Labor in Lebanon: Between Racism and Capitalist Exploitation

The exploitation that foreign labor is subjected to can be divided into three levels, all of which are tied to the constraints of the Kafala system and the failure of employers to commit to labor law standards in their dealings with migrant workers. The first level is human trafficking and subjugating the worker to forced labor (bonded labor). The second level is intensifying work hours for lesser pay and depriving the worker from holidays and break periods. And the third level is physical and mental maltreatment during work hours, regardless of salary and workload. The vast majority of domestic workers especially endure exploitation on all three levels.