Kafala System in Lebanon Leaves Migrant Children Stateless

"Lebanon's Kafala System Shuts Out Migrant Children", 17 January 2026 Lebanon is home to more than 165,000 migrant workers, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 70% of whom are women... Hailing primarily from Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sudan, the Philippines and Egypt, migrants live and work under conditions that rights groups and think tanks argue amount to modern-day slavery. Under the kafala, or sponsorship, system, migrant workers are subject to the individual contracts of their employers or recruitment agencies...the plight of migrant children remains poorly understood and stands to become a growing issue... IOM tallied 4,665 migrant children in Lebanon as of 2025, though this number is likely a significant undercount. The number of children born to migrant parents in the country has risen over the years, alongside a shift toward live-out working arrangements. There has not, however, been a concomitant rise in formal childcare provision...The Lebanese Ministry of Health requires higher standards for childcare providers, including the presence of medical personnel, safe kitchen areas and a higher staff-to-student ratio than in a typical school. The guidelines exist to protect young children but also drive up the cost of running a licensed daycare center...To address the gap, some migrant women run informal daycares and look after dozens of children at a time, albeit without the resources or safety guidelines of an official childcare center... ...Migrant children themselves are growing up without sufficient access to care and education, problems that worsen when they later try to join the labor market and are shut out of most employment opportunities available to Lebanese citizens...