CAT/C/QAT/CO/3 (c) Ensure that procedural safeguards against refoulement are in place and that effective remedies are available with respect to refoulement claims in removal proceedings, including review by an independent judicial body concerning rejections, in particular on appeal; (d) Consider ratifying the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Abuse of migrant workers 39. The Committee notes with regret that, despite the information provided in the State party’s report indicating the removal of the kafalah system (sponsorship), the new labour law does not abolish exit permits for migrant workers, including female domestic workers, who still have to obtain their employers’ permission to leave the country, which frequently leads to exploitation and abuse. Moreover, the de facto confiscation of passports by employers and their failure to renew foreign workers’ residence permits and health cards expose them to arrest and detention for unlawful presence in the country. In this regard, the Committee welcomes the agreement signed between Qatar and the International Labour Organization with a view to establishing a technical cooperation programme,1 within which the Qatari Government has committed to align its laws and practices with international labour standards (art. 16). 40. The State party should: (a) Adopt the necessary legislative measures to abolish the abusive sponsorship system, in cooperation with the International Labour Organization; (b) Take measures to ensure that all instances of exploitation and abuse of migrant workers are promptly and impartially investigated. Detention pending deportation 41. While acknowledging the measures taken by the State party to reduce overcrowding at the Deportation Detention Centre in Doha, the Committee remains concerned about the reports of poor conditions of detention, including inadequate sanitation, insufficient ventilation and shortage of bedding and food. In that connection, the Committee is particularly concerned by the situation of women held in this detention facility, as described by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants (see A/HRC/26/35/Add.1, paras. 55–63) (arts. 11 and 16). 42. The State party should: (a) Refrain from detaining undocumented migrants for prolonged periods, use detention as a measure of last resort only and for as short a period as possible and promote alternatives to detention; (b) Ensure that detained foreigners, including undocumented migrants, have the right to contact the consular services of their respective country and are entitled to receive legal aid; (c) Continue its efforts to improve the conditions of detention and alleviate the overcrowding of deportation detention facilities, including through the application of non-custodial measures. In doing so, the Committee draws the State party’s attention to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) and the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules). 1 8 See document GB.331/INS/13(rev.) of the International Labour Organization. Available at www.ilo.org/gb/GBSessions/GB331/ins/WCMS_586479/lang--en/index.htm.