BEIRUT, Lebanon– On November 9, Human Rights Watch reported that eight women migrant workers died during October 2009, a rate that is believed to be disproportionately high given that an estimated two hundred thousand domestic workers are currently employed in Lebanon.  The migrant workers primarily come from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Ethiopia.

Of the eight deaths, four were classified by police reports as suicides, while three were classified as work accidents and one cause of death was said to be from a heart attack.  The police reports noted that six of the eight deaths occurred when the workers either fell or jumped from high places.

Nadim Houry, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch said that “the death toll last month is clear evidence that the government isn’t doing enough to fix the difficult working conditions these women face.”  Houry further mentioned that “the government needs to explain why so many women who came to work in Lebanon end up leaving the country in coffins.”  As one diplomat at the consulate from the country where one of the dead women came told Human Rights Watch “these women are under pressure, with no means to go away.  Their passports are seized and they are often locked away in their employer’s house.  It is like they are living in a cage.  Human beings need to mingle with others; otherwise they lose their will to live.”

During 2006, the labor ministry in Lebanon began an official steering committee aimed at remedying the treatment of domestic migrant workers.  Then, in January of this year, the labor ministry introduced a contract that clarifies terms and conditions for domestic workers.  The new contract puts limits on such things as the maximum number of daily working hours as well as new standards for oversight within the country.

Despite these standards though, the migrant workers are not covered under Lebanon’s labor law, and consequently, there is not much in the way of enforcement for newly adopted principles aimed at helping domestic migrant workers.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times- Clear Pattern of Migrant Worker Deaths Alarms Rights Advocates– 10 November 2009

Human Rights Watch- Lebanon: Deadly Month for Domestic Workers– 9 November 2009

Human Rights Watch- Lebanon: Migrant Domestic Workers Dying Every Week – 24 August 2008