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Directory of services of MWDWs in Lebanon

16-2-2018

In its issue of today, Al Akhbar newspaper uncovered the conditions in which migrant women domestic workers (MWDWs) live in the country, focusing on the 2012 directory of services for domestic workers prepared jointly by the labor ministry and ILO and funded by the EU. The directory, published on the labor ministry’s website, fails to include scores of MWDWs and their exposure to gross violations of their rights, as admitted the ministry itself, Al Akhbar reported. While the said directory explicitly acknowledges the existence of such violations workers put up with as soon as they arrive in Lebanon, it does not provide any deterrent guarantees that help them reclaim and preserve her rights. The directory contains tips advising dialogue with the employer in the event of disputes or resorting to the ministry of labor, or alerting them of the risks of running away, however, it does not mention the many cases of suicide by MWDWs. In its address to the female migrant domestic worker, Al Akhbar went on to say, the directory makes clear that her legal recruitment can only be conducted through a ‘kafeel’ (sponsor). It did not, however, note that the kafala (sponsorship) system can lead to the imprisonment of the worker, increasing her work to the level of servitude or slavery to her employer or make her marriage, in case she decided to wed, an extremely complex issue, Al Akhbar said. A study issued jointly by the American University of Beirut and Kafa organization in 2016, has shown that 40% of Lebanese employers do not pay their employees regularly and that 94% keep their passports, while the total number of renewed permits in the domestic service in Lebanon for 2017 stood at around 120,362 permits, according to labor ministry figures. ( Al Akhbar February 16, 2018) To check the directory services for domestic workers, please visit: http://www.labor.gov.lb/_layouts/MOL_Application/Cur/arabic_informal.pdf To check full article in Al-Akhbar newspaper, please check: http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/290901

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