

You don't see bank workers behind a bullet proof glass here . In the states its almost standard to have bank cashiers behind a bullet proof glass. And equipt with silent alarms.

I have lived here for 10 years and I personally only know 2 people who houses were broken into. And only 1 of them had actually items stolen. And the police came in both instances to collect evidences and a report.

I've left my house unlocked countless times. Left my car unlocked countless times with laptops in plain site. Nothing stolen. And the only intruder that came in was some kids looking for ganango candy.

If I left my car unlocked in the states I can kiss my stuff and possibly car goodbye.

Even if Qatar did release full statics you people would be complaining and say its fake or doctored.

Whilst I will take your word regarding the issues relating to the unwillingness of the police to believe stories regarding sexual abuse or harrassment, I must agree with fluffy regarding safety. I don't have to look at figures or the lack of - I will go by my personal experiences. i can go to the bank and walk out with a wad of money without fear of getting mugged. I can leave my car unlocked and not worry that it will be vandalised or stolen.

Fluffy--I think the point jjj75 and I are trying to make is that safety in Qatar is an illusion/perception. The truth is that, unlike the US and UK (and many other countries) we have no idea what the crime rate is in Qatar. As a result, many people assume that Qatar's is incredibly low and, by deduction, is incredibly safe.

By the same token, one would think food poisoning at eateries in Qatar is incredibly rare, too, at least if we go by public health alerts. However, anyone who has lived in Qatar for any length of time, knows that there are plenty of cases of mishandled food that leads to illness.

Same with construction deaths. Judging from the stats released by the government and reported in the press (or lack thereof), construction accidents are rare in Qatar. Again, anyone who has lived here for any length of time and is familiar with the industry knows this is not the case.

So . . . you perception of relative safety is only that--a perception. How safe is Qatar? Hard to say because the only evidence is anecdotal with the exception of traffic deaths, which are roughly 12 times the UK or US rate.

Fluffy - my friends maid was dragged into a car just outside out compound walls and only managed to escape because a neighbour spotted it and prevented her being kidnapped. I myself was walking back from our local shop, not particularly late but it was dark and a local cruised alongside me, made a lot of suggestive comments and was about to get out of the car when I told him to go away and my husband was just around the corner and I lived just up the road and would report him to the police. He soon sped off but I have never heard of anything like this happening to anyone I know back home but I have experienced and heard about it first hand here.

Qatar is not the safe place that alot of people make it out to be. It is a brainwashed utopia that is kept like this by the media failing to print stories and the law enforcement failing to act accordingly.

Bachus, actually yes i would.

i lived in the suburbs. and it was safe most of the time. but i remember one night i heard my neighbor screaming because some man came into her house. about year later after that. about 10 cop cars raided the house across from mine. apparently my neighbors were drug dealers and they got caught. never would have thought they were because the neighborhood was middle class families.

so even though industrial area is full of poor construction workers i would still feel safer.

and dont get me wrong qatar has crime. but at the rate it happens isn't nearly as bad as in the US and UK.

Very good points.

. . . and before someone says it, NO I do not hate Qatar, NO i am not bashing Qatar, NO I am not racist, and NO I shouldn't just leave if I don't fall in line with the everything-wonderful-all-the-time-always mantra of Qatar-love and non critism that appears to be required to be an expat here.

Comparing Qatar to other countries and crying how 'oh it could be so much worse, look how bad it is over here!' is just a way not to hold Qatar and the people who live here-- local and expat-- accountable.

Look, I don't CARE what happens in other countries, how bad or how good it is. Comparing and contrasting doesn't change the situation in Qatar. this, and other issues like it, need to be addressed in the vaccuum that is Qatar.

