Modern slavery in Lebanon

The Kafala system in Lebanon

During the 1970s, when the first immigration wave to Lebanon from Africa and Asia began, a Kafala system was designed to hire individuals from these marginalised groups to work for Lebanese citizens.

The Kafala system in Lebanon

Lebanon continues to support this exploitative system by excluding migrant workers from Lebanese labour laws. Currently workers under the Kafala system are not guaranteed a minimum wage, don’t have maximum working hours or vacation days, and have no rights or social security.

The Kafala system in Lebanon

Countless cases detailing unpaid wages, the seizure of passports and identification papers, physical, emotional and sexual abuse have been reported by migrant workers, but these are routinely ignored by the Lebanese authorities.

What is Egna Legna?

Egna Legna (Us For Ourselves) is a domestic worker-led organisation and political movement established in 2017. It identifies as a feminist organisation and aims to support domestic workers trapped within the Kafala system.

What is Egna Legna?

Most community groups and movements in Lebanon are either led by Lebanese nationals or men – despite the fact that women make up an estimated 76% of all migrant workers and 99% of migrant domestic workers who come to Lebanon for employment.

The journey of resistance

The fight for migrant domestic workers’ rights is a big part of the intersectional feminist movement in Lebanon, that stands for all marginalised groups’ rights regardless of their backgrounds.

Modern slavery in Lebanon

By Anna Maria Ohan