MORE than 100 Ethiopian maids have been dumped on the doorstep of the country’s embassy in Lebanon as a result of the worsening economic crisis.

Initially the embassy took the maids to local shelters in the capital Beirut.

But as more were dropped off by their employers, the embassy shut its doors leaving the penniless women to fend for themselves.

A number of families in Lebanon employ maids, many of whom are from Ethiopia, who are not covered by employment law, with virtually no rights.

But since the cost of living in Lebanon has rocketed and the economic crisis worsens amid the global Covid-19 pandemic, families are abandoning maids on the embassy’s doorstep.

According to Lebanese intelligence, at least two maids die a week, many of them jumping from buildings to escape abusive employers.

Anti-Racism Movement activist Farah Salka told the BBC that migrant workers were denied basic rights including being paid the minimum wage, days off and the ability to leave their job.

 “This system is a system that enables modern-day slavery in our houses,” she said.

The Ethiopian embassy was contacted for comment.