The State of Qatar ranks as the 11th richest country in the world per capita. It is a monarchy ruled by the al-Thani family. The Emir seized control of the country from his father in 1995. Under the current Emir, Qatar has experienced some liberalisation, but political parties are banned. The Emir exercises full executive power. Some 200,000 of the population of over 850,000 are citizens, and the balance is made up of foreign workers. A new constitution came into force in 2005 which provides for hereditary rule by the al-Thani family, elections expected in 2007 and a Consultative Council with legislative power. Shari'a law is the main source of legislation. The Emir legislates following consultation with leading citizens in the 45-seat Consultative Council, 15 members of which are appointed by the Emir and 30 are elected. The influence of Bedouin tribal traditions is strong, with customs rooted in conservative Wahhabi heritage. Tradition limits women's participation in politics, but a number of women serve in public office. A woman is a member of the Central Municipal Council, and a woman is President of the University of Qatar. The Emir's sister is Vice-President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and has the rank of minister. The law provides for an independent judiciary; all judges are appointed on the recommendation of the Supreme Judiciary Council for renewable 3-year terms. Civil and Shari'a courts are under the Supreme Judiciary Council, and Shi'a and Sunni judges apply their own interpretations of Shari'a. Conversion from Islam is considered apostasy and is a capital offence.
Discrimination based on nationality, race, language, religion and disability is prohibited, but discrimination continues in some areas. While torture is prohibited, corporal punishment is inflicted as prescribed by Islamic law, though amputation is not allowed and punishments do not take place in public. The Minister of the Interior can detain defendants for crimes related to national security, honour or impudence. Police and security forces are reported to monitor telephone calls and emails of suspects or those considered to be security risks. Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed, but restrictions apply in practice. Journalists practise self-censorship when reporting on the ruling family, policies or relations with neighbouring states. Newspapers are owned by members of the ruling family or government officials. Foreign media are censored. Libel is a criminal offence. Al Jazeera, which is based in Qatar, is government-subsidised and focuses on coverage of international news.
A human rights department has been established in Qatar to deal with trafficking in persons, among other problems. Traffickers can be prosecuted. The UN Committee on the rights of the Child recommended research be done "to provide comprehensive statistical data on the extent, nature and changing patterns of trafficking in children in Qatar." Citizens must obtain government permission to marry foreigners, and citizenship for foreign spouses is granted for male citizens. As many as 6,000 members of the Al-Ghufran branch of the Al-Murra tribe were deprived of Qatari nationality between 2004 and 2005 on the ground that they were nationals of other countries. Some were forced to leave Qatar to seek resettlement in neighbouring countries despite guarantees in the new Constitution against the deportation of Qatari nationals. Those who lost citizenship thereby lost their jobs and were no longer eligible to receive benefits. The United States Armed Forces Unified Combatant Command unit for the Middle East has its headquarters in Qatar, where there is a large US Air Force base. A law enacted in 2004 prohibits sex between males. Penalties include life imprisonment for acts involving a minor and 7 years' imprisonment in cases involving consenting adults.

The Supreme Education Council has been established by decree. A well-funded, free, public education system is available for citizen children from primary school through university. Education is compulsory for citizen children to age 15, and it is free for 9 years of primary and lower secondary school for non-citizen children whose parents work in government. Some 60% of school-age children attend school, and most complete primary school. Education City is an area in Doha set aside for the establishment of branch campuses of several American universities and local educational and research organisations. Many private international schools have been established. Islamic instruction is compulsory in public schools. Non-Muslims may provide private religious instruction for children, but most foreign children attend secular private schools.

A 3-year programme begins at age 3. At this level 93% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 31%. There are 775 ECE teachers (93% female). The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 15 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 15. Primary school begins at age 6 and lasts 6 years. At this level 42% of education is private. The NER is 96% (48% female). Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 92% reach the last grade of primary school. There are 7,349 primary teachers (85% female). The PTR is 9 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 12 and lasts 6 years. At this level 32% of education is private. 2% of students in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. The NER is 87%. There are 5,356 secondary teachers, 2,715 (56% female) in lower secondary and 2,641 (54% female) in upper secondary schools. The PTR is 10 : 1 in lower secondary and 11 : 1 in upper secondary education.