So, we have a problem: there's an attitude in Qatar that men can't be held responsible for their actions towards women (you hear it all the time when it comes to women covering themselves up). the emphasis is put on the women to 'protect' themselves, as opposed to teaching men to behave properly. SO OF COURSE when something happens, there isn't a lot of drive for women to go to the authorities- it's a hard thing to do, particularly when you know the odds are stacked against you. Now, i'm not saying this is a us vs them or a race thing: but I do know from personal experience that as a Western, white woman, I am more likely to be questioned and assumed to be drunk or acting or dressing inappropriately than my arab or muslim friends. I've had taxi drivers make inappropriate comments, I've had a guy pull over while I was waiting at the curb for my friend and get out of his car to push me into his, I've had men in malls follow me around and security has told me there was NOTHING they could do to stop them.

I, frankly, am tired of being told it's my reponsbility to stop this and if I don't like it get out. Everyone in Qatar needs to help change this-- and we can't do that by getting bogged down in simantics about which country is worse or better. There are problems in Qatar. Yes there are problems everywhere but that doesn't change the fact there are still problems in Qatar.

All excellent points from jjj75.

The fundamental difference is that the Qatar does not share crime statistics, offer public warnings, etc.; in fact, it manipulates the data by discouraging people from reporting the crimes and then not properly prosecuting them when they are reported. All of this leads to a false impression that crime is rare in Qatar, when it is not.

Fluffy--Would you really feel safer walking around the industrial area with a big bag marked cash at night, than walking around in the day in a leafy US suburb?

And, yes, some Americans in the burbs have alarm systems; in Doha they have security guards around their compounds.

arent most of those take advantage of the situation - good or bad - expatriates more than qataris?

I think the expats have given much more in return too. It wouldnt be what it is if not for expats. Instead of being one way, it rather is a two way phenomenon.

jjj75 u can google and see the countries u mentioned are highest in abuse against women coz if i paste here i might get a sweet warning

JJJ... the police dont need to walk the dark allies because nothing happens here... even if it does... it happens rarer than rarely...

what really needs to change is people being haters... come on now... just accept that this country has given a lot to the expats... and has more to offer...

I am sorry you are so wrong in what you are posting, Expat women do have a voice in this country, and yes the police do take you serious, it is not always the man who the authorities take the side of.

I wonder just how many of you posters posting on this thread have ever had to deal with the police regarding rape or hasselment from men, well let me tell you this I HAVE, and they could not have been more helpful in everything they did and the check they did on our house to try and get fingerprints and I was treated with the most utter respect and kindness from everyone in the police force, they could not apologise enough about what had happened to me in Qatar.

Yes you have to be careful but you have to be careful in what ever country you live, I know I feel a damn site safer walking around Doha then I do in the UK.

Ex - but at least in NY, london etc there is an acknowledgement that there is crime and an attempt to prevent it (ie police walking down streets etc). when was the last time you saw a policeman walking around the streets, particularly at night in areas that are not well lit? I have never seen one and don't say it is because it is too hot. I don't see them in the winter either.

by safest place... it meant by world standards... like compare qatar with myanmar for example... oh yea... qatar is safe then.. rite... or comparing with New York or London... damn Rite... Qatar is safe then..

obviously some butt grabs can be expected... u see men have feelings LOLLMAO

Also, the difference with London or US is there is an acknowledgement that crimes are committed and robust systems in place to report and detect them. However, I have personal experience of a friend who was threatened not to press charges then told that she herself would face being charged with a criminal offense if she went ahead.

This emperors new clothes attitude of 'qatar is so safe, with a very low crime rate' is just a load of rubbish and failure to acknowledge that crime regulalry happens here, does not really help.

Fluffy - try telling that to the grieving families of the 3 Rasgas employees who were killed in a road accident last week.

Qatar has one of the highest road death's per capita of any country on earth - i don't call that safe

Doha has a lower crime rate than London, but on the roads Doha is much more dangerous!

I agree with britexpat, why u can't go to authorities. And i don't buy this issue of plz don't press charges, i've read in gulf-times some time ago several cases of rapists or attempted rapists jailed. Then Doha has a fully functional, well equipped forensic lab and its not difficult to prove a rape.

Doha is certainly not heaven but its safer than London.

