Goal:
In February 2022, This Is Lebanon sought our support to amplify the case of Sajita Lama, a Nepalese domestic worker in Lebanon who alleged a decade of servitude in the home of her employer as a result of the kafala system in Lebanon.
The Freedom United community united to sign an open letter calling on Lebanese authorities to respect international laws of which they are signatories and ensure that Sajita is compensated and her employers are held accountable for their actions.
Summary:
Sajita arrived in Lebanon in 2010. For the first year and nine months of her employment, she was paid for her domestic work in her employers’ home in Lebanon. But after that, her wages stopped. Sajita was forced to work for nine years with no pay, no days off, and her employers confiscated her legal documents so she couldn’t leave. Her contact with the outside world was completely cut off. She was trapped.
Under the exploitative kafala system in Lebanon, migrant domestic workers’ visa and legal status are tied to their employers. In practice, this empowers employers to exploit domestic workers and subject them to conditions amounting to modern slavery because they know that migrant domestic workers are unable to leave without risking detention and deportation.
In February 2022, Sajita was residing in a shelter after Lebanese authorities removed her from her employers’ household in August 2021. Those who manage to leave abusive employers are often deported from shelters without ever receiving their salaries.
Our partners at This Is Lebanon were working closely with Sajita and her employers to reach an agreement. After long negotiations and legal action, Sajita’s employers offered a settlement of a bank check that amounted to approximately $500, just 15 cents per day for her period of work under conditions that amount to domestic servitude.
Sajita was owed around $22,000. Without her wages, Sajita was unable to return home to Nepal and support her family.
The Freedom United community amplified Sajita’s case and over 10,000 supporters around the world signed the open letter to Lebanon’s Ministry of Labour calling for justice for Sajita.
Outcome:
Despite global pressure, Sajita returned to Nepal in July 2022 without her owed wages. The Nepalese consulate are currently dealing with the legal aspect of the case but the chances of Sajita’s employers paying Sajita her wages are unlikely.
Thank you for everyone who took action, we will keep fighting for justice for Sajita and all domestic workers!
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