A broader problem is that health measures introduced to counter the pandemic Search Archives  resulted in fewer inspections of places of residence, functioning workplaces, and gave rise to a general sense that there were more pressing things to worry about than migrant workers’ rights. As noted, most female migrant workers in the Middle East are domestic workers. With the pandemic, some who had formerly been able to go out on days off found themselves confined to their employers’ homes. As many household incomes fell, some workers reported that their salaries were withheld or curtailed and a common worldwide complaint was that families who were spending more time at home, placed them under greater demands and stress. Domestic workers in Lebanon faced particularly difficult conditions, as the pandemic has coincided with a collapse of the Lebanese economy. One common experience was finding their salaries’ value sliding. Even if paid in a stable foreign currency, they found that the exchange rate by which their wages were calculated was less favorable than the market rate. Some employers ditched their domestic workers as their own incomes plummeted, while there were also workers who, realizing what was likely to happen, decided to return to their home countries as soon as they could. Images of Ethiopian women who were dumped outside their embassy by their employers, with no money to support themselves or buy a ticket home, were broadcast worldwide by the international media. Despite setbacks, there was some progress for domestic workers in parts of the Middle East during the pandemic. Qatar has removed the requirement for those who wish to change employers before their contracts expire to obtain a “No Objection Certificate” from their existing employers, and it has also brought domestic workers under its minimum wage regulations—the first country in the region to do so. The International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) stepped up the frequency of their reporting after the beginning of the COVID outbreak in order to support domestic workers everywhere. Among recent migrant domestic worker organizations affiliated with the IDWF are the Domestic Workers Solidarity Network