@ Bachus my point was that there are countries worse off than Qatar in terms of crime. What I said about rapist and rape victims in America is true no matter where you are.

And I never said most Americans in Qatar come from Detroit and thr Bronx. I don't even come from those cities. I actually come from a safe neighborhood but there is still crime in my city as a whole.. People in the suburbs have alarm system in their homes as well because they are at risk for home invasion as well.

In Doha I can walk around with a big stack of money and not worry about being robbed. In America you can't do that.

For any situation that we deal with in life, somewhere in some corner of the world the situation would exist or would have existed in the worst of its forms and again in some other corner in the best of its forms. What would we strive for. I leave the people comparing or drawing parallels with not so good situations to think what would they like the society at large to be in times to come, the worst because it exists somewhere or with the best because that also exists somewhere. Funny thing with all these arguements is when we ourselves are the victims we sing a different tune irrespective of how it exists somewhere else, we then forget to draw parallels.

I'm not quite sure why this is a surprise for you people. I have been here for a month now and I see that people expect this country to be a utopia. Do you have your heads up your a*s*es so far you can't see that it doesn't matter where you live, there are always perverts and weirdos.

fluffy--most Americans who come to Qatar are not coming directly from Detroit of the South Bronx. Nor are the British coming from a Brixton council estate, etc., etc.

Your comparison is useless one, because it isn't comparing like experiences. It's like some leaving upper Manhattan and then going to the industrial camps in Qatar and concluding how poor Qatar is.

it's always the girl! we're doomed.

an eye opener ... post.

try living in Detroit for a year and tell me how unsafe you feel here. i get so tired of people whining and complaining about qatar. im from a major urban area in the US. and Qatar is absolutely safe. you don't have to worry about drive by shootings. you don't have to walking around with pepper spray. you don't have to have electronic alarm system to keep intruders away.

and yes rapist getting away with rape everyday in america. if you don't get a rape kit immediately after getting rape. you can forget about getting your rapist convicted because he will just say its consensual.

and it can takes years for a rape to go to trial. and when it does go to trial you have to get on the stand have your rapist lawyer tear your credibility apart. find out how many sexual partners you had to try and make you look promiscuous. ask you sick question like what were wearing that night as if it has anything to do with what the animal did to you.

and if by chance the rapist goes to jail he will get 5 years and be out of jail again and free to rape again. and if he not found guilty he can later sue you for defamation and take you to the cleaners.

when it comes to the crime of rape the victims always suffer while most rapist get a pass. no matter what country your are in.

So it is justifiable for a wife to worry about her 'QL' husband being harassed & subjected to unwanted attention from females ..

I think the point is whether the women who get harrased here can get justice which from the examples posted by the OP doesnt seem so. So anything else in between of the likes of identity of a QLer or whether men or women should stay at home, etc. is frivolous and tantamounts to posting unnecessary comments almost bordering on hijacking the real issue while at the same time showing the callous attitude towards the women who would have been the victims. So if we are done with everything else can we get back to the issue. My interest is only to the extent to get to know about how things work here and if by such discussions some improvements could be achieved, if what gets stated in context is indeed a reality.

I was being sarcastic Eagley/jjjjj75

Go get a life!

coffee ok, whatever, like this is a subject to be a comedian about, nice, well done, hope you are proud

have you not heard about sarcasm

oh coffee person, so, if you don't like being raped leave. shoving things under the carpet is not the way to go for women's rights

If what I have written does not interest you in any way, do not bother commenting on it.

Is this not the same

If you don't like something here, leave Qatar

I posted a serious post earlier today and quite frankly, I am saddened by the triviolity of the replies.

BG and others are posting I have a fake ID.

I have not and Xena is correct in her post that my husband set it up for me and he didn't want me shown on QL as a female, so I was not harassed by unwanted attention from males.

This is my only ID? Why have more than one? Have you something to hide?

I find it very upsetting that all you can discuss is my profile and ID on such a serious post.

