Oman committed to promoting, protecting human rights

Muscat: Oman’s Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has said it is committed to defending the human rights of everyone in the country.
OHRC received about 25 cases relating to human rights issues last year, and that number has dropped to 17 so far in 2019, pointing to a decrease in the number of cases reported. In addition, the commission also said that they had answered about a hundred human rights-related enquiries on WhatsApp.
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Ahmed Al Rashdi, the Director of Communications Monitoring at the Oman Human Rights Commission, said, “Oman is committed to promoting and protecting human rights through awareness and education programmes adopted by state institutions, ratifying international agreements and adapting laws in line with international agreements.”
Complaints
“Of the 17 reported complaints, the most important related to housing conditions, living situations, family care, education and health,” added Al Rashdi. “These issues were resolved by following up with the relevant authorities, as well as providing guidance on how they needed to be tackled, and the various measures taken by the human rights commission to enact laws and raise awareness on the importance of respecting human rights.”
The Oman Human Rights Commission also received several complaints on various social media platforms – many of which were related to work – and these were resolved by relaying these issues to the right authorities, in addition to regular follow-ups with them to ensure these concerns were handled quickly. Al Rashdi was speaking at an event held in the presence of Abdul Malik Al Khalili, Minister of Justice, to celebrate International Human Rights Day, which is marked on December 10 every year, ever since the United Nations General Assembly issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on this day in 1948.
“We should not forget that human rights issues are different and therefore, we deal with all human rights concerns, but this does not mean that the committee can handle all the areas of concern in these complaints, as these belong to other authorities, while we deal with human rights,” said the chairman of the OHRC, Abdullah Al Hosni, who said that both locals and expats in Oman were welcome to contact them, should they wish to raise complaints related to human rights.
“The complaints we receive come from Omani citizens and expatriates and we welcome everyone to contact us, whether they wish to do so by coming to the commission, calling us through the organisation’s emergency number, by submitting a recorded message, or through social media,” he went on to say.
“The Oman Human Rights Commission invites Omanis and expatriates in the country to contact us either by calling us, or on WhatsApp, on the number +968-7222-1966, or by dialling 1970, after which an automated voice will invite you to submit a voice recording of your complaint,” added Abdullah Al Hosni. International Human Rights Day is marked across the world.
On the occasion of this day, Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, said, “Every single person is entitled to all rights: civil, political, economic, social and cultural, regardless of where they live. Regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, social origin, gender, sexual orientation, political or other opinion, disability or income, or any other status. On this International Human Rights Day, I call on everyone to support and protect young people who are standing up for human rights.”