World Report 2011 - Human Rights Watch

WORLD REPORT 2011dire conditions. Reconstruction efforts have been delayed, and UN Relief andWork Agency reported the first set of rebuilt houses will not be delivered beforeMarch 2011. The Lebanese army restricts movement to the camp by maintainingcheckpoints around it.According to government sources, the Ministry of Interior resumed issuing temporaryidentification papers to Palestinians in Lebanon who are without legal documentationas part of a plan to improve the legal status of at least 3,000 non-IDPalestinians who had previously lived in constant fear of arrest. The ministry hadstopped the process in early 2009, citing fraudulent applications.As of September 30 there were 9,768 non-Palestinian refugees and asylum-seekersregistered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),more than 80 percent of them from Iraq. Since Lebanon has not ratified the 1951Refugee Convention, it does not give legal effect to UNHCR’s recognition ofrefugees and generally treats most as illegal immigrants subject to arrest. As ofOctober 31, 54 recognized refugees or asylum seekers remained in detentionsolely for not holding proper residency papers.Migrant Workers’ RightsMigrant domestic workers (MDW) face exploitation and abuse by employers,including excessive work hours, non-payment of wages, confinement in the workplace,and in some cases physical and sexual abuse. MDWs suing their employersfor abuse face legal obstacles and risk imprisonment and deportation due tothe restrictive visa system. In June the Ministry of Labor instituted a hotline toreceive workers’ complaints. MDWs continue to die in high numbers, with eightdeaths in August alone. Most are classified as suicides.Male migrant workers—mostly from Syria and Egypt—working in construction andother manual jobs face hazardous working conditions and are regular targets forrobbery and violent attack. State authorities have not made any concerted effortto protect them or bring perpetrators to justice.558