For years, migrant workers in Lebanon have repeatedly expressed their frustrations with their diplomatic representatives, specifically, their honorary consuls. Their protests were only met with indifference to the workers’ struggle and hardships of life under Kafala.
In 2023, ARM took on a research project to try and discover how the economic crisis changed the perceptions of the Kafala system in Lebanon.
Article 7 of the Labor Law, which excludes domestic workers, must be abolished.
The Ministry of Labor is set to release an amended version of the Standard Unified Contract (SUC) which, in theory, intends to regulate the working relationship between migrant domestic workers and their sponsors (employers). However, the contract is only one piece of the Kafala system and, due to lack of any enforcement mechanism, it is arguably the least important piece.
RIYADH — A recent security research study has recommended integrating expatriates into society and abolishing the system of kafala (sponsorship).
I see freelancers as constituting a social movement despite the fact they rarely coalesce into a more coherent collectivity.
One migrant domestic worker in Lebanon decided to fight the “kafala” system and escape her employers.
We have recently received this testimonial, from a group of people who want this story to be told.
At the Anti-Racism Movement (ARM), we are constantly working on a multitude of different activities and initiatives. Most of our activities are only possible with the help of dedicated and passionate volunteers who work in collaboration with our core team.
The Anti-Racism Movement (ARM) was launched in 2010 as a grassroots collective by young Lebanese feminist activists in collaboration with migrant workers and migrant domestic workers.
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