Rights body blasts treatmant of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon

Sep 16, 2010, 12:16 GMT

Beirut - The head of the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Beirut said Thursday that the Lebanese courts have failed to give justice to thousands of migrant domestic workers who are being mistreated by their Lebanese employers.

'The abused workers who are seeking justice, are today discouraged because there is not much being done to help them and prevent their employers from abusing,' Nadim Houry, HRW's Beirut director said.

'Lebanon's judiciary is generally failing to hold employers accountable when they violate the basic rights of migrant domestic workers,' Houry added

According to estimates by the Lebanese labour ministry there are about 200,000 migrant domestic workers in Lebanon, mainly from Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Nepal.

'Complaints filed by these workers against employers often languish in court for months, and sometimes years. This poses an added burden on the workers, because Lebanon's restrictive visa policies make it hard for them to remain in the country to pursue the case,' Houry said.

'The Lebanese authorities need to ensure that employers who abuse domestic workers receive penalties that are appropriate to the offence and serve as deterrents for others,' Houry said.

According to records documented by Human Rights Watch in 84 criminal cases against domestic workers in Lebanon, 37 of the workers - 44 percent - did not have a defence lawyer.

Many were not given certified translators in court although they do not speak fluent Arabic, HRW found. 'Interpreters were rare even in cases in which the worker was accused of a serious crime.' Houry said.

HRW called on the Lebanese authorities to 'develop a national plan to increase the likelihood that complaints against employers for crimes committed against migrant domestic workers lead to prosecution.'

Some of the domestic foreign workers are locked up by their Lebanese employers in their homes, or do not receive any time off. There are reports of violence and sexual abuse. Some employers also confiscate the workers' passports upon their arrival in the country to prevent them from escaping.

Some 100 cases of suicide among domestic workers have been registered in Lebanon since 2008.