68 HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT Field research has uncovered a noteworthy phenomenon—a high proportion of non-registered children born to migrant domestic worker mothers who endure the country’s oppressive Kafala system. These women face a triad of vulnerabilities encompassing gender, legal status, and statelessness. One of the most remarkable findings from the field research was that 1 in 5 cases of birth non-registration in Beirut and Mount Lebanon can be attributed to children born to migrant domestic worker mothers. Up until 2022, Lebanon played host to approximately 250,000 migrant domestic workers (MDWs)1. However, by the end of the same year, this number plummeted to 135,000 due to the compounded crises that the country has experienced2. Within Lebanon, women MDWs typically reside within their employer’s residence, enduring the withholding of their passports. Consequently, their Kafeel (sponsor) assumes responsibility for their legal status and livelihood. These women primarily originate from South-Asian countries such as The Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, as well as African nations like Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Kenya. While a fortunate few manage to establish decent lives with their employers, many others encounter discrimination within Lebanese society. Additionally, there are instances where women become mothers to non-registered children, fathered by Lebanese individuals. This specific group faces three different layers of vulnerability: gender discrimination or abuse, the exploitative Kafala system, and mothering stateless children. Various factors contribute to these pregnancies, each presenting obstacles for a conventional registration of their children. Fig 26. Nationality of mother of non-registered children3 18% Other nationalities, 10% Stateless, 9% MDW nationalities, 18% Syrian, 26% of cases of non-registered children in BML are born to MDWs mothers3 Lebanese, 37% Box 17. What is the Kafala System? • The Kafala is a sponsorship system that binds migrant workers to their employers (or Kafeel). This system regulates economic migration in Arab countries such as the Gulf Cooperation Countries, Jordan and Lebanon. • Article 7 of Lebanese Labor Law explicitly exempts those working under the Kafala system from any legal protection, thus facilitating exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking. 1. B. Jana (2023) Lebanon: Honorary Consuls Exploiting Women Migrant Workers - Daraj. 2. Amnesty International, 2019. 3. Surveys with parents of stateless children (315 responses) © 2023 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.