Trafficking in Persons Report
Released by the Office to Monitor
and Combat Trafficking in Persons
June 14, 2004
LEBANON (TIER 2)
Lebanon is a destination country for African and Asian women trafficked
for involuntary domestic servitude, and to a lesser extent, Eastern
European and Russian women trafficked for the purposes of sexual
exploitation. Many victims travel to Lebanon voluntarily and legally,
but end up in coercive or forced labor conditions, or are subjected
to physical and sexual abuse, physical confinement, withholding
of wages, and confiscation of their passports.
The Government of Lebanon does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making
significant efforts to do so. The government does not have a national
action plan to combat trafficking, nor does it have effective legislation
to fight trafficking. These key anti-trafficking tools must be developed.
Prosecution
The Lebanese Government took minimal steps to prosecute traffickers
in 2003, partly due to the absence of specific anti-trafficking
laws. Lebanon this past year expressed its intention to draft and
pass such a new law. Existing statutes address only some aspects
of trafficking, including the deprivation of personal freedom by
abduction and forced sexual intercourse outside of marriage. The
Lebanese Government provided limited law enforcement data on arrests,
prosecutions, convictions and sentences involving traffickers. In
2003, an employer was sentenced to 15 days' imprisonment for beating
and burning her Filipino maid, a Lebanese sponsor of a Sri Lankan
maid was ordered to pay compensation and repatriation expenses due
to injuries inflicted by the employer, and 131 suspects were arrested
for smuggling persons. Lebanese authorities also closed five drinking
establishments and one massage parlor and issued 51 warnings to
30 adult clubs for non-compliance with regulations, including prostitution.
Protection
Lebanon has made modest progress in protecting victims of trafficking.
It does not provide relief from deportation, shelter, or access
to legal, medical, and psychological services. As a result, most
trafficking victims tend to accept a cash settlement rather than
confront their exploiters in court. The government cooperates with
NGOs and allows them access to detention facilities so that they
can provide legal services and counseling to victims. Lebanon also
provides security for a U.S. Government-funded safe house for trafficking
victims. It also often acts as mediator between victims and employers
to resolve disputes and assists with voluntary repatriations. In
November 2003, the government required employers to provide higher-value
insurance to cover repatriation expenses of trafficking victims.
Prevention
The Lebanese Government has taken some notable steps in the area
of prevention. The government closed two employment agencies and
signed a protocol with the Sri Lankan Government to ensure better
working conditions for Sri Lankan nationals. In January 2004, it
prohibited advertisements offering the services of foreign maids
in an effort to combat the trafficking of unsuspecting women into
situations of involuntary domestic servitude. Lebanon also regularly
issues communiqués calling for Lebanese citizens to abide
by the law that forbids the employment of workers without proper
work and residency permits.
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