Articles and views shared in the Weekly 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 who cater to migrant communities.

Domestic Worker Attempts Suicide in the South [here]

A domestic worker attempted suicide on August 7 in the Southern town of Saksakiyeh by jumping from her employer’s house but was immediatley rescued by town residents. No details were revealed about an investigation.

Comprehensive List of Blast Victims by The Public Source [here]

The Public Source released a comprehensive list of names of 251 victims who were killed in the Beirut port blast last year, including migrant and refugee victims. In comparison, the state’s official list, last updated September 3, 2020, still has 191 names and excludes most non-Lebanese victims.

Report on Exclusion of Non-Lebanese Affected by the Blast from Compensation [here]

An article on Al-Akhbar reported the exclusion of non-Lebanese people affected by the blast from the state’s compensation, in addition to the families of non-Lebanese victims. During the year after the blast, they were excluded both in practice and in a draft law submitted in the parliament in June, noting that the High Relief Committee did grant the families of non-Lebanese victims the right to preliminary compensation which is still impeded with the obstacle of documentation and papers.

ARM recorded 52 Syrian victims, only 14 of which were placed on the government’s official toll.

Report on Names of Victims Missing from Official List [here]

An article on the National reported the many discrepancies of names of the blast victims, between the official and unofficial lists. Uncounted deaths include some people who died later from wounds or in coma, as well as many non-Lebanese victims.

Updated List of Non-Lebanese Victims by ARM [here]

ARM compiled a list of all names available online of migrant and refugee victims of the blast in collaboration with Megaphone News, including some new names that were not listed on most unofficial lists.

New Paper on COVID-19 Impact on Migrant Women in Lebanon [here]

The Arab Forum for Alternatives released a report on inequalities in the context of the pandemic and included a paper titled “Racial Capitalism and the Impact of COVID-19 on Migrant Women Workers in Lebanon ” by ARM’s executive director and board member.

Housing Monitor’s Report on Evictions and Threats [here]

The Housing Monitor published its report on 33 cases of forced illegal evictions and eviction threats recorded during last May and June affecting 110 individuals, including 21 refugees and migrant workers. The areas of the tenants are supposedly legally protected against evictions due to being affected by the blast and rents were supposedly extended.

Report on Increasing Inability to Hire Domestic Workers [here]

An article on Lebanon24 reported the increasing inability among working Lebanese women to hire migrant domestic workers due to the economic crisis and devaluation of the Lebanese Lira, since many self-employed migrant domestic workers need to charge a high amount per hour given the deteriorating conditions.

A journalist interviewed for the article proposed legalizing freelance domestic work. And the article points out that this could be an opportunity to fix the Kafala system “with its many flaws.”

Report on Pandemic Impact on Bangladeshi Diaspora [here]

An article by Borgen Magazine reported on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Bangladeshi diaspora, comprised of nearly 13 million people and including those in Lebanon. The diaspora’s ability to send money to Bangladesh was affected by job loss, evacuations, and deportations. As a result, the amount of money sent in 2020 was the lowest  the country had seen in the past 10 years.

More than 660,000 Bangladeshis were evacuated after losing their jobs, with potentially 2 million more people soon.

More Filipinas Evacuated [here]

The embassy of the Philippines announced it has evacuated 12 undocumented individuals including 2 children and and 2 detainees. All 12 people were subjected to human trafficking.