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<\/p>\nLebanon\u2019s demand for domestic workers from different nationalities (mostly Asian and African individuals that are still somehow referred to as Sri Lankiye<\/i>) is huge. <\/p>\n
We hire them to cook our meals, clean our houses, take care of our kids or most often, all three simultaneously. The way we, Lebanese citizens, deal with domestic workers varies from one house to another but most of us are guilty of human rights violations and in some extreme cases, slavery. The proof is the suicide rate of migrant domestic workers that\u2019s alarmingly high. Since there are no efficient policies and laws to protect the rights of migrant domestic workers, it\u2019s up to us \u201cthe most progressive open-minded people in the Middle East\u201d we claim to be to act by a moral code, starting with putting a stop to the following violations:<\/big><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
0. Physically, sexually, verbally abusing\/ starving them.<\/b><\/big><\/big><\/p>\n
I specifically called this point 0 since it\u2019s the most important crime that needs to be stopped. Anyone who abuses (even verbal abuse is abuse!) housekeepers and workers is scum.<\/big><\/p>\n
1. Not setting specific working hours and specific tasks.<\/big><\/big><\/b><\/p>\n
The domestic worker is not your slave. You cannot exploit her and make her work every second she\u2019s awake. Specify reasonable working hours and precise responsibilities for her, preferably before signing the contract to make sure she is okay with your terms.<\/big><\/p>\n
2. Controlling what or how much they eat.<\/b><\/big><\/big><\/p>\n
Who the hell are we to control anyone\u2019s diet?! Stop using the excuse \u201cwe\u2019re feeding her for free on our expenses\u201d while feeding your domestic worker leftovers or just bread. \u201cIt\u2019s surely better than what she ate back home\u201d. No. You\u2019re already paying her nothing compared to the work she does, the least you can do is treat her with dignity and care and feed her just like you would feed a friend or relative. I even heard of a family that locks the fridge so that the domestic worker wouldn\u2019t eat without permission. And you call yourselves progressive? <\/big><\/p>\n
3. Keeping them prisoners and not give them days off.<\/b><\/big><\/big><\/p>\n
Most migrant workers live in the house of their employer, but it doesn\u2019t make them the employer\u2019s property. After the reasonable working hours you supposedly fixed, the woman who took care of you all day should be free to do and go as she pleases. Stop locking them inside your homes and start giving them at least two days off, you know, like the ones you enjoy every week. <\/big><\/p>\n
4. Holding their passports<\/b><\/big><\/big><\/p>\n
I would love to see your reaction if you ever go to work in Saudi Arabia and find that your passport is seized by your employer. But it\u2019s okay for the Lebanese to do so with migrants from Africa and Asia \u201cbecause they come from these countries of the world\u201d, meaning third world countries. YOU ARE PART OF THESE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. Stop feeding your ego and sense of superiority by abusing women coming to work like slaves to feed their families. Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, has very clean streets and a railway network. Where can you see that in Lebanon?<\/big><\/p>\n
5. Refering to them as \u201ctaba3e\u201d or \u201chayde\u201d<\/b><\/big><\/big><\/p>\n
These words we use are so degrading and disrespectful. Again, she is neither your property nor an object. Start adopting decent ways of referring to your domestic workers not just when talking to them directly, but also when referring to them in front of others. Many employers decide to give the domestic worker a new name just because they don\u2019t want to bother memorizing her actual name.<\/big><\/p>\n
6. Get mad when they don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re saying<\/b><\/big><\/big><\/p>\n
Studies and research has shown that IT\u2019S BECAUSE THEY DON\u2019T SPEAK ARABIC. And when you try to impose your language like a colonizer and the domestic worker struggles to adapt to the new language, you get angry. Oh royal families of Lebanon (all families apparently) please forgive your servants for not complying with your rule. <\/big><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lebanon\u2019s demand for domestic workers from different nationalities (mostly Asian and African individuals that are still somehow referred to as Sri Lankiye<\/i>) is huge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":411465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_preview_accessed":0,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"media-embed-type":[],"class_list":["post-49221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"authorship":[64],"yoast_head":"\n