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.



Egypt Deports Dozens More Foreign Nationals Heading for March to Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP)
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Egypt Deports Dozens More Foreign Nationals Heading for March to Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP)

Egyptian authorities on Friday detained or deported more foreign nationals seeking to join a pro-Palestinian march to Gaza.

Hundreds of international activists arrived in Egypt this week for the Global March to Gaza, an initiative aimed at pressuring Israel to end its blockade of the enclave.

Organizers said on Thursday people from 80 countries were set to begin the march to Egypt's Rafah Crossing with Gaza.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry has said visits to the Rafah border region must be coordinated in advance with Egyptian embassies or government entities and underlined the need to follow official procedures to ensure safety and security.

Organizers say they coordinated with Egyptian authorities and have urged the government to release those detained.

Groups of foreign participants were being held at checkpoints, and sit-ins had begun at two locations on the road leading to the Rafah crossing, organizers said.

They said police were stopping vehicles about 30 km (20 miles) from Ismailia, close to the Sinai peninsula, en route to Rafah, nearly 300 km away. Police were forcing passengers with non-Egyptian passports to disembark, they said.

Security sources confirmed that at least 88 individuals had been detained or deported from Cairo airport and other locations.

Officials at Cairo International Airport said new directives were issued to airlines requiring all passengers travelling to Egypt between June 12 and 16 to hold confirmed return tickets.

Three airport sources told Reuters on Thursday at least 73 foreign nationals had been deported on a flight to Istanbul after authorities said they violated entry protocols, and that about 100 more were at the airport awaiting deportation.

Israel's defense minister told the Israeli military on Wednesday to prevent demonstrators entering Gaza from Egypt, and said the march was a threat to Israeli and regional security.