South Asian domestic worker’s suffering in Lebanon: another Gaza fallout

By the end of 2024 the Gazan conflict had also enveloped Lebanon, a country with a large number of migrant workers, many from South Asia. Following Israeli airstrikes in the country’s south, by November, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that approximately 25,000 migrant workers had been displaced from their homes and workplaces because of the conflict – in many cases bereft of shelter or identification, their employees having taken their passports from them.

The day after the November Israeli airstrikes, one women highlighted in the report listed below sought shelter at multiple locations in Beirut but was turned away due to her non-Lebanese status. Despite the creation of over 900 shelters across Lebanon, migrant workers consistently reported systemic discrimination, including repeated denial of entry and expulsion.

The discrimination and sometimes life-threatening difficulties they are facing – assault, robbery, rape – deserve wider attention – and most importantly, action.

https://thediplomat.com/2025/04/asian-migrant-women-are-trapped-in-lebanons-abusive-kafala-system/