I stand by my comments that expat women do not have a voice in this country. If you are attacked, there is no justice. If you do complain and you get to file a police report it would take months or years to come to court , by which time, whoever was the victim, could have left Doha. In the meantime, the person who committed the crime walks around freely.

It is your word against a man's and the police and authorities will always take sides with the man.

If what I have written does not interest you in any way, do not bother commenting on it

Thank you

TheDarkKnightRises said "I think if every woman stayed in the kitchen like she should we can reduce the number of sexual offences dramatically. Irresponsible women."

Yeah, if every woman stayed in the kitchen, the ER in Hamad hospital may have a steady stream of customers ... well, plus the medical insurance companies may also profit. Not a bad idea, floating the economy ...

/Hi Jack

Hey The darkness - what about if men stayed in all the time and never went out without at least 4 females around him - hey presto problem solved, no rapes!!

The senior and wise from the community should keep a vigil in their respective localities.

This will definitely go a long way to have a safe neighbourhood, I believe.

Lily go back to the jungle and look up your family tree, i'm sure you'd still find your family living there.

I think if every woman stayed in the kitchen like she should we can reduce the number of sexual offences dramatically. Irresponsible women.

Each citizen should behave responsibily, never put themseleves in risky circumstances.

When this happens , we may need only half the police in the world.

You have to be very vcareful as a woman in Qatar. Don't believe it is safe and don't travel alone if you don't have to. Don't rely on the police to help, they can't even get people in Qatar to drive safely so a complex rape case especially if you are an expat is not going to be solved. You could even risk going to prison if the man says you asked for it.

Have you ever put 4 risk factors together ?

I believe , no.

So for you, any place in this universe is safe !!

i am new in qatar, and i thought qatar was giving great security to girls........ its pathetic.

4 risk factors put together:

strangers,

drinks,

night,

hidden agenda.

"Most" expats come from the "jungle"? But is it those expats who are the perpetrators or others who have some position of authority abusing it?

Anyway, there were plenty of el-creepos and one always needed to be alert and watchful of surroundings but it was generally quite safe. Crimes like these happen in other places as well and in fact, Qatar is safer than some countries.

What's not safe is if Iran sets off something, it's just across a wee bit of water ...

or lipstick jungle....whehehehe

I was driving to a birthday dinner last Thursday night and I got tailed by a white BMW from Bin Omran to Madinath Khalifa. When I parked my car in front of the villa where my lady friend lives, the driver parked beside me and started to chat; asking about the company branded on my car, my nationality, etc.

He is courteous at first, and offered an invitation for coffee IN HIS APARTMENT....WTF!!!

Politely, I told him, me and my husband would love to come and visit his house for coffee.

He was quiet, said ok and left...whehehehehe!

Please elaborate ... Which jungle ?

Yes you can complain to the authorities and they will do every thing they can to find them, they are very nice and kind to women who have been raped.

Yes you can complain to the authorities and they will do every thing they can to find them, they are very nice and kind to women who have been raped.

come from the "jungle" with no education at all. What can we expect from them ?

In addition Qatar is a country of men and for men !

i didn't blame anyone just one has to be careful abt her own safety

BG - I agree if it someone you don't know, but someone that you do know and no reason to think was violent? That is different - seems like you are leading up to placing the blame on the victim rather than the other way around

yes a lady has to be extra careful here and not allow anyone in either day or night

I've heard similar stories.

In one instance, the local crossed the wrong woman. After she left, her brothers came to Qatar on tourist visas. They found the man and proceeded to torture him for two days (leaving him alive). They then returned home casually, and when they landed they phoned a friend/relative of his to tell where he could be found.

Few countries (and no Western ones) extradite to Qatar, so there is little that could be done in return.

BG - because he at first appeared reasonable and then flipped - she had never seen that side of him before so had no reason to think that he would do anything so awful. But I agree, I would not have let him in.

I directly know of a european woman who was seeing a local and when she broke off the relationship he decided to come to her home in the middle of the night .. why did she allow him to come after breaking up and that too in the middle of night tsk tsk !

