Amnesty urges Lebanon to protect domestic workers, including Bangladeshis, from Covid-19
Amnesty International has called upon the Lebanese government to announce immediate measures to protect migrant domestic workers, including Bangladeshis, from Covid-19 transmission.
In a release issued on Tuesday, Amnesty said the authorities must ensure that migrant domestic workers are protected from "exploitative" working conditions during the ongoing lockdown, and that all domestic workers-- including the undocumented ones -- have access to healthcare during the time of crisis.
An estimated 250,000 migrant domestic workers remain trapped under the country's kafala system, putting their lives at risk during the outbreak, it said.
Of an estimated 1.6 lakh Bangladeshi migrant workers in Lebanon, more than half are women domestic workers. Among them, around 30,000 are undocumented.
In the release, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Regional Director HebaMorayef said, "The kafala system has always been a form of imprisonment in the home for migrant domestic workers. While staying at home will help prevent the spread of Covid-19, it increases the risk of exploitation and other forms of abuse suffered by live-in migrant domestic workers at the hands of their employers."
"Exploitative working conditions, the threat of violence, and living under lockdown can also have a devastating impact on the mental health of domestic workers, many of whom are far removed from their own homes and families."
The Lebanese authorities must ensure that human rights are at the centre of all prevention, containment and treatment efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to protect public health, Amnesty said.
The global rights group called on Lebanon's Ministry of Labour to take immediate measures to help protect lives of the domestic workers, such as issuing circulars outlining clear penalties against employers who exploit workers.
Thousands of migrant domestic workers who lack work permits are either working without authorisation in the country, or are stuck in detention centres awaiting deportation, it said.
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