INTERNEWSTIMES.COM – As Israel continues its military offensive in Lebanon, targeting facilities allegedly used by the Lebanese group Hezbollah, a forgotten population is facing a double blow: displacement and discrimination. African migrants, primarily women working as domestic workers, are caught in the crossfire, struggling to find safety and facing additional hurdles due to their precarious legal status.
Soreti, a 34-year-old domestic worker living in Tyre, recounts the terror of the Israeli airstrikes that struck her neighborhood on September 23rd. “It was a massacre,” she says, describing the destruction of apartment buildings where families, including children, resided. “I’m okay, I think I lost some hearing, though. Children here are scared to sleep from nightmares.”
Soreti is among an estimated 175,000 to 200,000 foreign domestic workers residing in Lebanon, the majority of whom are women. Many are Ethiopian, drawn to Lebanon for low-paying jobs as live-in caregivers, sending their earnings back to their families.
The escalation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon has left these migrants feeling abandoned and vulnerable. They are often overlooked in evacuation efforts and face discrimination due to their legal status, making it difficult to access safe shelters and support.
“We have no place to go,” says one migrant worker, echoing the sentiment of many. “We are stuck, afraid, and alone.”
The ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 1,900 people in Lebanon over the past year. While the international community focuses on the broader conflict, the plight of these vulnerable migrants remains largely unseen and unheard. (Red)