BE - they definiely take the side of (and in order)

Nationals, muslim men and men in general.

I directly know of a european woman who was seeing a local and when she broke off the relationship he decided to come to her home in the middle of the night, forced her into her car and drove her to his home where he spent the next few hours beating her up - leaving broken bones and a smashed in face. She was in hospital a week.

meanwhile she received a visit from 'the authorities' to tell her not to press charges and threats from his family to say if she did, he would have her brought up on charges of having relations outside marriage.

It was quitely dropped

there was an incident.. one Egyptian hit my car. Once police came, they speak in Arabic. Last, the fault became mine!!! I denied. Then the police asked me " Where are you from?".. I said "INDIA".. He replied... " Its your fault. You are mistake".

This is the human justice in QATAR.

Even if the OP's stories are not true, anyone who has lived in Qatar for some time has heard similar credible stores.

The fact is that Qatar is not safe. Few places are, and the outward appearance of safety (promoted by the government, low rate of victims reporting crimes in this culture, and the media's lack of reporting any real crime) makes Qatar all that much more dangerous.

Driving is extremely dangerous not because of environmental conditions but because people break the law and criminally endanger others.

Fires kill people regularly because of poor constructions and lack of inspections for safety.

Maids are assaulted because Qatar has a sponsorship system that gives too much power to the employers and considers master and servant unequal before the law.

I remember last year a circular being sent to parents from my kids' school that a suspicious person was driving around town trying to lure children into his car. This was alarming, but what was more alarming that similar warning were issued by other schools with incredibly detailed reports about his appearance, vehicle, etc. The guy kept appearing at schools throughout the year. Why wasn't he caught. Why was there no public report/warning?

Well, I think in case of Western females, its very easy for them to build some pressure on authorities. They can involve their embassies.

If embassies like UK, USA, Australia, Germany, France, etc can't do anything then it would be very surprising.

But what's happening, it's sad indeed.

i can see a man in ur profile pic :)

right now, to much time.... but generally, couldnt be bothered;-p

bitter true most of the incidents are happened and happening

Parameters of safety are different in different cultures. In most of these cultures,crime against a woman is not even considered a crime.

Xena I think you are wrong, you indeed have a lot of time on your hands to keep responding to this ;)

Do me a favour and go and track Stevanlea again... have a look at her and my commonalities and then think about how I might know her....

Everything in her profile is correct EXCEPT for her gender... and that is exactly like many females on QL set it, so they don't get harrassed by men on QL... It may also have been her husband who set up the profile... did you ever think of that?

For the amount of time you spend on QL, BG..you don't know very much about how things work around here, do you...

Stevanlea said The last comment is total ...

The last comment is total crap!

First of all I am "not a man" even though my profile says "I am."

I am a English lady .

If this is all you can write about when a serious issue is being discussed!

Xena pls track her previous thread she herself admitted abt her fake id

I faced critical and so unhelpful incident with traffic police took my vehicle to their custody and kept for one month without any violation.

Only thing police said "SOME" captain complaint I did not give way to pass and insulting brake.

But no proof or "some" captain not faced to me..

I posted my full story earlier.

Now I am really scared to drive.

Ravi,

I find it all very frustrating when no one takes me seriously and have to back myself up with fake IDs.

It has nothing at all do with the fact that I know who Stevanlea is and she like me, doesn't have time to sit here and make up fake IDs to back ourselves up.

*sigh*

same person!

BG, just because you have numerous IDs you use at any given time, does not mean to say everyone else does too. We are not all as bored with work as you are!

i can say the same xena those 2 are ur ids We are not all as bored with work at yourself!

monkey says the same

Monkey they are same person.

TCOM one is a female even though she uses male id :?

Tink, I think they just really kidding!

Justice will be served always ............. for them only!

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/4001081

Am I the only one seeing similarity between ID's of teewayne and Stevanlea

Lots of TROLLS around QL MODS should do something soon.

