Comments on: The sad plight of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon and the Middle East http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/ i am not qualified to say this Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:41:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Eva http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-320 Eva Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:37:43 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-320 Hi Yaman, thanks for your comprehensive post on this. I was shocked to see the photograph of Sushar Rosky - I'd never heard of this case even though I like to think that I'm knowledgeable on the topic of migrant workers in Lebanon. While working for a German NGO in Beirut, I encountered the work of Tina Naccache and went to meet her to see if we could work together on this. Unfortunately, my NGO didn't have this on their priority list (and I wasn't in a position to change that). But I invited Tina to give a talk hosted together with some Lebanese activist friends. It was appaling to hear from her accounts how well-established the system of degradation and abuse of migrant workers is in Lebanon - few people think of them as proper human beings. This is SO evident everywhere. I was staying in Ashrafiyeh while in Beirut, and in this upscale Christian neighbourhood would regularly see the "masters of the house" go shopping at the local supermarket with their maids. The master would point to a product, the maid would have to pick it up and place it in the shopping cart. Sometimes in the morning the entire neighbourhood was resounding with maids dressed in pale blue or pink uniforms (I always found those to be particularly degrading) talking to each other while hanging up the washing on balconies or minding children. Regularly, when walking past a street corner near my house, in the evenings I would see a maid standing outside a house talking to her friend, another maid, on the inside - she probably wasn't allowed to leave the house. Hi Yaman, thanks for your comprehensive post on this. I was shocked to see the photograph of Sushar Rosky – I’d never heard of this case even though I like to think that I’m knowledgeable on the topic of migrant workers in Lebanon. While working for a German NGO in Beirut, I encountered the work of Tina Naccache and went to meet her to see if we could work together on this. Unfortunately, my NGO didn’t have this on their priority list (and I wasn’t in a position to change that). But I invited Tina to give a talk hosted together with some Lebanese activist friends. It was appaling to hear from her accounts how well-established the system of degradation and abuse of migrant workers is in Lebanon – few people think of them as proper human beings. This is SO evident everywhere. I was staying in Ashrafiyeh while in Beirut, and in this upscale Christian neighbourhood would regularly see the “masters of the house” go shopping at the local supermarket with their maids. The master would point to a product, the maid would have to pick it up and place it in the shopping cart. Sometimes in the morning the entire neighbourhood was resounding with maids dressed in pale blue or pink uniforms (I always found those to be particularly degrading) talking to each other while hanging up the washing on balconies or minding children. Regularly, when walking past a street corner near my house, in the evenings I would see a maid standing outside a house talking to her friend, another maid, on the inside – she probably wasn’t allowed to leave the house.

]]> By: Ziad http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-250 Ziad Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:51:44 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-250 The Lebanese upper and upper middle classes are very egalitarian. Their attitude towards those of a lesser economic class in respect to the treatment they deserve is extended equally to other Lebanese as it is to these girls. Only in the Arab world do people make no attempt to hide the fact that they believe that wealth somehow makes you superior. The Lebanese upper and upper middle classes are very egalitarian. Their attitude towards those of a lesser economic class in respect to the treatment they deserve is extended equally to other Lebanese as it is to these girls. Only in the Arab world do people make no attempt to hide the fact that they believe that wealth somehow makes you superior.

]]> By: yaman http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-213 yaman Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:36:55 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-213 Can you elaborate, john? This photo is not photoshopped--it is real, and there is a real problem with migrant workers around the middle east. As`ad's only motivation is to debunk the political myths prevalent nowadays. Can you elaborate, john? This photo is not photoshopped–it is real, and there is a real problem with migrant workers around the middle east. As`ad’s only motivation is to debunk the political myths prevalent nowadays.

]]> By: john http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-212 john Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:34:50 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-212 I normally don't trust any of the trash that is published by that sleazeball Asad Abukhalil. I am not saying the photo is photoshopped or that there is not a serious problem with exploited maids in Lebanon. But whenever Asad reports a story like this, he has always has a hidden political motivation. I normally don’t trust any of the trash that is published by that sleazeball Asad Abukhalil. I am not saying the photo is photoshopped or that there is not a serious problem with exploited maids in Lebanon. But whenever Asad reports a story like this, he has always has a hidden political motivation.

]]> By: Abu Kareem http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-208 Abu Kareem Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:56:07 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-208 Yaman, Thank you for this unflinchingly honest look at this horrible problem. Unfortunately, this is mostly an invisible problem at the level of the general population in the Middle; the public needs to be shamed into realizing the gravity of this situation. But the real villains in my mind are the middlemen, the agencies that behave like modern day slave-traders. Yaman,

Thank you for this unflinchingly honest look at this horrible problem. Unfortunately, this is mostly an invisible problem at the level of the general population in the Middle; the public needs to be shamed into realizing the gravity of this situation. But the real villains in my mind are the middlemen, the agencies that behave like modern day slave-traders.

