Under Pressure, Darma’s Employers Allow her to Go Home

The case of Darma Julius, a Kenyan worker employed in Jabaa-Nabatieh, highlights the persistent challenges faced by migrant domestic workers concerning salary non-payment and repatriation. It is increasingly common for employers to refuse to send workers home at the end of their contracts.

Darma arrived in Lebanon on May 15, 2023 and was employed for over two years. She contacted This Is Lebanon on September 1, 2025 to report non-payment of four months' salary and her employer's refusal to send her home.

Initial attempts at negotiation with the employer proved challenging. In early September 2025, the employer verbally agreed to purchase her ticket home and pay the owed salary within five days. However, this promise was not kept. The employer later cited expired paperwork and the need to pay penalties of about $500, delaying action while awaiting funds from a son abroad.

As the delays mounted, Darma expressed extreme discomfort and a desire to leave, noting her employer’s increasing anger when she refused to stay. Advocacy efforts escalated, with another migrant workers’ organisation threatening legal action for forced labour.

Further intervention was sought in December 2025, including a direct appeal urging compliance and involvement from the consulate. A Kenyan Consulate representative engaged in heated calls with the employer and her brother, securing a promise of salary payment and repatriation by December 15. Darma was repatriated on December 13, 2025 with her full salary and expressed her gratitude for assistance in getting home.

The Lebanese government must implement systems to check that employers do the work and residency permits for domestic workers. Far too many workers are undocumented, and therefore uninsured, through no fault of their own. Such systems would ensure that less workers become enslaved, locked in sometimes for years on end because no government department is checking on them.

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The worker has reviewed this article and confirmed that the information presented is accurate and she has requested the sharing of her story.

This Is Lebanon was established in 2017 with the aim of working towards abolishing the kafala system in Lebanon. Our goal has been to raise awareness about the dangers of the kafala system by exposing the horrific conditions under which migrant domestic workers live and the perpetrators of abuse as well as advocating with and on behalf of migrant domestic workers. Ultimately, This Is Lebanon gives a voice to workers and encourages witnesses of abuse to come forward.

Kafala (the Arabic word for sponsorship) refers to the set of regulations and administrative practices used to sponsor and employ migrant workers in Lebanon, mostly women from African and Asian countries working for private households. Domestic workers are excluded from Lebanese labor law and lack basic protections. The kafala system protects abusers and denies domestic workers of basic human rights. The high degree of control over workers’ rights provided by the kafala system has led to cases of modern slavery, human trafficking, and exploitation.