FLORA: A woman living under "Kafala system"

اقرأ باللغة العربية أدناه

FLORA

On a Sunday morning, Flora met her older sister Maria, and her friends Rita, Patricia, and Agnes among other women coming from Kenya, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Nigeria to the church in Burj Hammoud. They spend their time together singing, laughing, praying and discussing different topics, from racism to work, religion and their lives as migrant women working and living in Lebanon. 
 

Flora opens up about her life, over some 15 years ago, she met her belated husband who moved to Lebanon with a working visa through an agency,

“I came here with my husband, it was hard, but we learned to adapt. We believe that with time, no matter what happens in life, everything will be okay”

— Flora

They had two daughters, her eldest went to Beth Aleph school, a free kindergarten school for migrant children in Ashrafieh. However, due to the impossibility of registering the kids at a public school, and the high fees of private ones, Flora had to send her daughters back to Africa so they could attend school. Her husband passed away a few years ago, since then she has been sustaining her family by working several jobs, “I have been struggling, and it hasn’t been easy for me especially with the current situation in Lebanon. People don’t pay like before, and I’m all on my own. I have to feed my daughters, to make sure they have everything they need and that they go to school. Also, I have to pay the school fees on a monthly basis.” 

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A portrait of Flora who decided to be anonymous.

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The two sisters holding hands.

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Maria, her older sister, who also decided to be anonymous.

Maria reminisces about her early time in Lebanon, “we used to get paid in fresh dollars, but now we aren’t able to do anything with the current crisis, we have to remain strong.” Migrant workers face racial discrimination and exclusion from Lebanese labor laws.  

 Another migrant woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, explains that today independent workers have to constantly negotiate their prices and sometimes people don’t even want to pay 5$ per hour, while they need to pay rent, transportation, and food to sustain themselves, “I don’t have the same rights as Lebanese people, so nothing is easy. This is one of the many problems we, migrants, are going through. I am an independent woman and I have to work very hard to sustain my family and myself.” 

Flora concludes: “The economic crisis is making everybody’s life hard, and there’s racism as well, but we turn our deaf ears to it.” “What else can we do?” Asks Maria, “You can’t change the old generation’s mentality, it’s everywhere not only in Lebanon, but not all people are racists. We believe in God, and we believe that he will grant us the strength to face all obstacles. 

Many migrants leave their home countries seeking a better future through working in Lebanon, that some of them consider as the easiest country in the Arab World to access. « In Lebanon, we are allowed to come easily and it is still better than any other Arab countries. We feel more accepted ». Unfortunately, their expectations are far from what they imagined at the first place. Brought through agencies, they have to pay around 200$ to enter the host country where they are directly picked up from the airport and sent either to the agency or to the household. Most of the time, they are deprived of their rights, and confronted with abuse and racism. « They kept our passports and put everybody in the same room. They weren’t feeding us. We had to manage everything by ourselves and we stayed like this until we found a job. They would lock the doors in case we ran away, since they had to sell us », told one of them.  

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The community gathers every Sunday morning at the church in Burj Hammud and brings food, settled on a small table in front of the entrance, that they all share but also sell.

Kafala system

The Kafala system, an adaptation of modern slavery, began in the 1950s, an era of booming economic growth in the Middle East. It is an oppressive system which consists of hiring and controlling migrant workers usually coming from South and South East Asia, and Africa. Brought through agencies from their home countries, the migrant workers need to be sponsored by a citizen from the host country, also known as Kafeel, who will be in charge of their legal status and visa. Therefore, the employer have all the power over the worker’s livelihoods, that often leads to human rights violations, including racism and gender-based violence. 

The workers have no safety measures and are not protected by any law against labor abuses. They often feel scared of the consequences if they had to speak up about their living conditions. Often locked at home or walking in the shadow of their Kafeel, they have no say in any of the decisions and have no agencies over their lives. The ones who decide to leave their oppressors, in one way or another, as Sari shares in her testimony, find themselves working illegally in the country. After spending years working “freelance”, these workers are still tied to their sponsor, which means they cannot leave the country without their permission and would be rejected at the airport. After the economic crisis that erupted towards the end of 2019, many migrant women were left on the streets as their employers could not pay them anymore. Despite the contract they both signed, stipulating that the employers have to cover the salary, medication, food and a return plane ticket home, the protection of the migrant domestic workers is not guaranteed. Other rights, such as one-day off or the contact with their family, are most of the time ignored.   

