Former Labor Minister Charbel Nahas spoke at the Nasawiya collective space last night on the evolution of Lebanon’s “sponsorship system” which allows migrant workers to work as live-in housekeepers.
Nahas contrasted the current system, which dehumanizes workers by failing to recognize their legal or labor rights, to traditional forms of domestic help in Lebanon during the pre-war years. Nahas said domestic workers had once hailed mainly from Lebanese villages, and instead of the vaguely worded sponsorship contracts of today, had once been governed by personal relationships with the workers’ families. But this changed with the oil-boom and subsequent influx of South Asian and African laborers.
The issue of domestic help strikes close to home with a lot of young Lebanese who were raised to some extent by migrant workers, creating a psychological impact both on employees and employers. Rethinking the domestic worker system may require deep societal change, Nahas warned, with some 25 percent of Lebanese families now relying upon them. But judging by the audience interest and the recent strides in labor union and anti-racism work, it might not be a stretch to imagine some potential changes on the horizon.
As always, I’m very impressed by the tireless work of Nasawiya in organizing and hosting events like this including ARM the anti-racism group, the recent clothing drive for refugees and the list goes on and on. On days when Lebanon’s problems seem hopeless, it’s groups like this that help us keep the faith.
