Despite the ceasefire bringing a semblance of calm to Lebanon, thousands of foreign workers left homeless by the months of conflict face an uncertain future as shelters close and jobs dry up.
With no government support in sight, many migrants who lost their accommodation and livelihoods have been left stranded in a country reeling from economic and political instability.
Many were laid off by their employers and forced on to the street, with NGO-run shelters taking in large numbers. But the majority of these shelters shuttered when the ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hezbollah on November 27. Rights groups said financial constraints were to blame, along with pressure from communities to reclaim the buildings.
The Jesuit Refugee Service, a charity operating in Lebanon, has announced that two Beirut migrant shelters will close by the end of January.
“The shelters were opened for temporary relief and now need to resume their normal activities,” Michael Petro, the group's project director for emergency shelter, told The National.
At the peak of the conflict, one of its shelters in central Beirut that catered to families housed 100 migrants. Mr Petro said the shelter is still home to 35 people including women and children. “The shelter is run from a church community centre and there is pressure from the community to resume normal operations,” he said.
The second shelter, in Bikfaya, Mount Lebanon, houses 42 women from Sierra Leone, many of whom are awaiting repatriation, he added.
The violence between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated in October last year, displaced more than 1.2 million people. Southern Lebanese villages were levelled by Israeli bombings, while residential areas in Beirut’s suburbs were flattened. As Lebanese citizens fled to safety, many foreign migrant workers were abandoned by their bosses, forcing them to sleep rough or seek temporary refuge in shelters.
Community leaders such as Viany De Marceau, who heads Reman, a collective for African migrant workers, stepped in to help but they are now overwhelmed.
“To pay for rent, food and other needs of the women we took in requires money, which we don’t have,” said Ms De Marceau, a former domestic worker who runs a garment business in Beirut. “Many women were abandoned by their employers, who fled without paying salaries or ticket money. After the war, whatever little support we were receiving stopped. We couldn’t go on indefinitely.”
The Lebanese government also opened its own shelters across the nation after the war broke out, but foreign migrants were barred.
With the NGO-run shelters closing, many women migrants have been left to fend for themselves without a stable income. “The war stopped but their situation has not improved. It’s a hard road ahead for these women,” Ms De Marceau said.
The International Organisation for Migration estimates that Lebanon is home to about 175,000 foreign migrants, mostly from Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
For some, returning home is not an option. Aisha, a Bangladeshi migrant, said she took out large loans to come to Lebanon and now cannot afford to return. “I am here to pay back my debt and take care of my family. I cannot just leave,” she said.
Aisha now lives in a shared apartment near Mount Lebanon, crammed into a single room with seven others. Her employer abandoned her during the war. “I have to find a job and hang on here. War or no war, I am not going back,” she said.
A housing crisis in Lebanon amid the economic collapse has only worsened due to widespread destruction from Israeli bombings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where migrants once found affordable accommodation. “It has become almost impossible for migrants to find low-cost housing,” Mr Petro said.
A large cohort of male migrants, who often worked in agriculture, cleaning or other labour-intensive sectors, also face bleak prospects.
“Many agricultural workers, especially from Sudan and Bangladesh, have lost their livelihoods. The southern regions they worked in remain inaccessible,” Mr Petro said.
Repatriation efforts, which provided a lifeline during the conflict, have slowed to a halt. Countries that operated evacuation flights for their citizens at the height of the war are no longer helping those stranded. A representative for This is Lebanon, an NGO that helps with repatriation, said exorbitant ticket prices and a lack of documentation prevent many from leaving.
“Whole families are stranded without legal documents,” the representative said. “Now they are in an even more precarious situation where housing is more expensive and they cannot return to the south where they once had jobs.”
Dara Foi'Elle, policy and communications manager at Migrant Workers Action in Lebanon, said without institutional support, migrant-led NGOs and community leaders, "who are the real unsung heroes", cannot sustain their work.
"They are the people who make a real difference. But there are no grants or resources available at their disposal. Funds stopped coming immediately after the ceasefire."
The economic meltdown in Lebanon has compounded the crisis, with migrant workers falling through the cracks of a humanitarian response focused largely on Syrian and Palestinian refugees.
“Migrants are the least supported,” Mr Petro said.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The five pillars of Islam
More on animal trafficking
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About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)
British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell
