After struggling first through Lebanon ’ s economic crisis and then the coronavirus pandemic , Ethiopian worker Tarik Kebeda said the deadly blast that ripped through her Beirut home was the final straw .
Inside the small house she shares with four friends , she pointed to the window frames covered by sheets , because the glass was smashed out by the August 4 explosion.
They had already lost their jobs — as domestic workers , or in supermarkets or restaurants — but now their home too is at risk.
“ I’ m scared to sleep here , ” the 22 - year old said , showing the deep cracks running down the bedroom’ s walls , saying she feared the building “ will collapse on top of us ” .
Thousands of foreign workers were already stranded in Lebanon , after months of dollar shortages and then the coronavirus pandemic .
Then came the blast in Beirut ’ s port that killed more than 181 people , wounded thousands and devastated swathes of the city .
Many say it was just one disaster too many, and now they need to leave .
“ I love Lebanon , but I don’ t want to live here anymore , ” Kebeda said . “ There’ s no more work . How will I eat ?”
Some foreign workers also say they feel sidelined by aid efforts .
In the poor neighbourhood of Karantina , Kebeda ’ s neighbour Hana claimed aid workers sometimes put fellow Lebanese first.
Next door , 31 - year - old Romane Abera recounted how she hid beneath a parked car to hide from the explosion .
“ Once, a truck came to distribute food boxes but they said : ‘ Only give them to the Lebanese ’ , ” Hana said .
Today her damaged home is barely held up by scaffolding , with hot gusts of summer air sweeping through a huge hole in the wall .
“ I wish Lebanon could go back to how it was before , ” said Abera , who left behind her baby boy in Ethiopia and recently lost her job .
Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers of multiple nationalities – including at least 250, 000 housekeepers and carers – toil in Lebanon for cash to send home .
They enter Lebanon under a controversial sponsorship system called “ kafala” , which has been repeatedly denounced by rights groups as enabling a wide range of abuses .
Under kafala, a worker cannot terminate their contract without the permission of their employer or they will lose their legal immigration status.
Many foreign workers have reached breaking point .
Outside the Gambian consulate in Beirut , around 30 Gambian women clamoured for help .
“ We ’ re like slaves , ” one protester shouted . “ We are not treated well , and the racism here is very high. ”
Zeina Ammar , from Lebanon ’ s Anti - Racism Movement ( ARM ) organisation , urged countries to fund evacuations, and provide travel documents when needed .
“ We want to go home , ” they chanted .
Some threw handfuls of dirt towards the building , while others hit its door with hammers .
“ It should be a systematic , unconditional provision of laissez- passer to absolutely everyone in order to save their lives, ” she said .
AFP
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