Migrant Deaths in Lebanon: Concealed Causes | News Report: September 2023
From Narrative to Action: Stories of Racism-Fueled Demonization | News Report: January 2024
19/03/2024
News Reports 2024
We opened up 2024 with disturbing stories of racism against migrant workers in Lebanon. From underreported murders to exploitative labor practices and biased media narratives, this report sheds light on the systemic marginalization, dehumanization, and violations that migrant communities face in the country.
Articles and views shared in the News Report do not necessarily represent ARM’s views. Information in these articles has not been fact-checked by ARM and may contain some errors. ARM is simply compiling all news relevant to migrant communities to inform our advocacy efforts and to facilitate the work of organizations that cater to migrant communities.
Murder by Strangulation: Two Workers Found Dead in Beirut and Jbeil
Between December 2023 and January 2024, two migrant workers were found dead in Beirut and Jbeil with evidence suggesting murder by strangulation of both workers.
On December 16, 2023, a hygiene worker found a large trash bag in a dumpster in Beirut Sunday’s Flea Market (Souk Al Ahad). The bag contained the remains of L.N, an Ethiopian worker, murdered, tied up, and disposed of. The Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) were called in as a result.
The investigation led ISF to H.A. (1993), a Sudanese man living and working as the concierge of a building in Furn El Chebbek who confessed to murdering L.N. (reportedly born in 1989).
Upon the findings, ISF arrested H.A. on December 22, 2023, by the relevant authorities.
The story of L.N was reported in extremely gory detail, using a tone that can be least seen as dehumanizing.
On January 8, media outlets reported that a migrant worker’s body was found in a house near agricultural projects in the town of Edde, in the Jbeil district.
Security forces and forensic evidence teams arrived at the scene to inspect the body and investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
Initial findings revealed that she died from strangulation. The Civil Defense in Jbeil transferred the body to Al-Bouar Governmental Hospital.
The worker’s nationality was not reported clearly: MTV reported that the worker was Ethiopian, while the National News Agency reported that the worker was Bangladeshi.
ARM reached out to community leaders in Jbeil from both Ethiopian and Bangladeshi communities but was unable to identify the victim.
Sources for L.N: This is Beirut, National News Agency, Al Hurra, Sky News Arabia, Al-Arabiya
Sources for the unidentified worker: MTV Lebanon, National News Agency
Lebanon Debate reported on a major scam in the health insurance sector against migrant workers in Lebanon, calling on the Minister of Labor, Moustafa Bayram, to put an end to these illegal practices.
In response, Bayram issued decision No. 4/1 amending rules and regulations regarding insurance policies granted to migrant workers and requiring insurance companies to commit to the following:
- In case of death of the insured person for any reason:
- The insurance company must cover the costs of repatriating the body or remains to the country of origin of the worker or permanent residence abroad, with a minimum amount of $8,000 (eight thousand US dollars).
- The legal heirs or designated beneficiaries, up to the second degree of kinship with the insured, shall receive the remaining balance of the $8,000 after deducting the repatriation costs, to make necessary arrangements.
- The employer must ensure the repatriation of the remains within one week from the date of death.
- In case of permanent disability of the insured person:
- If the insured person sustains a permanent disability due to an accident, the insurance company must pay them a minimum of $10,000 (ten thousand US dollars).
- In case of partial permanent disability, a percentage of the $10,000 amount shall be paid according to the table of disabilities specified in the accidents and emergencies at work resolution (No. 136 dated 16/09/1983).
- Hospitalization of the insured person:
- The insurance company must cover the hospitalization costs resulting from work-related or external accidents, or any illness, including one laboratory test per year, and up to a maximum of $23,000 (twenty-three thousand US dollars) per year (for one or multiple cases).
We (ARM) speculate that the scams aim to absolve employers and insurance companies from their obligations to migrant workers and their healthcare, specifically in cases of injuries, death, or repatriation of bodies, as the aforementioned decision emphasizes amendments to these cases, as well as based on ARM’s experience with fake insurance policies issued by fake companies.
Lastly, Bayram stated that insurance companies and employers violating this decision will be held liable.
Nepal Ban on Lebanon: Lebanon Finalizes Agreement with Nepal to Allow Entry of Nepalese Workers [here]
The Nepalese Honorary Consul Sheikh Mohammad Wissam Ghouzayel visited the Lebanese Minister of Labor Moustafa Bayram to finalize the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Lebanon and Nepal, which awaits the approval of the Nepalese Ministry of Labor (MoL).
Ghouzayel stated that Nepal “does not mind recruiting Nepalese workers, granted they are included in the labor law.”
He also indicated that the Nepalese law does not limit workers, including domestic workers that fall under category 3 work permits, issued by the MoL, as well as residencies issued by General Security (GS), to travel to Lebanon for work, on the condition that they obtain a pre-approved employment contract from the Nepalese consulate.
According to Ghouzayel, the consulate does not object to producing this contract, provided that these workers are considered to be category 3 workers.
