Migrant Workers Hit Hard by Lebanon Crises, UN Warns

A file photo shows Ethiopian domestic workers wearing masks gather with belongings in front of the Ethiopian consulate in Hazmiyeh, Lebanon, June 8, 2020. (Reuters)
A file photo shows Ethiopian domestic workers wearing masks gather with belongings in front of the Ethiopian consulate in Hazmiyeh, Lebanon, June 8, 2020. (Reuters)
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Migrant Workers Hit Hard by Lebanon Crises, UN Warns

A file photo shows Ethiopian domestic workers wearing masks gather with belongings in front of the Ethiopian consulate in Hazmiyeh, Lebanon, June 8, 2020. (Reuters)
A file photo shows Ethiopian domestic workers wearing masks gather with belongings in front of the Ethiopian consulate in Hazmiyeh, Lebanon, June 8, 2020. (Reuters)

Migrant workers in Lebanon have been hit hard by its multiple crises and half of them left jobless, the UN warned Wednesday, calling for voluntary returns to be scaled up.

The combined effects of Lebanon’s economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s deadly Beirut port explosion have worsened already dire living conditions for migrant workers.

The International Organization for Migration found that “50 percent of the respondent migrants reported being unemployed, with the majority losing their jobs in the last quarter of 2020.”

The UN’s migration agency also said more than half of those surveyed said they were unable to meet their food needs, AFP reported.

The plight of migrants workers in Lebanon – including many from the Philippines, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Sierra Leone – has come under increased scrutiny in recent years over cases of mistreatment.

The IOM said many respondents said they were still being subjected to abuse, including beatings, sexual harassment and denial of wages.

“As the economic situation continues to deteriorate and employment opportunities remain limited, migrants’ vulnerability to exploitation and abuse is likely to increase,” said Mathieu Luciano, the agency’s Lebanon chief.

The Lebanese currency has lost more than 85 percent of its value against the dollar, in an economic crisis that has sent poverty levels above 50 percent of the population.

The UN survey found that around half of respondents wanted to go home but were stuck in Lebanon.

Many are unable to pay for return flight and in some cases are not free to do so as a result of an infamous sponsorship system known as “Kafala” whereby they relinquish their passports to the agencies that find them work.

“Clearly, and based on this worrying assessment, there is an urgent need to rapidly scale up voluntary return assistance services in Lebanon,” said Luciano.

The IOM said it was seeking funding to offer more voluntary returns to the thousands of migrant workers stranded in crisis-hit Lebanon.



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
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Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.