Economic crisis further endangers migrant workers in Lebanon

In a video report on Monday, Al Jazeera described the worsening plight of migrant workers in Lebanon, where a deep economic crisis has compounded the vulnerable position they hold in the country’s workforce. Migrant workers in Lebanon are already considered to be at high risk of exploitation.

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.

English | February 7, 2020

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