Deliberate Invisibility of an Ignored Minority
On his way to Beirut to begin his two-week journey across the Middle East, the author notices an interesting phenomenon at the now-too-familiar waiting areas of Addis airport. Standing between the author and the boarding gate for the flight to Beirut are 40-some young Ethiopian women, getting their work permits confirmed by the airport officials before preparing themselves for what seems to all, their first-ever flights. All seemed nervous, clueless as to what is happening around them, and surely uncertain of what awaits them in the completely foreign country they will head to.
This blog has previously discussed more obvious cases of poor migrant laborers in rich countries. The idea of Southeast and South Asians heading to the Gulf or East Asia is probably by now a globally infamous reality, all the more deeply imprinted on the psyche of many who watched construction workers die in heatstrokes from constructing venues Qatar World Cup. Stories of housemaids being abused in Taiwan or Hong Kong mean that migrant workers face not only mortal physical damage, but equally (if not more) devastating emotional damages as well.
But at least for the author, the idea that Lebanon is a destination for African migrant labor is a completely new one. Walking around some of the more affluent neighborhoods in smaller Lebanese cities, one can notice these African females helping their employers with carrying babies or walking dogs. The ranks of such domestic help is further enhanced by, who else, a massive Filipino Overseas Worker population. The numbers are large enough that the Asian and black faces would frequent come into view even if one is just casually strolling the streets.
What the author finds particularly disturbing about the phenomenon is not so much the idea of Lebanese using migrant laborers as who is being used. After all, their Phoenician ancestors have been using black Numidian populations as slaves and mercenary soldiers for millennia, Modern Lebanon, despite being indirectly dragged into many of the Middle East's ongoing political conflicts, is still rich enough to afford foreign help. But the question is why they are using foreigners when there are such large populations of domestically displaced populations that could use these jobs.
The Palestinian refugees who languish in their camps within Lebanon have, in some cases, moved into the third generation. Constant exclusion from educational and employment opportunities mean perpetual state of poverty and social isolation, with the situation only exacerbated as many new Syrian refugees join their ranks. The situation is particularly dire in the south, where greater sympathy toward the Palestinians by hardline Shiites have led to bigger, more centrally located camps, without more opportunities for their residents.
The result is most obvious in Tyre, the de facto HQ of hardline Shiite organization Hezbollah. A massive Palestinian camp exist smack in the middle of the city, surrounded by military checkpoints to keep casual visitors like the author out. Even getting a sneak peek from beyond the checkpoints reveal a dangerously dense neighborhood with lack of basic services like trash pickup. With entrenched poverty, Palestinian street-children, and shockingly, -adults, scour the other neighborhoods to beg for money from passerby, blotting an otherwise charming town.
The tactics are brutally intrusive, with the street-children often dragging onto their targets for many blocks, refusing to let go until money is given or the target literally runs away. More entrepreneurial adults get by by selling small snacks and juices on the streets, but obviously incomes are not enough to sustain the increasing size of the camp population relative to the total population of the town itself. Indeed, if anything, the military checkpoints ensure the camps remain the "other" part of town, an ugly reality that no regular resident need to even see or think about.
One can only speculate why refugees are not used for maid jobs. Perhaps Lebanese find Palestinians too similar to themselves, and makes it seem too disturbing to use them as "foreign" maids. Obvious skin color differences of the the real foreign maids help much in this regard. Or perhaps proud Palestinians may not want o bend their will for money earned in what they would consider such demeaning way. Unfortunately, such line of logic only serve to reduce even more whatever little sense of self-respect these foreign helpers still have.
This blog has previously discussed more obvious cases of poor migrant laborers in rich countries. The idea of Southeast and South Asians heading to the Gulf or East Asia is probably by now a globally infamous reality, all the more deeply imprinted on the psyche of many who watched construction workers die in heatstrokes from constructing venues Qatar World Cup. Stories of housemaids being abused in Taiwan or Hong Kong mean that migrant workers face not only mortal physical damage, but equally (if not more) devastating emotional damages as well.
But at least for the author, the idea that Lebanon is a destination for African migrant labor is a completely new one. Walking around some of the more affluent neighborhoods in smaller Lebanese cities, one can notice these African females helping their employers with carrying babies or walking dogs. The ranks of such domestic help is further enhanced by, who else, a massive Filipino Overseas Worker population. The numbers are large enough that the Asian and black faces would frequent come into view even if one is just casually strolling the streets.
What the author finds particularly disturbing about the phenomenon is not so much the idea of Lebanese using migrant laborers as who is being used. After all, their Phoenician ancestors have been using black Numidian populations as slaves and mercenary soldiers for millennia, Modern Lebanon, despite being indirectly dragged into many of the Middle East's ongoing political conflicts, is still rich enough to afford foreign help. But the question is why they are using foreigners when there are such large populations of domestically displaced populations that could use these jobs.
The Palestinian refugees who languish in their camps within Lebanon have, in some cases, moved into the third generation. Constant exclusion from educational and employment opportunities mean perpetual state of poverty and social isolation, with the situation only exacerbated as many new Syrian refugees join their ranks. The situation is particularly dire in the south, where greater sympathy toward the Palestinians by hardline Shiites have led to bigger, more centrally located camps, without more opportunities for their residents.
The result is most obvious in Tyre, the de facto HQ of hardline Shiite organization Hezbollah. A massive Palestinian camp exist smack in the middle of the city, surrounded by military checkpoints to keep casual visitors like the author out. Even getting a sneak peek from beyond the checkpoints reveal a dangerously dense neighborhood with lack of basic services like trash pickup. With entrenched poverty, Palestinian street-children, and shockingly, -adults, scour the other neighborhoods to beg for money from passerby, blotting an otherwise charming town.
The tactics are brutally intrusive, with the street-children often dragging onto their targets for many blocks, refusing to let go until money is given or the target literally runs away. More entrepreneurial adults get by by selling small snacks and juices on the streets, but obviously incomes are not enough to sustain the increasing size of the camp population relative to the total population of the town itself. Indeed, if anything, the military checkpoints ensure the camps remain the "other" part of town, an ugly reality that no regular resident need to even see or think about.
One can only speculate why refugees are not used for maid jobs. Perhaps Lebanese find Palestinians too similar to themselves, and makes it seem too disturbing to use them as "foreign" maids. Obvious skin color differences of the the real foreign maids help much in this regard. Or perhaps proud Palestinians may not want o bend their will for money earned in what they would consider such demeaning way. Unfortunately, such line of logic only serve to reduce even more whatever little sense of self-respect these foreign helpers still have.
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