Sustained Deployment Ban to Lebanon. The Philippines’ imposition of a total deployment ban for OFWs in Lebanon back in 2006 was established for security and safety considerations for the OFWs. Later on, the ban was limited to HSWs only. Afterwards, it became applicable only to new hired HSWs due to unmet contract agreements between the Lebanese and Philippine governments. Female migrant domestic workers are the most vulnerable of migrant workers and are often subject to exploitation and abuse.[1] Recruitment agencies in Lebanon charge between USD 4,000 to USD 5,000 from the employers for the recruitment agency as contained in the MoL’s Unified Employment Contract, which at face value is easily perceived to be in favour of the Lebanese employer. Most Lebanese employers opt not to pay the POEA-required salary for domestic workers of USD 400 per month as domestic work is not covered by their country’s labour laws[2]. Thus most OFWs are paid USD200 per month which is the highest salary given to domestic workers in Lebanon. [3] Owing to the Philippine government’s longstanding deployment ban to Lebanon, most particularly domestic workers, who arrived in the country after 2007, are mostly undocumented and may be considered as human trafficking and illegal recruitment victims [4]. Moreover, the sustained ban does not prevent the existence of female OFWs in Lebanon[5]. There are also inadequate enabling mechanisms and monitoring on the side of the Philippine government, which acquiesces to the deployment of female domestic workers to Lebanon despite the ban. Thus, rather than being protective, the ban inadvertently promotes the usage of unwarranted and illegitimate means to be able to work abroad[6]. What is notable is that even at the early stages of the ban (2006-2008), the number of OFWs in Lebanon did not abate, and has not abated until today[7], demonstrating its ineffectivity. [1] Human Rights Watch: Lebanon: Recognize Domestic Workers Union: Add Labor Law Protections for These Employees as of March 2015. Domestic workers remain to be excluded under article 7 of Lebanese Labor Law. [2] Parvaz, D. (2015, June 6). Lebanon’s immigrant domestic workers remain vulnerable to abuse. America.aljazeera.com. Retrieved on June 9, 2016 from http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/6/26/lebanonsmigrant-domestic-workers-vulnerable-to-abuse.html [3] Semi-Annual Report to Congress January-June 2015. Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant’s Workers Affairs [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. According to the Philippine embassy in Beirut, Lebanon despite the ban. i there were around 23, 179 female OFWs present in [6] Breaking the Isolation: Access to Information and Media Among Migrant Domestic Workers in Jordan and Lebanon by Elizabeth Frantz, 2014, P. 14-15 [7] Semi-Annual Report to Congress. June 2010-June 2015. Department of Foreign Affairs. Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Estimates of Filipino Domestic Workers in Lebanon Date Male DW Female DW Total DWs June 2010 3,200 28,800 32,000 December 2010 3,193 29,541 32,734 June 2011 4,260 38,336 42,595 June 2012 242 28,212 28,454 December 2014 229 22,408 22,637