http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/10/world/meast/lebanon-racism-migrants-sting/Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- Lebanon prides itself on its image as a melting pot on the Mediterranean: an ancient bastion of civilization boasting a diverse tapestry of cultures and creeds.
But scratch the surface, and it becomes apparent that not everyone fits into the country's cosmopolitan self-image.
Many migrants and mixed-race Lebanese, particularly those of Asian and African origin, say they encounter racism on a regular basis.
Nepalese woman Priya Subeydi told CNN she plans to leave the country soon, as she does not want her nine-month-old son growing up feeling like a second-class citizen.
"Every day we face racism," she said. "I just want to let him to grow in my own country."
Subeydi came to Lebanon as one of the more than 200,000 migrant domestic workers in the country, lured from mostly African and Asian countries by the promise of higher wages and steady employment in upper-middle class homes where household chores are viewed as beneath the family.
Today, Subeydi works in a migrant center in Beirut, providing assistance and support for domestic workers, some of whom, vulnerable in their new homes, face a grim reality of confinement, abuse, withheld payments and discriminatory treatment.
Lebanon's treatment of migrant domestic workers has been thrust into the international spotlight in recent years.
In 2009 the country witnessed a spate of suicides among foreign maids, and last year a 33-year-old Ethiopian woman killed herself shortly after being filmed being beaten by a Lebanese man on a Beirut street.
The U.N. special rapporteur on slavery urged the Lebanese government to carry out a full investigation into the death. Ethiopia had banned citizens from traveling to Lebanon as domestic workers because of concerns over their lack of legal protection, although the ban was widely circumvented.
Topic: Not all colors welcomed in Lebanon's cultural tapestry (Read 412 times)