<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/ethiopian-domestic-workers-lebanon-escape/>
"Migrant workers are excluded from the Lebanese labor law. They can’t find a
new job without their current employer’s consent, and “face highly exploitative
working conditions, akin to modern-day slavery,” according to the ILO. In
Lebanon, it is believed that 250,000 people are living and working under
kafala, with women accounting for 76 percent of them. Ethiopian women make up
nearly half of these women.
False accusations of theft are common within the Lebanese kafala system, as is
withholding of wages and physical abuse. News of Ethiopian women found dead or
disappeared are regular in Lebanon.
Dametw could have been one of those victims if not for Egna Legna Besidet’s
support. “I found out about it through Facebook and reached out to the founder,
Banchee Yimer,” she says. “We chatted from time to time, until one day, I was
homeless after having worked for 600,000LL (USD$27) a month and I couldn’t
afford food anymore. I told her I cannot live anymore.”
Egna Legna Besidet provided Dametw with immediate support. From Canada, where
she currently lives, Yimer sent someone to connect with Dametw in Beirut. The
organization has since provided her with food, shelter and training."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
