Migrant workers in Lebanon are being deported for having children, report

Dozens of migrant domestic workers who have had children in Lebanon during their stay are being detained, deported and denied residency renewals, Human Rights Watch revealed on Tuesday.

HRW's article is based on figures made available by local human rights organization Insan.

Speaking to Stepfeed, Roula Hamati, a researcher at the migrant rights advocacy group said that, "Lebanon has deported at least 21 domestic workers with children, since the summer of 2016," adding that none of the deported women had violated their visas in any way.

Hamati also tells us that after a year-long campaign led by Insan, General Security, the agency in charge of foreigners’ entry and residency, confirmed that it had suspended its directives, halting deportations for a few months during 2015 and early 2016.

Hamati explained that while "General Security does not give a reason for deportation," a few cases that Insan followed, reveal the supposed grounds. 

"The pretext is that they [domestic workers] do not reside with their employers," she said, adding that General Security believe that this is a violation of residency regulations.

However, Hamati states that under both "Lebanese and international laws," a worker has the right to choose their place of residency and no law "forbids migrant workers from having children or living independently."

"These decisions are targeting workers for having children, and forcing hardworking people to become undocumented out of fear and injustice," Hamati lamented, adding that Insan is "already challenging recent deportation cases in court."

Human Rights Watch interviewed three deported migrant workers who spoke of the devastating effects this has had on their lives. One of the interviewees, “Monika,” who after working in Lebanon for more than 20 years was detained and then deported along with her 16-year-old daughter in early 2017, told Human Rights Watch: 

“Now my daughter is not in school, and we have no work, and now life is too difficult for us here in India. For us, eating is difficult.”

Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch has urged the Lebanese authorities to immediately stop the deportations.

“Having a child in Lebanon should not be treated like a crime, and the people who come to take care of Lebanese citizens for years should be allowed to have families as well,” she said.

Human Rights Watch wrote to Lebanon's General Security on March 20 asking for clarifications over the issue and received a response on April 19.

In their response, Lebanon's General Security denied the deportations, stating that they "did not deport or send away any domestic worker with a child that she wanted to bring with her.”

But they also clarified that “third and fourth category workers [migrant workers] are not entitled to bring their children with them during their work-period in Lebanon."

"As for marriage and procreation in Lebanon, these entail obstacles and are difficult to achieve without violating many laws and regulations, specifically the labor and residency laws," General Security said.