{"id":23169,"date":"2023-10-18T10:07:57","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T07:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armlebanon.org\/?p=23169"},"modified":"2023-11-20T15:50:19","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T12:50:19","slug":"news-report-september-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armlebanon.org\/ar\/news-report-september-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrant Deaths in Lebanon: Concealed Causes | News Report: September 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Migrant Deaths in Lebanon: Concealed Causes | News Report: September 2023<\/h2><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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18\/10\/2023<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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News Reports 2023<\/span><\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Migrant deaths in Lebanon are often hidden behind incomplete reporting or blocked investigations. Thus, seeking justice becomes a struggle. Here’s our news roundup report for September 2023, compiling news about migrants and refugees in Lebanon, and the region.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Articles and views shared in the News Report do not necessarily represent ARM\u2019s 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.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Two Incidents Involving Women Workers in One Week: Injured Ethiopian and Killed Syrian in Tripoli [here]<\/a> \u0648 [here]<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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H. Kh, a Syrian worker, died from an electric shock while cleaning a store in the town of Beddaoui, near Tripoli.<\/b><\/p>

The worker was hospitalized at the Islamic Charity Hospital, but she, unfortunately, did not survive the injuries from the shock.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

An Ethiopian worker was hospitalized in Tripoli after falling from an employer\u2019s balcony, which injured her severely. Her state was described as \u201cunstable.\u201d<\/b><\/p>

Lebanon24 reported that the worker was fleeing her employer\u2019s house, without mention of the employer\u2019s treatment or the environment of the workplace.<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Employer Accused of Murdering Worker Bailed Out: Suspect Celebrated, Worker\u2019s Body Repatriated [here]<\/a> \u0648 [here]<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Authorities released M.Q.H, an employer suspected of the murder of Mulu Mikasha Nagasi,<\/b> aged 35, through a bail of 200 million Lebanese pounds <\/b>(equivalent to roughly 2,000 US dollars, as per the time of reporting).<\/p>

Nagasi\u2019s body was repatriated to Ethiopia in July through the Ethiopian embassy, <\/b>with the employer having paid around 2,500-3,000 USD to the company responsible for the repatriation of the body, in addition to medical bills following her death, and 17 months of unpaid salary from February 2022 until July 2023 <\/b>(150 USD per month, total of 2550 USD).<\/p>

Bekaa\u2019s Public Prosecutor, Judge Munif Barakat, had already arrested the employer during an investigation into her murder,<\/b> a crime punishable by a prison sentence of over five years with hard labor, <\/b>under Article 550 of the penal code. The public prosecution based their accusation of manslaughter on acts of violence and medical neglect.<\/b><\/p>

Barakat pled the release order five times, but Judge Hares Elias of the Indictment body in Bekaa rejected the fifth plea, which led to the employer\u2019s release.<\/b><\/p>

According to Legal Agenda\u2019s sources, the case is still ongoing and awaits the response of the Ministry of Justice,<\/b> which is investigating the forensic doctor who examined Nagasi\u2019s body.\u00a0<\/p>

Barakat accused the doctor of falsifying testimonies. <\/b>The doctor is suspected of omitting the reference to bruises and scratches on the body. <\/b>Falsifying testimonies is a crime punishable by a prison sentence between two months to two years, <\/b>according to Article 466 of the penal code.<\/p>

Barakat\u2019s arrest of the employer sets a precedent when investigating the death of migrant domestic workers, <\/b>which is often either passed off as \u201csuicide\u201d or does not receive proper investigation, especially if there is no clear or direct evidence of violence.<\/b><\/p>

Mouhanna Isaac, a lawyer from Kafa, stated that the employer had confiscated Nagasi\u2019s wage for two whole years, before February 2022.<\/b><\/p>

Kafa had already been aware of Nagasi\u2019s case and informed the General Security (GS), who brought the employer into questioning,<\/b> and arranged for Nagasi to meet with a social worker.<\/p>

The employer reached a settlement with the GS to pay for one out of two years\u2019 worth of salaries, promising to pay the remaining salaries in installments.<\/b><\/p>

However, the employer only delivered on this promise after Nagasi\u2019s death. <\/b>According to Isaac, the Ethiopian embassy signed a pledge to transfer the accumulated unpaid salaries totaling 1800 USD (equivalent to 12 months) to Nagasi\u2019s family,<\/b> which the employer reportedly paid to the embassy.<\/p>

The amount of evidence against the employer is staggering: Not only was Nagasi denied medical care needed for her condition, but she was physically tortured, neglected and robbed of her salary for 29 months, and likely forcibly confined for 7 years, <\/b>according to testifying neighbors.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"News-Report---September-2023---Comprehensive-Report-on-Domestic-Workers-Facing-Torture-and-Sexual-Abuse-in-the-Gulf-Recovered\"<\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Comprehensive Report on Domestic Workers Facing Torture and Sexual Abuse in the Gulf [here]<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Raseef22 published a comprehensive article documenting the violence that migrant domestic workers face in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, <\/b>all of which are countries that actively recruit domestic workers under the Kafala system.<\/b><\/p>

The article details a long list of violations including torture, forced confinement, and wage theft, as well as sexual and psychological abuse.<\/b><\/p>

The report, which was done in collaboration with various organizations, such as the Bangladeshi organization OKUP<\/a>, Migrant-Rights.org<\/a>, and SDDirect<\/a>, highlights often-unreported insight into the reality of workers. Here\u2019s a brief summary:<\/b><\/p>