By Kalara Perera
Foreign policy, a country’s strategy and approach in managing its relations with other nations and international actors, is based on internal and external determinants. Labour migration is an external determinant that plays a significant role in shaping Sri Lanka’s foreign policy as a labour-exporting country. Sri Lanka is heavily reliant on remittances from migrant workers as a major source of foreign exchange earnings. Lebanon has been a long-term Sri Lankan labour migrant destination and her foreign policy towards Lebanon has been shaped by these ties. While Sri Lanka reaps the economic benefits of labour migration, it also has social and diplomatic consequences as it involves ensuring the wellbeing of the migrant domestic workers in their host country. Specifically, since labour migrants face severe challenges under Lebanon’s Kafala system, it limits their rights and legal protections. This article explores how Sri Lanka’s foreign policy toward Lebanon has evolved through the lens of labour migration, highlighting the opportunities and obstacles in ensuring both economic stability and migrant worker protection.
Historical context
Formal
diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Lebanon were established in 1997. While
the migration of domestic labourers take precedence in importance, Lebanon and
Sri Lanka are trade partners and Sri Lankan peacekeepers are deployed in United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Sri Lankan labour migration to Lebanon
can be traced back to the 1970s with the oil boom in the gulf region, mainly in
the construction field. Following the end of the first Lebanese civil war, the
demand for domestic workers in Lebanon grew, creating opportunities for Sri
Lankan women to migrate as domestic workers. The peak of labour migration to
Lebanon was in early 2000’s and labour migration pattern to Lebanon has been
inconsistent due to external factors such as the second Lebanese civil war, the
2019 economic crisis in Lebanon, Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 Beirut
explosion.
The Kafala system
Labour
migrants in Lebanon, similar to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) are governed by the Kafala system that has been followed by these
countries since the 1950’s. The Kafala system requires each worker to be sponsored
by a citizen of the host country, who is their employer. The employer is
responsible for the worker’s legal status, visa and have complete agency in
determining employment status. Under this system, migrant workers are not
entitled to the labour rights enshrined in the labor laws in Lebanon, including
those which determine their minimum wage and working hours. As a result, over
the years, migrant workers have been subject to abuse under this system. It has
made migrant workers extremely vulnerable to abuse as there is excessive powers
given to employers and lack of protection towards migrant workers. There have
been many reported instances of non-payment or delayed payment of wages, long
working hours with no rest days, physical and psychological abuse and
confiscation of passports by employers.
The Sri Lankan government has acknowledged these
challenges faced by migrant workers and measures have been taken both on a
national and international level. Locally the government has focused on
minimizing the social impact due to women leaving their families behind and
making the process of migrating more stringent rather than addressing the root
causes of vulnerability. National-level mechanisms, such as the Family
Background Report (FBR) and pre-departure training programmes, have been
implemented to mitigate risks. However, these efforts have fallen short of
providing comprehensive protection for migrant domestic workers. In addition,
internationally there have been measures taken by labour exporting countries to
address such issues.
Diplomatic
Efforts and Limitations
On
a diplomatic level, Sri Lanka has engaged in various efforts to address the
plight of migrant domestic workers such as signing a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with Lebanon. Such agreements aim to ensure better working
conditions for migrant domestic workers but the lack of enforceability of MoUs
and poor implementation mechanisms limits its effectiveness. Another effort at
addressing these issues is through consular support. The Sri Lankan embassy in
Lebanon provides various services through the labour welfare section which
include a range of regulatory, legal, and welfare activities. The repatriation efforts
made through the embassy were evident during critical junctures such as the
2019economic crisis, the civil war, Covid-19 and the Beirut explosion where the
embassy made arrangements for migrant domestic workers to be repatriated to Sri
Lanka. The Sri Lankan embassy has also established safe houses to provide
temporary shelter for abused workers. Despite these initiatives, the
effectiveness of such measures remains limited due to structural barriers,
including the stringent requirements of the Kafala system and resource
limitations.
The
Sri Lankan government has been unable to strongly advocate for the rights of Migrant
Domestic Workers because of its over-reliance on foreign remittances. This
dependency has placed Sri Lanka in a weaker bargaining position, as Sri Lanka
cannot advocate for workers' rights at the cost of straining diplomatic
relations and jeopardizing remittance flows. Such a situation was viewed during
the 2018 Philippines diplomatic crisis with Kuwait over the abuse towards
migrant domestic workers. In the post economic crisis, Sri Lanka is in an even
more difficult position to bargain due to their vulnerable and fragile economic
context. At large, it may appear that Sri Lanka's foreign policy prioritizes
economic stability over the well-being of its migrant workers, creating a
tension between national interests and human rights.
Looking Ahead
Labour
migration is an important source of remittances for Sri Lanka, yet foreign
policy towards host countries often fail to adequately protect the rights of
migrant workers, who are the very source of the income. Sri Lanka needs to focus
on developing its labour diplomacy, strengthen enforcement mechanisms of legal
instruments, expand consular support and foster international cooperation, to turn
this silent crisis into an opportunity for sustainable and equitable labour
mobility.