In 2022, Ghouzayel announced that the travel ban on Nepalese domestic workers (category 4) coming to Lebanon for work, which was first imposed in 2008, has been lifted. This ban was reflected in the MoL reports, which almost never list any category 4 work permits issued to Nepalese workers.
The reporting around this ban is shrouded with confusing information. There’s complete unclarity over how Nepalese workers can work in domestic jobs, which are restricted to category 4 work permits, but are being recruited under category 3 work permits, which are provided to workers in cleaning, agriculture, and construction jobs.
It’s also unclear how this news (the HC-approved employment contract, as well as the MoU) would affect previous, current, or future Nepalese workers, specifically live-in domestic workers, given that working as a domestic worker under a category 3 work permit/residency would violate the premise of the labor law, GS regulations, as well as the ban.
A new talk show titled “Jadal” (controversy in Arabic) hosted by Mario Abboud, broadcasted its first episode on LBCI on January 25, 2024.
The first episode addressed the “controversy” of Syrian workers in Lebanon, more specifically the “impact of the unregulated presence of Syrian refugees on the Lebanese labor market.”
Featuring several guests, including government officials, public figures, and workers, all of whom were Lebanese, the episode tackled various themes under the topic of Syrian workers in Lebanon, mainly the “competition” between Lebanese and Syrian workers in the labor market, Here are some of the main guest’s discussion points:
- Mustafa Bayram, Minister of Labor:
- Claimed that donor countries threatened the Lebanese authorities with imposing sanctions if they carry out their plans to deport Syrian refugees.
- Refused to prioritize vocational training for Syrian workers, and insisted on prioritizing Lebanese workers instead.
- Discussed measures taken to regulate non-Lebanese labor, such as restricting certain professions for Lebanese nationals only (126 professions) and requiring companies to advertise job openings on the Ministry of Labor’s (MoL) online platform to prioritize Lebanese applicants.
- Encouraged Lebanese workers to apply to the job postings on the MoL’s online platform, which did not get any applicants.
- Admitted that there are Lebanese workers who refuse to work in jobs that require heavy manual or physical labor and view them as demeaning, such as car wash and lubricant jobs.
- Mentioned plans to treat Syrian workers similarly to migrant workers of other nationalities, specifically in terms of permit fees.
- Acknowledged challenges to applying labor law, such as the limited number of inspectors (15 throughout Lebanon), lack of cooperation, and political division over Syrian refugees.
- Called on media outlets to campaign against NGOs and donor countries that pressure Lebanon to refrain from carrying out deportations and call for accountability against deportations.
- Nicholas Shamas, Head of Beirut Traders Association:
- Raised concerns about employers who undercut Lebanese workers by hiring Syrian workers who accept lower wages.
- Called for regulating Syrian labor and giving priority to Lebanese workers.
- Accused NGOs of taking advantage of the failure of the state and the economic collapse and advocating for the rights of Syrian workers.
- Acknowledged challenges to applying labor law, such as the limited number of inspectors and lack of cooperation.
- Exaggerated fears over the so-called “demographic” changes.
- Argued with Bayram over Syrians competing with Lebanese over mid/senior level jobs in various industries.
- Antione Chakhtoura, Mayor of Dekwaneh, Beirut:
- Claimed that migrants make up the highest percentage of crimes in Dekwaneh and Sin El Fil are not prosecuted due to “prison quotas.”
- Called for restricting migrant workers, especially Syrians, to work only in agricultural, construction, and cleaning jobs.
- Complained about diversity quotas from donor countries.
- Hassan Ghamrawi, Mayor of Al-Bedawi, Tripoli:
- Discussed the large number of Syrian refugees (25,000 out of a 35,000 population) in Al-Bedawi, which is supposedly causing a strain on resources.
- Claimed that Syrians are “very hard-working and competitive” in the job market, implying that it harms Lebanese workers.
- Mentioned efforts to inspect and shut down unlicensed Syrian businesses with help from security forces, called for more cooperation.
- Cited a lack of resources like having only 4 municipal police officers in Al-Bedawi.
The discussions were clearly influenced by misconceptions about the realities of Syrian workers, wrongfully assuming that social protections for Syrians are prioritized over Lebanese, as well as Lebanese workers calling for maintaining a hierarchy between Lebanese workers as senior-level workers, and Syrian workers as lower-level workers.
Additionally, the statements throughout the episode were sporadic and often clashed with one another, reflecting heavily biased misconceptions and stereotypes about the Lebanese job market, often based on individual experiences and then generalized from there on entire nationalities.
For example, the promo teaser for the episode presented two strongly contradicting testimonies from vox pop interviews with Lebanese workers. One of them claimed that Syrians who work in bakeries earn more than Lebanese, while another worker claimed that Lebanese employers hire Syrian workers for lower wages than Lebanese workers.
The presentation of the show is intended to divide workers over racial, classist, and nationalistic notions. For example, the host, Mario Abboud, is well-known for making sensational statements, such as his infamous “brainless” opening during the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and is, therefore, an unsurprising choice for a combination of topic and host for the pilot episode.
The new LBC comedy show “Marhaba Dawle,” translating to “Salutations to the State” has sparked outrage for its explicit racism, patriarchy, and misrepresentation of migrant workers.
