IOM’s Situation Report on COVID-19 Response [here]

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) released a situation report on its response to COVID-19 in the MENA region between October 29 and November 11. IOM has worked on repatriating migrant workers from Lebanon to their countries including Bangladesh, Sudan, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

The following are important relevant points from the report:

• Migrants with health complications who were evacuated from Lebanon were accompanied by IOM personnel during the trips;

• “Global remittance flows are projected to decline 14 per cent by 2021 compared to the pre-COVID-19 levels in 2019, according to the latest figures from the World Bank;”

• “In Lebanon, IOM provided 215 short-term employment opportunities to vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian families that lost their job due to the latest economic crisis and COVID19 outbreak in north Lebanon and the Bekaa areas.”

UN Report on COVID-19 Effects on Food Security and Migration [here]

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) released a report on the impact of COVID-19 and its implications on migrant workers worldwide with regard to food security and status of remittance-dependent households.

The following are important relevant points from the report:

• The informal labor sector has been the most severely hit, in which the majority of migrant workers occupy jobs;

• “The COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken to contain its spread is not a temporary crisis but a profound disruption that is likely to change human mobility in the near and long term;”

• “It is estimated that 24,600 (8 percent) of the 300,000 people most heavily affected by the [Beirut] explosion are migrant workers, mainly from Ethiopia, Bangladesh and the Philippines.”

Service Mapping for Migrant Domestic Workers [here]

“Fe-Male” organization released a mapping of services available for migrant domestic workers in Lebanon such as casework, legal services, sheltering, and health services among others. The mapping was done under “My Fair Home” campaign in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO).

The information is available to download in several languages including Sinhala, Nepali, Bengali and Amharic.

Testimony of Ethiopian Worker Abandoned by Employer [here]

Egna Legna Besidet released a video of an Ethiopian domestic worker abandoned by her employer. The woman initially wanted to travel home but the employer refused, then the latter called the police and sent her in a taxi to the consulate without her $300 due salary.

Syndicate of Money Changers Blames Migrant Domestic Workers for Ongoing Dollar Shortage [here]

The head of Syndicate of Money Changers in Lebanon told Al-Markazia News website that dollar amounts that exchangers receive are not enough for migrant domestic workers, adding that they are exhausting the majority of limited dollars available in the market.