Anti-Racism Movement, ‘Migrant Domestic Workers’ Community Organizing Within the Lebanese Socio-Legal Context:
A Feminist Participatory Action Research Project’, Anti-Racism Movement, 2019.
The research sheds light on the concept of “safe and fair migration” from a feminist perspective, by collecting and analyzing the experiences of migrant women workers versus the Kafala system in Lebanon. The study aims at understanding the structural discrimination of the system, in addition to the possible activities and strategies to defy this bias and to support migrant women workers.
“Mesewat” is an activist community-based group mainly consisting of migrant workers as well as Lebanese locals advocating and supporting the cause of migrant women workers in Lebanon to gain their rights in migration and at work. Mesewat allows women migrant workers to build a communal sense of support, to engage in political activism and to participate in decision-making of events and policies.
“Feminist Participatory Action Research” is a research approach that advocates the cause of the participants; in this case, by collecting and analyzing experiences from a feminist perspective in order to reveal the gender-based discrimination against migrant women workers.
“Kafala” is the system that governs the presence and labor of migrant workers in Lebanon. The system is an executive measure and not a law, which means that the workers are excluded from labor law. This deprives these workers from their rights, protection, as well as their freedom of movement. Kafala is systematic discrimination based on gender and nationality. The General Security governs this system and provides the employers with complete authority over the worker’s movement, salary and labor hours.
“Resistance against Kafala” refers to the movements and initiatives that aim at defying the discriminatory system through activism and structural change. Examples include “Mesewat” and “NARI” (Nepalese Feminists in Lebanon). These groups provide support for migrant workers and look forward to imposing pressure to achieve systematic changes.
“Safe and Fair Migration” cannot be achieved unless the Lebanese government and public acknowledge the structural and systematic discrimination brought by the Kafala against women migrant workers.
