WUNRN
LEBANON
- WOMEN MIGRANT DOMESTIC WORKERS
OPPORTUNITIES,
ABUSE, EXPLOITATION
ILO
VIDEOS
IMPORTANCE
OF RIGHTS & CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
Gender
Equality Team of the ILO Regional Office
ILO
- International Labour Organization for
Arab States in Beirut and Directed by Carol Mansour.
Maid in Lebanon I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rY91LCyY4s
Thousands of Asian women leave their homes each year to work as maid
in the Arab World with the hope of securing a better economic future. Yet
since their experiences are hidden behind closed doors, little is
known of the dears and struggles they face while abroad. Tracing women's
journeys from Sri Lanka to Lebanon, this film exposes the little known
world of the domestic migrant worker. Since 1973 women have been
migrating to Lebanon to work to fulfil the caring and cleaning needs
of wealthier families. These women work for years to send money home for
their financial futures. While some are able to succeed, many do not.
Rather, their dreams are shattered in exploitive and abusive
situations. In their own voices, the women in this film reveal cases of
torture, rape, physical and mental abuse, and non-payment of wages. The
documentary provides an insightful and sensitive look into the lives
of these migrant workers with interviews from family members, employers,
hiring agents and specialists in the field. It explores the questions
of why women migrate, why they often return to the Middle East multiple
times, and why abuses occur.
Shot on location in Lebanon and Sri Lanka - funded by EC, Caritas
Migrant Centre Lebanon, Dutch Embassy and ILO - 2005
.................................................................................................................
Maid in Lebanon II: Voices from Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94rO242G6dY
This documentary explores the complexity of the relationship between
migrant domestic workers and the Lebanese households as employers in
an honest, and at times humorous and touching manner.This documentary
chronicles the life of migrant women workers in Lebanon: their joys,
pains, expectations, struggles and finally their humanity. 'Maid in
Lebanon II: Voices from Home' poses questions and suggests answers in
workers' rights, employment contracts and everyday terms and
conditions of work. It emphasizes the importance of improving cross-cultural
understanding and encouraging better working relationships.
Shot on location on Lebanon and Sri Lanka - funded by ILO - 2008
_____________________________________________________________________
----- Original Message -----
From: WUNRN
To: WUNRN ListServe
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 4:47 PM
Subject: Lebanon - Campaign to Protect Domestic Workers from Abuse,
Exploitation - Gender
WUNRN
(Beirut, April 30, 2008) – Lebanese employers, placement agencies, and the Lebanese authorities should improve the treatment of domestic workers by ensuring fair contracts, timely payment of wages, and a weekly day’s leave, Human Rights Watch said today, on the eve of Labor Day. Human Rights Watch is launching a campaign to highlight the often invisible abuses that many women who are domestic workers suffer in Lebanon.
An
estimated 200,000 domestic workers, primarily from Sri Lanka, the Philippines,
and Ethiopia, play an essential role in a large number of Lebanese households,
yet remain unprotected by labor laws and are subject to exploitation and
frequent abuse by employers and agencies.
“This Labor Day reminds us of the important contributions these women make to
this country,” said Nadim Houry, researcher at Human Rights Watch. “They not
only pick up the slack in many households in Lebanon, but also help support
their own families left behind. While some employers treat domestic workers
with respect, many fail to provide minimum standards of decent working
conditions, such as adequate food, living accommodations, and regular payment.”
The most common complaints made by domestic workers to embassies and
nongovernmental organizations include non-payment or delayed payment of their
wages, forced confinement to the workplace, no time off, and verbal, as well as
physical, abuse. According to a 2006 survey conducted by Dr. Ray Jureidini of
600 migrant domestic workers, 56 percent said they work more than 12 hours a
day and 34 percent have no regular time off. In some cases, workers have died
while attempting to escape these conditions, some by jumping from balconies.
“We often hear employers say they cannot give a domestic worker a day off because
she will come back pregnant or will want to get paid more after talking to
other workers,” said Houry. “These employers may think they are protecting
themselves or their workers, but what they are doing constitutes serious
violations of basic human rights. The better approach is to build mutual
trust.”
Testimonies collected by
Human Rights Watch show that some Lebanese recruitment agencies illegally
withhold the first few months of domestic workers’ salaries to recoup
recruitment costs. The workers also complain that they are often physically and
verbally abused by the agencies if they have disputes with their employers.
The Lebanese authorities have failed to curb abuses committed by employers and
agencies. Lebanese labor laws specifically exclude domestic workers from rights
guaranteed to other workers, such as a weekly day of rest, limits on work
hours, paid holidays, and workers’ compensation. Immigration sponsorship laws
restrict domestic workers’ ability to change employers, even in cases of abuse.
An official steering committee created in early 2006 and led by the Ministry of
Labor to improve the legal situation of migrant workers in Lebanon has yet to
deliver any concrete reforms. This includes a long-discussed standard contract
to outline minimum standards for domestic workers’ employment.
Human Rights Watch called upon the Ministry of Labor and other relevant
authorities to amend the labor law to extend equal protection for domestic
workers and to sign and ratify the International Convention on the Protection
of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
“In the absence of effective state regulations, migrants remain at the whims of
their employers and employment agencies. The Lebanese government must take
immediate action to change that,” said Houry. “But employers and agencies
shouldn’t need to be compelled by law to treat migrant domestic workers with
decency and respect.”
Human Rights Watch plans to raise awareness among Lebanese employers by
distributing leaflets and posters that tackle commonly held “myths” about
migrant domestic workers. During the month of May, Lebanese can pick up Human
Rights Watch’s leaflets in supermarkets and malls all over Lebanon.
“Many Lebanese themselves have been forced by wars and hardships to emigrate
looking for a better life,” said Houry. “We hope that they will see the
parallels with the experience of these migrants that came from far away to care
for Lebanese families. That’s why we decided to call the campaign, ‘Put
yourself in her shoes.’”
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