Labor minister determined to reform Kafala system 

The minister of labor, Lamia Yamin, disclosed on June 8 that she was keen on reforming the Kafala (sponsorship) system in Lebanon. Yamin, who was speaking after a meeting with the EU Ambassador to Lebanon, Ralph Tarraf, pointed out that her ministry has taken the necessary measures to start the said plan. These include the following: completion of a unified work contract; launch of a hotline to receive and address migrant workers’ complaints; preparedness to conclude agreements with labor-sending countries to regulate foreign labor force and combat trafficking in persons, and introducing amendments to the labor law to include the MWDWs’ work as part of the decent work strategy. Other steps will follow accordingly, Yamin confirmed. In turn, Tarraf stressed EU readiness to provide support needed to ensure the success of above measures. (NNA, June 8, 2020)