Ghana activists push government to rescue maids from Lebanon

By Thomas Naadi

The United Nations Youth Association Ghana is pushing for the Ghanaian government to help rescue over 8,000 stranded domestic workers – most of them women – from Lebanon.

The Middle East has become a popular destination for African women to move to for work as maids – with an estimated three million women from Africa working in Gulf states.

But some end up in dangerous situations. 

I spoke to three women in their twenties who have returned to Ghana from Lebanon. 

They told me of long shifts - sometimes as long as 14 hours - without food. 

One of the women told me that her boss drugged her.

Two of the three said their boss tried to rape them.

At the root of the problem is a visa system called Kafala which makes workers extremely vulnerable, says Asie Kabukie Ocansey from the Nekotech Centre for Labour Migration:

Quote Message: African migrant domestic workers are entering into a kind of domestic system that Asia, the Philippines and Indonesia have rejected - and that system is called Kafala. Kafala was started in the 1950s when the oil boom started in the Middle East and it means an adoption. They are not allowed to change an employer no matter how abusive the situation is and that is not correct."

African migrant domestic workers are entering into a kind of domestic system that Asia, the Philippines and Indonesia have rejected - and that system is called Kafala. Kafala was started in the 1950s when the oil boom started in the Middle East and it means an adoption. They are not allowed to change an employer no matter how abusive the situation is and that is not correct."

The UN youth association is also urging African leaders to ratify the Domestic Workers Convention to protect the rights of domestic workers - especially young women working abroad.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AlJazeera