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 . Read more : Can Iraq 's geeks save the country ? But it 's not only domestic workers who face racist treatment . Renee Abisaad is the daughter of a Lebanese mother and Nigerian father , who moved to the country when she was 11 . The engineering student -- a subject of a photo exhibition of mixed-race Lebanese intended to challenge social attitudes about race -- said that dealing with ethnic slurs had become the norm , and she planned to leave the country once she finished her studies . She said she felt she was not accepted and looked down on because of her ethnicity . `` I never felt Lebanese to be honest , '' she told CNN . `` They assume that you are a prostitute , you are a maid , you are someone low class . '' The unequal treatment meted out to people of other ethnic backgrounds has prompted a group of activists in Lebanon , in collaboration with migrant community leaders , to form the Anti Racism Movement ( ARM ) , committed to documenting , exposing and challenging racist behaviour and attitudes in the country . In a recent campaign , the group conducted undercover stings at the country 's beach resorts , where it found an Ethiopian women was turned away from going swimming and falsely told a `` members only '' policy was in place . Read more : Palestinian women change motor racing up a gear . The club 's actions contravened a decree issued by the Ministry of Tourism last summer barring resorts from discriminating on the basis of race , nationality or disability . Lebanon 's Minister of Tourism , Fadi Abboud , said the stance on racism made sense for both moral and practical reasons . `` If people think that we are a racial country , I think we can kiss tourism goodbye , so for me this is very serious , and it can only happen once , '' he said . `` We let them know if it happens ( another ) time , we close them for one week -- if it happens again , we close them for good . '' ARM 's general coordinator , Farah Salka , said such measures against blatant discrimination were welcome and necessary . But truly tackling racism would require a more profound shift -- for individuals to re-examine and dismiss deeply ingrained personal prejudices . `` It 's a problem that is grounded in each in the way that we have been brought up , the way that we are not taught anything about accepting differences , '' she said . `` You can go to school for 15 years , go to college , become a doctor , but you 're never ever taught the basics of how to be with other human beings in this country . ''
Lebanese activists have started a movement to fight racist attitudes in the country . Migrant workers and Lebanese of different backgrounds are treated poorly , they say . The group has carried out demonstrations at beach resorts against racist attitudes by owners . They say the deeply entrenched problem can only be overcome by changing individual values .