Migrants are not protected by the country’s labor laws, and must instead enter the workforce through a sponsorship system which many argue leads to their exploitation—and to impunity for employers.
But with the country’s current economic crisis, the situation has become critical. Lebanon is experiencing a severe shortage of US dollars, which the local Lebanese lira is pegged to.
Migrant workers struggling to make ends meet—let alone send remittances home to their families—are therefore finding themselves increasingly at risk of exploitation and forced labor by unscrupulous employers.