BEIRUT: The General Directorate of General Security announced last week that foreign laborers in possession of residency cards can go directly to the arrival hall and will no longer have to stop by the General Security office upon landing at Rafik Hariri International Airport.

The Directorate emphasized that this change in protocol fell “within the framework of its policy to ensure the rights of foreign workers.”

There are approximately 200,000 migrant domestic workers in the country and no specific law to oversee their labor rights, leaving them open to exploitation with no real option for legal recourse.

Last week, a draft decree to regulate private recruitment agencies of domestic workers and bring them in line with international standards was discussed by key stakeholders at the Labor Ministry.