there is no deadline for Ministry of Labour to either approve or disapprove the formation of a trade union the authorization process has been criticized to be depended on the political affiliation of the ministers of labour in charge. Article 4 of the Labour Law, and Decree No. 7993 of 1952 list domestic workers as one group of workers who are barred from forming trade unions. Even though article 7 and article 92 allows foreigners to join a union, they are denied to vote for trade union representatives and being elected into such a position. In the case of the Domestic Worker's Union in Lebanon these legislations were tried to overcome by appointing Lebanese citizen Mariam al-Masri as its first president. In December 2016 founding member of the Domestic Worker's Union and Nepalese activist Sujana Rana was deported from Lebanon in December 2016 without being able to contact a lawyer. Her fellow activist Roja Limbu had been arrested and remains in detention. Emergency hotlines A 24/7 telephone hotline (03018019) provided by the Lebanese secular feminist organization KAFA offers legal, emotional and medical advice as well as referral to temporary shelters. KAFA's hotline does not only reach out to female migrant domestic workers but to women and children in general who are facing abuse and violence. Another hotline (1740) has been installed by the Ministry of Labour in cooperation with Caritas and through funding from the ILO in 2015. Intergovernmental Responses International Conventions Lebanon has ratified a number of international conventions which can be invoked and applied for Migrant Domestic Workers. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is enshrined in the Lebanese Constitution which states that all international conventions of which Lebanon is a signatory and supersede domestic law in case of conflict. The Articles which are particularly relevant in the case of Migrant Domestic Workers: Article 5 on torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Article 13 on the right to freedom of movement and the right to employment, Article 23 on free choice of employment and to just, favourable conditions of work and protection against unemployment, and Article 24 on the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and holidays with pay. United Nations Conventions A number of United Nations Conventions are relevant including the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, The Convention