]]> By: yaman http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-203 yaman Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:11:07 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-203 Yes, I understand. It's not exactly clear to me. I don't think there is a pattern between all these villages of them being predominantly Shi`ah. If you look at the PDF files, though, the stories are all 1 or 2 lines and only a handful of words in each line. But if you look at the same page as the article from Jan 22, 2007, the Ethiopian maid gets a couple lines while the story about 2 Syrian workers being accused of raping another maid receives a lot of space on the page. This is during a time of high anti-Syrian sentiment which al-Mustaqbal, as a Hariri mouthpiece, likes to exploit. Then again, when all of these deaths are reported as suicides, there is nothing in there that necessarily implicates their employers--by reporting them with such little information the case is "closed" without ever looking into the other related circumstances. This interpretation might be overly conspiratorial. It is more likely, I think, that these stories don't get so much coverage is because people just don't care. I think one of the big reasons this problem persists is because the socially predominant attitude is that maids are of a lesser economic class and don't deserve the same treatment as others would. The fact that they are foreigners adds to this feeling. But I can't make any good guesses as to why these stories would be reported at all instead of ignored altogether. Maybe somebody else has a better idea. Yes, I understand. It’s not exactly clear to me. I don’t think there is a pattern between all these villages of them being predominantly Shi`ah. If you look at the PDF files, though, the stories are all 1 or 2 lines and only a handful of words in each line. But if you look at the same page as the article from Jan 22, 2007, the Ethiopian maid gets a couple lines while the story about 2 Syrian workers being accused of raping another maid receives a lot of space on the page. This is during a time of high anti-Syrian sentiment which al-Mustaqbal, as a Hariri mouthpiece, likes to exploit.

Then again, when all of these deaths are reported as suicides, there is nothing in there that necessarily implicates their employers–by reporting them with such little information the case is “closed” without ever looking into the other related circumstances. This interpretation might be overly conspiratorial. It is more likely, I think, that these stories don’t get so much coverage is because people just don’t care. I think one of the big reasons this problem persists is because the socially predominant attitude is that maids are of a lesser economic class and don’t deserve the same treatment as others would. The fact that they are foreigners adds to this feeling.

But I can’t make any good guesses as to why these stories would be reported at all instead of ignored altogether. Maybe somebody else has a better idea.

]]> By: Edward http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-202 Edward Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:54:08 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-202 As far as why I ask, my impression was that al-Mustaqbal could be characterized by some silly form of Lebanese nationalism. Since the maid deaths reflect poorly on Lebanon, you'd think that Lebanese nationalists wouldn't want to bring attention to them, sort of the same way you don't often read about murders of Palestinians by Israelis in the US media. As far as why I ask, my impression was that al-Mustaqbal could be characterized by some silly form of Lebanese nationalism. Since the maid deaths reflect poorly on Lebanon, you’d think that Lebanese nationalists wouldn’t want to bring attention to them, sort of the same way you don’t often read about murders of Palestinians by Israelis in the US media.

]]> By: Edward http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-201 Edward Sun, 01 Apr 2007 23:56:13 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-201 What's their motivation for reporting this sort of thing? Do they only report maid deaths from Shi`ite neighborhoods, for instance? What’s their motivation for reporting this sort of thing? Do they only report maid deaths from Shi`ite neighborhoods, for instance?

]]> By: yaman http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-200 yaman Sun, 01 Apr 2007 23:23:07 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-200 Ed, yes, it is. And in fact all those links to stories in al-Mustaqbal are from his website. al-Mustaqbal was founded by Rafiq al-Hariri and in fact his face is on the top corner of every page nowadays. Ed, yes, it is. And in fact all those links to stories in al-Mustaqbal are from his website. al-Mustaqbal was founded by Rafiq al-Hariri and in fact his face is on the top corner of every page nowadays.

]]> By: Edward http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/comment/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-199 Edward Sun, 01 Apr 2007 23:20:04 +0000 http://www.yamansalahi.com/2007/03/29/uncategorized/the-sad-plight-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-lebanon-and-the-middle-east/#comment-199 Is this "al-Mustaqbal" the same thing that As`ad AbuKhalil always refers to as a Hariri rag? Is this “al-Mustaqbal” the same thing that As`ad AbuKhalil always refers to as a Hariri rag?

]]>