“Dying in the desert”: The unexplained deaths of African maids in Saudi
NITA BHALLA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how families in Kenya are seeking answers over the deaths of their relatives while working in Saudi Arabia…
TikTok domestic worker shows the positives of life in Lebanon
Beirut, LebanonThomson Reuters Foundation There is almost nothing Raquel Barrion doesn’t know about the two Lebanese children she has looked after since they were babies. But one day, the Filipina domestic worker decided to find out how much they knew about her. Barrion, 39, was pleasantly surprised when – by means of a light-hearted quiz […]
New contract for Lebanon’s migrant maids only a first step, rights groups warn
Amman, JordanThomson Reuters Foundation Rights campaigners said the launch of a new contract for migrant domestic workers in Lebanon was a positive first step but that far deeper reform was needed to abolish the kafala sponsorship system they blame for widespread labour abuses. Caretaker Labour Minister Lamia Yammine said on Friday she had issued a […]
Race protests spark calls for Arab states to end “exploitative” migrant worker system
Amman, JordanThomson Reuters Foundation Global anti-racism protests sparked calls on Monday for Arab countries to abolish an “exploitative” system of sponsorship for migrant workers that has been likened to modern slavery. About 23 million migrants, mostly from poor African and Asian countries, work in the Arab world under a system known as ‘kafala’ that generally […]