Friday, March 29

the calamities of domestic workers


“It’s hell. I try to stay strong but it’s hard, it’s really hard,” he laments. isatou. The voice of this Gambian woman, exhausted on the phone speaking over the cries of her son, picks up the pain of thousands of migrant domestic workers who, like her, survive in a Lebanon in economic debacle. Many try to leave the country without the wages that their employers refuse to give them. While some sleep in the open in front of embassies waiting for their return, good news comes from the courts. For the first time in the history of Lebanon – and of the region – is being judged to a former employer and the recruitment agency for slavery and slave trade.

MH He spent eight years of his life locked up in the house of his madamthe dentist May Saadeh. She worked for 15 hours a day, she did not have a day off, while she was beaten, insulted and threatened. her family in Ethiopia he did not hear from her for seven and a half years. When the organization This is Lebanon, created to expose abusers, located her, was another. “Upon being discovered, Dr. Saadeh gave her $50 and sent her back to Ethiopia with nothing else,” she said. Patriciaalias of a worker of this group that operates from outside Lebanon for security.

Now, more than 4,000 kilometers from his hell, MH seeks justice. Hand in hand with the organization Legal Agenda Worldwide (LAW), has been the first to sit on the bench the guilty of their suffering with accusations never seen before. “According to international law, MH has been a victim of slavery and that is why we ask, for the first time, the maximum sentence of 15 years for her former employer and the agency that recruited her for this position and for the slave trade,” explains Antonia Mulvey, director of LAW. “We are not only asking that he be paid the salary that corresponds to him, we also demand compensation,” she adds.

Also Read  Derby of different need | Today

MH’s case goes beyond an individual interest. At the same time, search set a legal precedent. And open a path for people who have suffered the same hell. “We are sending a message to employers: treat migrant domestic workers as equals, pay them fairly and make them work a decent total number of hours,” says Mulvey. It could be the first example of accountability by the perpetrators. “We also speak to victims, and to survivors, so they know that when they find the courage to speak out, we will be prepared to represent them,” she says.

No legal protection

“The official figures reflect around a quarter of a million migrants now in Lebanon; however, these data do not show a large number who are in an irregular situation”, acknowledges Aina Puig Ferriol, coordinator of support for migrant women workers of the Amel Association. thousands of women african and asian are trapped in the country under the system kafalah. These migrant domestic workers are not covered by Lebanese labor law. “This allows employers and agencies to exploit them since they don’t have the protection of the law,” explains Mulvey. The abuses are so widespread that it is recorded one death per week of a domestic worker, either by suicide or failed escape attempts. These cases are never investigated.

“The kafala system has been described as modern slavery,” says Aina Puig-Ferriol, coordinator of support for migrant women workers at the Amel Association.

Upon arrival in Lebanon, 94% of Lebanese employers they confiscate their passports, despite being a violation of international law. “In fact, the kafala system has been described as modern slavery“, points out Puig-Ferriol. The legal status of these women, in 99% of cases, depends on their madams Y Monsieurs, as they are forced to refer to their practically owners. Being forced to live under the same roof, they have a almost total control your employment and immigration status. “These employers should be behind bars; they are committing crimesPatricia insists.

Also Read  This will be the new electric scooters

Abandoned by their embassies

“I’m tired of everything, we have no one to support usit’s just us,” he explains over the phone. Isatou Sowe while trying to calm her baby’s cries. This single mother with two dependent children – “my husband returned to Gambia last year without saying a word” – he also leads the Gambian community in Lebanon. This entirely volunteer work tries to respond to the abandonment of their embassies. Earlier this year, the country was shocked when a group of Kenyans spent weeks sleeping on the doorsteps from his consulate, the same one who wanted to return them to the abusive homes from which they had fled.

The abuses are so widespread that one death per week of a domestic worker is recorded, either by suicide or failed escape attempts. These cases are never investigated.

During the last two years, the economic crisis It has condemned to misery those who, in their confinements, were already vulnerable. They are now extremely vulnerable. “Fortunately, I continue to work but with the crisis, although we work very hard, Not enough money“, Explain saru gurung. in front of the community nepali –”I don’t like being called a leader, I’m just helping”–, Saru calculates that his stay in Lebanon, “with its good things and others not so much”, only has one year left after having spent 12 in the Mediterranean country . “Most of them are unemployed in a place from which they don’t even know the language because they are taken from the airport to home isolation,” explains Puig-Ferriol.

Also Read  Could the Academy take Will Smith's Oscar back after he slapped Chris Rock? | Culture

Forgotten by NGOs

Related news

In addition, there are very few organizations that help this group. In addition to the presence of one and a half million Syrian refugees, there is an economic crisis that permeates all social sectors. “Our goals of empowerment and improvement of migration processes have taken a backseat because right now what they need is for us to answers to their most basic needs“, explains the coordinator of the Amel program. Added to the humanitarian aid are the efforts to repatriate.

“I’m tired of everything, we have no one to support us, it’s just us,” explains Isatou Sowe, the leader of the Gambian community in Lebanon

“Many want to return to their homes because even if they have jobs, they are paid in pounds and we can’t send them to our families since they come to nothing,” denounces Gurung. The local currency has lost 90% of its value. Going back, putting land in between is the first step to healing. Although for MH, each one of the kilometers that separate her from her hell is one more reason not to remain silent. “Let’s change the silence where migrant domestic workers are forced to live,” announces Mulvey hopefully.


www.elperiodico.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *