The state keeps propagating the fear of the other, while turning a blind eye to crimes against women, and other perceived minorities including refugees and migrants.
Racism against Syrians has been on the rise since the 6th Brussels conference that took place in May. FPM affiliates have used education, shortage of bread and subsidized goods to fuel racial discourse against Syrians. Much of this discourse then gets redistributed through newspapers, radio and TV stations.
A video circulated online of a Lebanese employer torturing a group of young Syrian and Lebanese men and children in the town of Aakoura. The employer filed a false claim to the police accusing the workers of theft in order to get away with not paying the workers, who reported that avoiding payment is a recurrent behavior by the employer with other workers. Investigations are ongoing and no verdict is yet reached.
The National Federation of Worker and Employee Trade Unions in Lebanon (FENASOL) held a meeting with Doctors Without Borders to evaluate the current economic situation in Lebanon and its effects on the mental health of domestic workers in Lebanon.
Domestic Workers Advocacy Network (DoWAN) released the results of their research with women from Sierra Leone currently living in Lebanon.
The testimonies of approximately 160 migrant domestic workers living in Lebanon revealed the false promises, mistreatment and violence committed by a Lebanese recruitment agency.
Kafa Organization called in a statement for including domestic work in the Labor Law by abolishing Article 7 of the Labor Law and passing a law to regulate it due to the abuse and exploitation enabled by Kafala, specifically after late 2019.
The governmental committee tasked with Syrian refugee affairs held a session on April 29 followed by a press conference where the Minister of Labor Moustafa Bayram stated that “Lebanon can no longer handle the presence of refugees.”
StoryLeb posted an interactive story narrating the typical journeys that migrant domestic workers go through after coming to work in Lebanon, with the few options they have to improve their conditions once abuse and mistreatment start at the employer’s house.
How has the domestic labor market changed post-2019 and what future changes can we expect to see in the next few years? This analytical report aims to present the emerging trends in the domestic labor market, at the levels of policy (government), public discourse (government and media), and on the ground (workers, employers, and brokers).
At the Anti-Racism Movement (ARM), we are constantly working on a multitude of different activities and initiatives. Most of our activities are only possible with the help of dedicated and passionate volunteers who work in collaboration with our core team.
The Anti-Racism Movement (ARM) was launched in 2010 as a grassroots collective by young Lebanese feminist activists in collaboration with migrant workers and migrant domestic workers.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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