In the very first episode, a sketch depicts a security officer (played by Hussein Al-Dayekh) trying to dissuade a migrant domestic worker from jumping off a building.
The officer uses sexist and derogatory language, such as saying that he “likes Habashiyat” (which is an objectifying term for Ethiopian women), mockingly singing “Calm Down” by Rema and misappropriating the lyrics, and offering to marry her if she doesn’t jump.
However, when the worker jumps, we find that she is only standing on a ledge that leads to a slightly lower level and is therefore not injured. The officer proceeds to arrest her and speak to her in an insulting manner.
This “skit” mocks the situation of migrant workers who are living under the unjust conditions of Kafala. LBC posted the sketch on their official social media account, but then quickly removed it from Instagram and Facebook after backlash (but kept it on Tiktok), then later uploaded it again on Facebook و Instagram on a separate account for the show.
The first time the clip was posted, it received immediate criticism for its racist approach and lack of sensitivity towards the struggle of migrants in Lebanon. Many expressed the show’s failure to properly address the systematic issues leading to abuse and suicides among migrant domestic workers in Lebanon is simply not a matter for jokes, especially in Lebanon, where, in many cases, suicide is used to cover up for murder, or is used to stigmatize workers who are struggling in abusive working conditions, an issue which is rarely investigated or represented in courts.
After just two episodes, the Lebanese Interior Ministry attempted to take the show off the air, accusing it of “moral transgression” and insulting state institutions like the Internal Security Forces it satirizes, but to no avail.
The show’s creator Mohamed Al-Dayekh defended the show as simply satirizing the authorities and their corruption, but he did not address the criticism targeted at his racist sketch.
In summary, the show falls into racist stereotypes and trivializes the suffering of migrant communities through distasteful mockery rather than raising awareness about their plight.
“Military and Public Sector Employees Now Earn Less than Domestic Workers” Former MP Tweets [here]
Former MP Musbah Al-Ahdab criticized the government’s financial policies and alleged corruption by comparing the salaries of public sector employees to the salaries of domestic workers.
Al-Ahdab claimed in a tweet that the salaries of military personnel and public sector employees have become lower than those of domestic workers in Lebanon.
The tweet, while meant to criticize the mismanagement of public funds, carries degrading notions about the value of domestic labor.
The comparison between the salaries of public sector employees and military personnel to the wages of domestic workers assumes that domestic labor should be inherently low-paid work, and is therefore utilized as a standard of low-pay that should only be applied to non-Lebanese workers or workers of lower income/class, and cannot possibly apply to Lebanese employees in the public sector.
Billions Spent on Sportswashing Cannot Hide Saudi’s Violations of Human Rights [here]
The 2024 World Report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that Saudi authorities killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum-seekers at the Saudi-Yemeni border between March 2022 and June 2023.
According to HRW, these killings could constitute crimes against humanity if they were carried out as part of a Saudi government policy to kill migrants.
Despite spending billions on sporting events to improve its image, Saudi’s government continues to violate human rights through arbitrarily detaining activists, use of torture, and unfair trials, alongside the aforementioned mass murders of Ethiopian migrants.
HRW also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s imposing of the abusive kafala system on migrant workers which, despite reforms, continues to exploit migrants and restrict their freedoms.
An employer alleged that an Ethiopian domestic worker (A.D, born in 1991) stole 9,000 USD from her residence, in Saida, and fled to an unknown location, according to the Internal Security Forces (ISF) in a statement on their official website issued on December 17, 2023. As a result, the ISF raided a house in Aley where A.D. was residing, and arrested her.
During the interrogation, A.D. confessed to the allegations against her. She also proclaimed that she was in a relationship with a Syrian man who was blackmailing her by threatening to publish private pictures of her if she refused to steal from her employer.
Legal action was taken against A.D. and legal proceedings are on their way for the arrest of the accomplice.
General Security Publishes List of Arrests, Entry/Exit, Work Visas Disaggregated by Nationality from Mid-November 2023 to Mid-December 2023 [here]
The General Security Office (GSO) published a breakdown of arrests, entry/exit, and work visas between mid-November 2023 and mid-December 2023 in the new issue of the GS journal released on January 4th. Highlights included the following:
- Nearly 526 migrants and refugees were arrested and interrogated;
- 505 migrants and refugees were released from detention after interrogation;
- Around 3,292 work visas were granted to migrant workers mostly from Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Kenya. There is no information on how many of these work permits were granted to newcomers.
- 212,277 foreigners and migrants entered Lebanon compared to 208,219 who left in the said time period.
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حركة مناهضة العنصرية هي حركة شعبيّة أنشأتها جهات شبابيّة ناشطة في لبنان بالتعاون مع عمّال وعاملات أجانب. نعمل معًا في الحركة على توثيق الممارسات العنصرية والتحقيق فيها وفضحها ومحاربتها من خلال مبادرات وحملات عديدة. تمّ إطلاق حركة مناهضة العنصرية عام 2010 عقب حادثة وقعت في أحد أكثر المنتجعات البحرية الخاصّة المعروفة في بيروت.