‘‘There are many girls who are being abused or even killed. They take their passport, they don’t give them food or their salary, no day off, they can barely sleep and are not allowed to go out because they are afraid they would speak up about what is happening. I know a woman, she was locked for 30 years, days and nights’’  

However, I have met a few migrant women who were still well paid, others who declared being happy and well treated. After numerous conversations, I realized that, even if they weren’t confronted with physical or mental abuse, they are still seen as migrant workers before being seen as women. No matter what, they should follow the system or walk with their head down not to get into any troubles. While one of them said « We come to a new country, this is not our country. We need to know how to behave ourselves to not be facing challenges or being abused by people », another woman shared that she rather stays alone to avoid discrimination outdoors, even if she is free to go out whenever she needs and is not locked inside by her ‘Madame’ (as they call them and which reminds us of the superior and patronizing approach). 

If the Lebanese Ministry of Labor has made proposals to improve labor laws and rights for the migrant domestic workers, they are still on hold, not being judged as a priority amidst all the troubles Lebanon is facing. Despite this lack of interest, a large number of migrant workers, foreigners, and Lebanese people are fighting to abolish the Kafala system, and to raise awareness not only in Lebanon but also the countries participating in this abusive system by sending their citizens through agencies violating human rights. 

Whether due to the fear of speaking up, the numerous hours of work they have, or simply their pride, it was not easy for them to share their testimonies. Coming from different backgrounds, from Ethiopia to Sri Lanka, and having experienced opposite situations yet so close and complimentary, their stories and experiences testify the difficulty of their situation, and all the challenges and violations they have to endure. 

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فلورا

 قابلت فلورا صباح يوم خميس في شارع الحمرا، وحين سألتها إن كانت تودّ أن تشاركني قصتها، دعتني للقائها مع أصدقائها في يوم الأحد في الكنيسة في برج حمود. 

أصل إلى الكنيسة نهار الأحد عند العاشرة والنصف صباحًا فتستقبلني فلورا وشقيقتها الكبرى ماريا وريتا وباتريسيا وأغنيس والعديد من النساء الأخريات الآتيات من كينيا أو سيراليون أو إثيوبيا أو نيجيريا. تلتقي تلك النساء كل صباح أحد في الكنيسة، وتقضين ساعات معًا في الغناء والضحك والصلاة. ناقشنا مواضيع مختلفة مثل العنصرية والعمل والدين وحياتهن كنساء مهاجرات في لبنان. وعلى الرغم من كثرة القصص السلبية التي سمعناها سابقاً عن معاناة نساء مهاجرات، فإن هذه النساء القويات تعطيننا الأمل وتذكرنا بأن الحب والإيمان كافيان أحيانًا لمحاربة العقبات التي نواجهها. هنا مقطع من حديثنا:  

:فلورا هي من بدأت الحديث عن حياتها، وتقول بخجل  

“أتيت إلى لبنان مع زوجي وأولادي، لا شك بأن الوضع في هذا البلد صعب، إلا أننا نتأقلم مع هذا الواقع، فنحن مؤمنون بأن كل شيء سيكون على ما يرام، مهما كانت الظروف وبغض النظر عما تتعرضين له في حياتك، ستعرفين طريقك دوماً وسيكون كل شيء على ما يرام، دوماً  ”

