DoWAN (Domestic Workers Advocacy Network) began as an initiative to raise awareness of the Kafala System. Lucy Turay is the founder and director of DoWAN. She is a mother, a passionate activist & former Migrant Domestic Worker in Lebanon. Lucy has played a pivotal role in the repatriation of many Sierra Leone women through her bravery, leadership & her activism. On any given day you will find Lucy in the communities of Sierra Leone, in local schools, on local radio stations, raising awareness & educating women on Kafala and human trafficking. The fights for workers’ rights & particularly women’s rights are fought on many fronts. For Lucy, it is on the streets & community organizing. We are entitled to know our rights & have them fulfilled, this is why we will continue to fight against Kafala & Human Trafficking.

ICT Computer Classes

Home Management Classes

Tailoring & Fashion Design Classes

We are a female-lead initiative of former Migrant Domestic Workers that have been subjected to the Kafala System in Southeast Asia.

Our goal is to prevent the abuse and racism we have endured, and turn our experiences into preventative action. We are based in Sierra Leone and we are working towards collective change within our community, by empowering women to be able to sustain their livelihoods and their communities so that they do not fall subject to human trafficking.

We are committed to empowering women, especially former migrant workers, to ensure our rights are respected, protected and secured. We are campaigning and mobilizing in our communities, schools, on local radio stations and local community spaces to raise awareness about the dangers of human trafficking. 

WHAT IS THE KAFALA SYSTEM?

The Kafala (Sponsorship) System, which emerged in the 1950’s, is a legal structure used to monitor migrant domestic workers (MDWs). This system is implemented in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and a few Arab states. It outlines the relationship between foreign laborers and their employers. The system requires that each MDW be sponsored by a Kafeel- an individual who is a citizen of the receiving country and responsible for the worker’s legal status and travel visa (a Kafeel is normally independent or part of a larger Lebanese recruitment agency). The Kafeel has the power transfer a MDW’s sponsorship from one employer to another without their consent, as well as repatriate the worker and ban them from traveling back into the country on any grounds. On the other hand, a migrant worker is unable to enter the country, transfer their sponsorship, or leave the country for any reason without the written consent of the Kafeel. 

The Kafala System creates an unhealthy power dynamic between the MDW and any other involved entity such as the Kafeel himself or the worker’s direct employer, allowing for the oppression of MDWs. Foreign workers are routinely excluded from the country’s labor laws and mistreated by their direct employers. It is not uncommon to hear complaints of physical and mental abuse, neglect, inhumane working hours, inhumane living conditions and much more. The Kafala System continues to be the reason many MDWs find themselves in vulnerable and hopeless situations. By raising awareness of the Kafala System we hope to encourage change, specifically the inclusion of all migrant workers in the labor laws. With enough progression, our end goal is to abolish the system as a whole.