Lebanon’s domestics move to protect rights

At the root of the problem is the “kafala” system, or employee sponsorship arrangement inspired by Gulf Arab countries. Those systems hold the employer legally responsible for their migrant employee. Under this arrangement, domestic workers must rely on employers for their right to live and work in the country.
“We are trying to change the ‘kafala’ system so we can have steady salaries and fixed work hours,” said Sujana Rana, a 36-year-old domestic worker from Nepal.
An amateur video showing a suicidal Ethiopian maid jumping from the fourth-floor balcony of her employer’s apartment last November highlighted the level of desperation of some domestic workers in Lebanon.