Disgusting: Lebanese Woman Flees After Leaving Domestic Worker Stranded In Beirut

Horrifying footage of a Lebanese woman abandoning a domestic worker on the streets of Beirut is circulating on social media. According to local organization for migrant rights This Is Lebanon, the woman had left her stranded in Furn El Chebbak without her phone or passport.

In the video, a group of bystanders appear to block her car in a bid to prevent her from fleeing the scene. Undeterred, the woman forces her way through the bystanders by hitting them with her car, clearing the path, and making a hasty exit.

This Is Lebanon alleges that the domestic worker has been taken in by KAFA, a local non-profit feminist organization against violence and exploitation. However, the identity and whereabouts of the woman who had abandoned her remain unknown.

The shameful video only showcases a glimpse into the inhumane circumstances of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon who are confined under the abusive and exploitive Kafala system. Tens of thousands of domestic workers are left trapped in abusive conditions that equate to modern slavery, including withholding their passports, unpaid labor, exploitation, and often verbal, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of their “sponsor”.

If you would like to tune in to our podcast episode with This Is Lebanon about the abusive Kafala system, click here.