The Kafala System - Slavery and Human Trafficking in Lebanon

Being a keen traveler, who documents the lives of women encountered, visiting Beirut in Lebanon last year was an eye-opener. Over 250,000 African and South East Asian women, are employed in the country as domestic maids. They have no employment or legal protection and instead are governed by their employers, under the kafala system. This lead them to be strictly controlled by employers, who often treat them harshly and they are exposed to physical and psychological abuse, in more extreme cases, sexual violence, torture and murder. The following are based on my observations while in Beirut.