DOHA 01 June 2024 — A Filipino student from the Philippine School Doha placed second at a migration-themed inter-school painting competition organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Hamad bin Khalifa University, with support from Lulu, in commemoration of International Migrant Workers Day.

Participated in by students from various community schools in Qatar, the painting competition bore the theme #TogetherInQatar.

Grade 6 student Qarylle Claudet Dela Cruz’s work underscored the importance of “protecting labor rights and ensuring safe working environment for all workers including their families.”

In his message to the participants and guests during the awarding ceremony on 30 May 2024, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Jeffrey D. Batac said “visual art provides a unique opportunity to articulate the various experiences of migrants in Qatar. Through art, they become visible. Their voices are heard. They become part of a larger community where otherwise they would neither be seen nor heard.”

He added, “With robust schemes in place intended to promote the welfare and well-being of Filipino migrants wherever they may be, the Philippine Government commits to continue working with various partners, notably IOM, to ensure that migration into Qatar and elsewhere in the world is safe, orderly, and regular, with international human rights law as the overarching framework on which migration policies are based.”

For more information, visit dohape.dfa.gov.ph, facebook.com/PHinQatar, or instagram.com/phinqatar.