GS bans foreign workers from relationships, marriage and residing with their children

The General Directorate of General Security took yet another discriminatory measure by the end of last year vis-a-vis migrant workers of categories 3 and 4, namely those with very low income. The measure requested from the “sponsor” to make sure that there is no personal/emotional relationship of any sort between the migrant worker and any other migrant residing in Lebanon. The sponsor also commits to go to General Security should such relation take place and provide a return ticket for the migrant worker. During that same period, the Directorate General of GS had also decided to withhold the renewal of residency permits for the children of migrant domestic women workers as these, according to GS, are in Lebanon to work and not to fall in love and build families. Based on this, a memo was sent from the Ministry of Justice to the Chief of the Council of Notaries requesting that a relevant clause be added to the sponsor’s affidavit when bringing in or ‘transferring’ migrant workers. The DG of GS justified these decisions as being of a “protective nature” because in the case of these categories of workers, they do not enjoy an environment that is conducive for raising families according to the media spokesperson of the GS, brigadier Nabil Hannun.  However, lawyer Nizar Saghieh notes that the GS has no remit to decide as to which environment is suitable for raising children. Saghieh added that the GS has committed a serious human rights violation with such a decision which contradicts the provisions of the International Conventional to eliminate all Forms of racial Discrimination as well as the International Covenant of Human Rights which both stipulate the need to combat racism and slavery. The president of the Council of Notaries, Raymonde Bashur, told Al Akhbar newspaper that the Council will not accept any decision which is in violation of human rights and will not keep silent about this matter. (Al Akhbar, 18 May 2015)