— فلورا

أتت فلورا مع زوجها إلى لبنان منذ أكثر من 15 عامًا ، بتأشيرة عملٍ عبر وكالة، مصطحبةً ابنتاها اللتان سجلتهما في مدرسة بيث ألف، وهي روضة أطفال مجانية لأطفال المهاجرين في الأشرفية. إلا أنها اضطرت لاحقاً إلى إعادة ابنتيها إلى إفريقيا للسماح لهما بالدراسة وذلك مع انهيار النظام التعليمي في لبنان واستحالة التسجيل في المدارس الحكومية وارتفاع تكلفة التسجيل في المدارس الخاصة. منذ وفاة الزوج قبل بضع سنوات، بدأت فلورا رحلة شاقة من العمل المضني كي تتمكن من إعالة ابنتيها ، اللتين تبلغان من العمر الآن 17 و 14 عامًا، وذلك من خلال العمل في عدة وظائف على مدار الأسبوع. تروي فلورا: "منذ ذلك الحين وأنا أعاني. الأمر صعب بالنسبة لي وحدي، فأنا أكافح من أجل إطعامهم وللتأكد من أن لديهم كل ما يحتاجون إليه وأنهم يذهبون إلى المدرسة، علي أيضًا إرسال الأموال كل شهر ودفع الرسوم المدرسية، والوضع الراهن في لبنان يزيد الأمور صعوبةً وتعقيداً ، فالرواتب لم تعد كما كانت في السابق".

أما ماريا ، أختها الكبرى التي تعيش أيضًا في لبنان فتضيف: "كان لبنان جيدًا عندما وصلنا ، وكنا نعمل ونقبض رواتبنا بالدولار. الآن تغيّرت الأوضاع وأصبح البلد على هذا النحو، نعلم جميعًا ذلك ولا يمكننا القيام بشيء حيال هذا الوضع. علينا أن نتأقلم وعلينا أن نكون أقوياء. لدينا أطفال وعلينا الاعتناء بهم وتعليمهم، وهذا ما يهم"  

يواجه العمال المهاجرون التمييز العنصري والإقصاء من قوانين العمل اللبنانية، وهذا يعني أن هؤلاء النساء لا يتمتعن بنفس الحقوق التي يتمتع بها باقي المواطنين والعمال اللبنانيين ولا يحق لهن الحصول على الحد الأدنى القانوني للأجور، وتزيد الأزمة الاقتصادية الحالية في لبنان الأمور سوءاً مما يترك أثراً كبيراً على رواتبهن. على سبيل المثال، أوضحت امرأة مهاجرة أنه يتعين على العمال المستقلين التفاوض باستمرار على أجورهم فأحيانًا لا يرغب الناس حتى في دفع خمسة دولارات للساعة. وهذا يجعل ظروفهم المعيشية صعبة للغاية خصوصاً عندما يتعين عليهم دفع الإيجار ووسائل النقل والطعام، وتقول: "أنا لا أمتلك نفس الحقوق التي يتمتع بها اللبنانيون ، فلا شيء سهل بالنسبة لنا، هذه واحدة من المشاكل التي نمر بها نحن الأجانب، فأنا امرأة لا أعتمد على أي شخص وعلي أن أعمل بجد لإعالة نفسي وعائلتي. أما فلورا فتضيف: "مشكلة الدولار والأزمة الاقتصادية تجعل الأمور في غاية الصعوبة، أما العنصرية فهي أيضا من القضايا الرئيسية في لبنان لكننا لا نسمح لها بالتأثير علينا. 

عندما أشير إلى حقيقة أن النساء المهاجرات يواجهن في أغلب الأحيان سوء المعاملة والعنصرية ،تتدخل ماريا في المحادثة قائلةً: "لا يمكنك تغيير العقلية السائدة، ولا سيما عند الجيل القديم، هناك بالطبع أشخاص سيئون لكننا لانستطيع التعميم، وهذه هي الحال في كل مكان وليس فقط في لبنان. نحن نؤمن بالله ونعتقد أيضًا أنه سيساعدنا دوماً على تخطي العقبات التي تواجهنا"

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Photographer & Writer

Laura Menassa

Laura Menassa is a photographer, art director and visual artist based in Beirut. She is also a member of Collectif ١٢٠٠.

Born into an Italian-Lebanese family, Laura found herself in a multicultural environment, raising questions about identity, body image, the notion of territory and time. She uses her camera as a tool to dissect the world around her personal life, to understand our place within the society, to apprehend people and to explore the different facets of life.

Link : https://www.lauramenassa.com/

Translated to Arabic by Khouloud Yassine