Lebanese authorities have fallen short in their obligations to protect women and girls from violence, and to end discrimination against them. Lebanon has an estimated 250,000 migrant domestic workers, the majority of them women.
The Shura Council, the country’s top administrative court, delivered a sharp blow to these workers by suspending implementation of a new standard unified contract, which included new protections and would have been an important first step toward abolishing the abusive kafala (sponsorship) system.