Stories of the Kafala system are personal, but the victories are universal
Shado Mag

August 15, 2022

Our latest piece is by Magz Nic Uaid, who speaks to @lucy.turay founder of @dowanunited – Domestic Workers Advocacy Network – about the Kafala system in Lebanon which violates the human rights of migrant workers.

Lucy talks about the need for coalition, solidarity and tackling the root of human trafficking – rather than just the cause – in order to abolish the Kafala system.

«Nirgends steht, dass sie an ihrem freien Tag das Haus verlassen darf»
20 Minuten

July 27, 2022

In Beiruter Luxus-Appartements aus der Feder von Herzog & de Meuron wohnen und arbeiten auch Hausangestellte unter prekärsten Bedingungen. Das steht hinter dem sogenannten Kafala-System im arabischen Raum.

The runaway maids of Oman  BBC World Service

July 01, 2021

The story of Kadiatu, a young Sierra Leonean woman tricked into working as a housemaid in Arabia. Can she and other abused domestic workers escape and start a new life back home?

Migrant domestic workers demand an end to kafala system in Lebanon  Freedom United

May 20, 2021

“Employers literally control our freedom. Many of them are abusive with no one holding them accountable.” – Tsigereda Brihanu is a former domestic worker and activist.

Maid in Lebanon: ‘My employer treats me like a slave’  BBC News

Feb 28, 2021

The BBC’s Martin Patience speaks to domestic maids about their experiences and looking into whether their situation has changed.

State Sponsored Slavery is Alive and Well in Lebanon  No One Left Behind

Dec 14, 2020

It is time to abolish the Kafala employment system, a legal employment framework and hostile immigration system that effectively ties a worker’s legal status to their employer.

How the Beirut Crisis Exposed Modern Day Slavery in Lebanon  Vice News

October 1, 2020

As Lebanon battles corrupt leadership and economic chaos, the women employed as domestic workers pay the highest price.

‘Bad to worse’: Beirut blast final blow for Lebanon’s trapped migrants  Reuters

August 20, 2020

Thousands of migrants workers in Lebanon are desperate to return home as a coronavirus lockdown began this week, adding to woes caused by a financial crisis and this month’s port blast that wrecked swathes of the capital Beirut.

Beirut explosion: Kafala system leaves African workers stranded in city in ruins  Middle East Eye

August 19, 2020

West African domestic workers desperate to return home since a chemical explosion tore through Beirut are finding themselves trapped by the stringent terms of Lebanon’s kafala system which grants employers an immense say over their lives.

Des servantes africaines dans le désarroi après l’explosion de Beyrouth  BBC News Afrique

August 07, 2020

Certains employeurs libanais ont licencié leurs domestiques africaines depuis que l’énorme explosion a détruit leurs maisons, selon une employée de maison qui a fui son employeur en février.

Sierra Leonean women stranded in Lebanon   BBC World Service

August 06, 2020

A group of domestic workers in Lebanon have spoken out about the conditions they have faced in Lebanon at the hands of their employers under the so-called kafala system. They say they don’t have the funds to return home and have had their travel documents seized. The journalist Aline Deschamps helped them produce a video of a song that Lucy Turay, one of the women has written, which they hope will help them raise funds to return home. Audrey Brown has been speaking to Lucy.