Aline Deschamps about I Am Not Your Animal series on Al Jazeera English

Why do domestic workers in Lebanon still face abuse?

This episode of The Stream was joined by:

Aline Deschamps, Photographer | Aya Majzoub, Lebanon Researcher, Human Rights Watch | Roula Seghaier, Strategic Program Coordinator, International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF).

To see the interview on the YouTube Channel of Al Jazeera English, click on the video below:

Content published on Monday, January 24 at 19:30 GMT by The Stream, a daily TV show on Al Jazeera English

"About 99 percent of the 250,000 domestic workers in Lebanon, are immigrants on work permits. They work under the kafala – or sponsorship – system. The system is a restrictive regime of laws and regulations that ties migrant workers’ legal residency to their employers. Those who leave their employers without permission risk losing their legal residency, and face detention or deportation.

In 2020, there have been efforts at reform when Lebanon’s labour ministry adopted a new standard contract for domestic workers, but it was never implemented.

A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report in January said one of the main reasons for the failure to abolish the system was that it was a highly lucrative business for some. “One study found that the kafala system generates more than 100 million US dollars annually,” HRW said.

In this episode we’ll revisit the plight of domestic workers in Lebanon against the backdrop of deepening crises in the country."

To read the full article on Al Jazeera English website, click HERE