Dubai: Lebanese courts fail to protect the rights of foreign maids who accuse their employers of physical and sexual abuse, according to a Human Rights Watch report on Thursday.
Legal obstacles discourage many workers from filing claims and abusive employers often go unpunished or get light sentences, the group said.
"By turning a blind eye to violations affecting domestic workers, Lebanon's police and judiciary are complicit in the ongoing violations by employers against this vulnerable group," Nadim Houry, Beirut Director of Human Rights Watch, said.
About 200,000 migrants work in Lebanon.
Speaking to Gulf News, the Secretary-General of Caritas Lebanon, an international charity organisation, said the courts are not to blame for the problem.
"The problem is rather with the law which has not given domestic helpers the rights of workers. Another problem is that these workers come from different backgrounds with no knowledge about local society," Fadi Ebrahim said.
In Lebanon, there is a serious lack of awareness about workers' rights.
"Caritas tries to educate people from a moral and legal point of view, but unfortunately this occurs after the problem had developed," Ebrahim said.
Caritas Lebanon offers legal assistance to maids subjected to abuse.
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