8,648 students (67% female) study in tertiary institutions, for a Gross Enrolment Rate of 18%. Foreign students studying in Qatar come from the Arab States (1,319), Asia (173), Sub-Saharan Africa (38), Central and Eastern Europe (13) and North America and Western Europe (9). At the same time, 1,105 Qatari students are studying abroad, mainly in the UK (420), the USA (354), Jordan (80), Australia (61) and Saudi Arabia (60).

The law requires the allocation of resources for persons with disabilities and prohibits discrimination. Legislation provides for rehabilitation, education, transportation, medical and social care, support services, access to public facilities and employment. 2% of jobs in government agencies and public institutions are to be set aside for persons with disabilities. Quotas also apply to the private sector. In a report of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child it was acknowledged that the level of care provided for disabled children could be improved. Special schools for disabled children have been opened, and efforts are being made to promote integration into mainstream schools. Resistance is reported from some parents who refuse to send their children to schools with disabled children. A Committee for Special Needs Children has been created.

The law does not provide for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the government has not established a system for providing protection to refugees. The government did not cooperate with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in assisting refugees and asylum-seekers.

Discrimination based on nationality is reported to occur in employment, education, housing and health services. Non-citizens do not receive the same benefits as citizens. They are required to pay for education and other services if they do not work in specific government positions. Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Nepalese form the largest nationality groups among non-citizens.

Books, periodicals and the Internet are censored for religious, political and pornographic content. A proxy server blocks websites containing certain key words and phrases. Reports indicate there is no tradition of academic freedom and that academics exercise self-censorship.

The status of women is improving, and women have input into law and policy on issues of concern to women. Women constitute 14% of the public sector work force and 30% of the national work force. They work as university professors, teachers, police, civil servants, in health care and in private business. Women receive equal pay for work of equal value but do not receive special allowances available to men. Domestic violence occurs, and convictions are rare. Domestic servants are reported to experience harassment and abuse. Most do not press charges for fear of losing their jobs. The law is lenient on "honour" crimes and assault for perceived immodesty or defiant behaviour. Sexual harassment is illegal. The interpretation of Shari'a recognises that Muslims have the automatic right to inherit from their Muslim spouses. Since Muslim women cannot legally marry non-Muslims, non-Muslim wives only inherit if their spouse wills them up to one-third of their estates. A Muslim husband does not automatically inherit the property of a non-Muslim wife. Muslim sisters inherit half of as much as their brothers.

The new labour law raised the minimum age for employment to 16. Minors aged 16 to 18 can be employed with parental permission, and some children work in family-owned businesses, in markets or as office clerks. The Labour Department is provided with the names and occupations of minors who are working. Permission from the Ministry of Education is required to hire a minor. Jobs judged dangerous to the health, safety or morals of minors are excluded. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its consideration of the report of Qatar, welcomed the adoption of the new Constitution with its strengthened protections for children. The Committee also welcomed the adoption in 2005 of the Law Banning the Employment, Training and Participation of Children in Camel Racing and Qatar's investments in the development of robot jockeys. The Committee recommended that a national plan of action be developed to combat child labour and the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. A specific budget allocation to ensure implementation was also recommended. The law prohibits forced and compulsory labour by children, and it is enforced with respect to citizen children; however, child labour also occurs among children of foreign workers.

The new labour law expands and protects some rights for citizens. Citizens over age 18 have the right of association. Non-citizens are not eligible to form worker or general committees. Workers' committees can only be formed in private enterprises with more than 100 citizen workers. Foreign workers can only be members of joint labour-management committees. Public sector employees are prohibited from joining unions. A single national trade union structure is permitted, and affiliation outside the country is not allowed. Collective bargaining and the right to strike are limited. Collective bargaining is not practised, and no workers are covered under collective contracts. Workers have the right to strike, but conditions make strikes unlikely. Certain categories of workers are prohibited from striking. Employers set wages unilaterally. Forced or compulsory labour is illegal, but some foreign workers are employed in circumstances that constitute forced labour. More than 75% of the work force is made up of foreigners who depend on their employer for residency rights and are thus vulnerable to abuse. Expatriate labourers cannot leave the country without an exit sponsorship, and they can only change employment with a written release from their sponsor. A ban on underage camel jockeys was introduced, and repatriation of child jockeys took place; a shelter for trafficking victims was opened. There is no minimum wage, and the average wage of non-citizen workers does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. Planning Council statistics report the average monthly wage at US$795 (2,902 riyals). The law prescribes a 48-hour work week.