I'm sure you won't committ adultery, BG. So it must be absolutely sure to take a ride with you. That's good news.

yeah both of them

I think we are getting off track. we agree that these cases occur. What is at issue is - do the authorities take the side of the criminals ?

As the poster says, in the first case, the went to the police , who tried to dissuade them from filing a case. If they had done so, would the case have come to court and would justice have prevailed ?

Whatever, BG. HE will have committed adultery, isn't it?

if she says stop and if not ? after mission accomplished she says rape then ?

BGeven if a woman is willingly going, drunk, and laid down for intercourse, if ahe says stop and u don't stop, it's RAPE.

It is well known that no matter how a woman dresses here, or what her behaviour was up to the incident, certain elements on QL will find fault, bash, make stupid comments about "it happens all over the world", before they admit a woman has any rights to, say NO, dress in anything other than an abhaya, walk anywhere, get into a cab with someone or have a drink.

If you do anything of the above, you were looking for it... although, I have to agree on how getting into a cab with someone, gives anyone the right to rape you, steal from you OR kill you... I am not in the habit of getting into cabs with people I don't know.... or is the taxi driver on this list too?

so u cld have read above willingly going getting drunk and laid and then how is it rape ?

In this country, there IS one person who can help - she is very approachable, listens AND has influence.

To confirm what one poster said earlier, rapists if found guilty in the UAE ARE inprisioned - by chance happened 2 weeks ago. Interestingly, as the guilty ba...d was being taken away, his mother who was in court was screaming "What did he do wrong....he didnt murder anyone ....." That "maybe" the mentality that right minded people are up against in regard to rape.

that's my link BG: ur comment on 1:01

i quote "willing going( with a stranger) so how can it be a rape"

Now I'm afraid, BG.

Britexpat I think the major problem is lack of understanding of local laws. Every rumour becomes a law in people's eyes because there is not much clarity from the authorities.

Don't ever enter BG's car if he gives you a ride! He believes he has the RIGHT to rape you.

lol LP but i dont mind giving u a free ride :/

drsam pls provide a link abt anyone getting raped here in a doha cab or taxi

Ladies, be warned from BG. He can misunderstand what you're doing!

so if u willingly get in a cab, he is entitled to rape u, or steal, or kill u?

BG, even she agrees to have $ex, and than in the middle of the heat she tells u to stop, u must stop, or it is rape too!

LP ur willing going( with a stranger) so how can it be a rape

It's called "Rape", BG.

Women & Workers! Always Innocent victims..abused!

I repeat from above.. "NOTHING WILL BE DONE IF YOU COMPLAIN TO THE AUTHORITIES!!!!!!"

charged for adultery - when u go along with a stranger get drunk and get laid then cry foul rape ? what will u call it

how to report if

"a complaint of rape could cause her to be charged for adultery"

but, first of all we need to keep our side safe always, i mean avoid to sexy dress in the road plz.

Whether they are Qataris or non Qataris is irrelivant. The key thing is that such cases are occuring and people rightly or wrongly, are afraid to go to the authorities.

as far as i know,

in UAE rape victims can get jailed!

http://www.smh.com.au/world/jailed-rape-victim-seeks-to-sue-commonwealth-20110605-1fnc6.html

I'm sure they're not original Qatari.

by the way can i know which is the safest place ( free from abuse , crime and ...)

I agree as there is no freedom of speech or freedom of press, it was same scenario with UAE but the Ruler of Dubai issued decree for freedom of press and you can see all crimes and incidents are reported in news, which we as people should know whats happening and how we can stay secure. Hope some day we will see it here.

sound like true

I still do not see why you can't go to the authorities.

This is really true.

I agree this is happening in every part of the world but justice should be serve.

These act of unhuman or devil attitude of individual is happening on and on because they are not being punished they always able to get away.

sad but true abuses happen every part of world

Absolutely true with so many weirdo's around..

donno if it's true, but quite believable.

Sad but true.