A Gambian migrant was tragically killed in southern Lebanon during an Israeli airstrike that targeted her employer’s home. The victim, a domestic worker, was among many migrant workers caught in the ongoing conflict.
Amid widespread airstrikes across Lebanon, many migrant workers, including Gambians, have been abandoned by their employers. With shelters prioritizing displaced Lebanese citizens, these workers have been left to survive on their own, often sleeping on the streets of Beirut. Many have been turned away from shelters or excluded from state and charity support.
The ongoing bombings have displaced nearly one million people, including some of Lebanon’s 176,000 migrant workers, the majority of whom are women working as domestic helpers. These workers, hailing from countries such as Ethiopia, The Gambia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Kenya, now face uncertainty and danger. Unfortunately, their home countries have not made efforts to repatriate them, leaving them stranded.
An NGO working closely with migrant workers reported that many are understandably fearful of the escalating violence and are in urgent need of evacuation. Downtown Beirut has become a refuge for dozens of these abandoned workers, who were dropped off there after being denied entry to shelters. Some have reported that their employers fled the country, leaving them behind to fend for themselves.
One migrant expressed her frustration, saying, “In this war, it feels like we are not seen as human. We are left behind, even in shelters.”
