Hope for those trapped by Lebanon’s kafala system

Lebanon (MNN) — Imagine moving to a new country for work, and on day one, your employer confiscates your passport.

Meet a common reality of Lebanon’s kafala system.

“The kafala system is a migrant labor system in the Middle East that is often described as modern-day slavery,” says Ghinwa Akiki with Thimar-LSESD.

Many migrant workers are young women from underdeveloped countries. “These women come to the region hoping to earn money for their families back home, and upon arrival, they often find themselves in low-wage domestic jobs which are different from what they [had] been told,” Akiki says.

As you can imagine, these men and women are often abused. Their legal status and employment are tied to a local sponsor.

“[That means] the employer has full authority over their ability to change jobs or leave the country,” Akiki explains.

The past year of conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah has made migrant workers even more vulnerable. Hunter Williamson with Thimar says they have heard stories of workers being locked inside houses in southern Lebanon as their employers fled bombings.

“Who knows how many migrant workers were killed because of this?” he says. “Here in Beirut, where Thimar is based, there were migrant workers who were sort of deserted by their employers and by the families that they work for. These workers ended up on the beaches and along the seafronts, with nothing, just the clothes that they had.”

Meet Hayat

The team at MERATH, one of Thimar-LSESD’s ministries, recently encountered one such migrant worker. MERATH focuses on relief work so they can demonstrate the Gospel, not just proclaim it. Through one of their partner ministries, they met a young Ethiopian woman we’ll call Hayat, who shared her story.

Akiki says, “[Hayat] bore harsh mistreatment for three years, but eventually, when she felt like a prisoner, deprived of every right, she decided freedom over slavery, putting herself in a bigger danger and the inability to travel back home because her passport remained with her employer.”

Undocumented and without work for most of the war, Hayat has still pressed forward with her life and faith in God. She’s part of a local church. Though she doesn’t know what’s next for her, she trusts God. Read a beautiful glimpse of Hayat’s story here.

For now, please pray for Hayat and other migrant workers like her. Hayat recently wrote a book of Christian devotionals to encourage others, borrowing money to pay for the publishing costs. Ask God to help her find work so she can repay that debt.

Then, pray for God’s grace upon the ministry of MERATH as they share practical help and the eternal hope of the gospel. Learn more about their work here.

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Samuel Tsegaye via Unsplash.