DailyStar

BEIRUT: The Labor Ministry Monday warned Lebanon’s private beaches against barring domestic workers from entering their premises, a common practice at resorts along the coast which has been decried by rights groups. The ministry said in a statement that it obtained information on several private beaches preventing housemaids from entering on a discriminatory basis, deeming the decision a violation of human rights. The statement described the practice as “dangerous,” and threatened to respond using legal measures. It called on the owners of beaches to reverse their “unethical decisions and respect human rights no matter what the nationality, identity and color [of the patron] is.” “The Labor Ministry is serious in its work to protect legal foreign laborers on Lebanese soil,” the statement concluded. The issue of racism at Lebanon’s popular beach clubs is not new. Lebanon currently has no all-encompassing anti-discrimination law.