THE STORY
Mohammad Hamze Ghalayini, 55, and his wife, Hiba Bachir Itani, 52, are the abusers and enslavers of 22-year old Ghanaian worker Blessing Sowah. She has worked for them since August 2019, and to date has not been paid a single Lira. Currently she is locked in their home, unable to communicate with the outside world, while she is seriously ill with tuberculosis, a highly contagious disease second only to HIV and AIDS as the greatest global killer.
We learned about Blessing through her mother Joy, who also works in Lebanon. She contacted This is Lebanon’s Facebook page on 11 January, 2020, asking for help. She was extremely concerned about her daughter’s health and well being. She had not been allowed to speak to her since a week after her arrival. Every time Joy called her employer, Hiba shouted at her and cursed her.
Hiba informed Joy that Blessing had been diagnosed with tuberculosis in the first week of her arrival. Her treatment would take six months, she said, and she had put Blessing “in the room where she stays.”
Blessing's mother pleas for help for her daughter.
“Blessing has tuberculosis and I have put her in the room where she stays."
Domestic worker contracts in Lebanon stipulate that the employer is responsible for all medical treatment, and must take out insurance to cover any employees. What that insurance, covers, however is uncertain.
Since early 2020, This is Lebanon has been trying to help get Blessing out and help her return to her home country. So far, her employers have refused to cooperate, saying that she has only served them for a total of 8 days since she arrived in August, 2019.
A prisoner in the Ghalayini’s home // Hiba tries to stall by laying the blame on Blessing
What followed since August 2019 between Joy and Hiba was a series of WhatsApp conversations in which Joy begged for information about her daughter. The most she could glean from Hiba was that Blessing was “fine”, but with limited further details about her health.
Click the right arrow below to scroll through the screenshots and see Joy's pleas to Hiba.
Hiba consistently complained about Blessing and alleged that the employment office had refused to take her back. There is usually a three month trial period in domestic worker contracts in Lebanon, whereby both parties can - in theory - ask to annul the contract. This Is Lebanon contacted the agency. The first time they denied that they are a domestic worker agency; the second time they said they would enquire about Blessing and asked us to call back; the third time they said they have no employers from the Ghalayini/Itani family.
“Why do you want to hear from her? You have to behave yourself if you want to talk to your daughter." - Hiba to Blessing's Mother
In the WhatsApp conversations that Joy has had with Hiba since August 2019, Hiba has told Joy she must pay her $1,000 so Blessing can return to Ghana. It is a clear attempt to extort money from her.
Like many other abusive employers, Hiba has accused Blessing of stealing money from her and attempting to run away. In an audio conversation with Joy, she says that Blessing took $1,000, which was to go towards the cost of her return ticket home. “I don’t have money and I’m not willing to lose another $1,000 for your daughter,” she says in a conversation on Jan 25, 2020.
Listen to the call with Hiba.
This is Lebanon contacts Blessing’s slave owners
This Is Lebanon called Mohammad Ghalayini on 22 January, 2020. He told us: “Blessing is fine. For three months she refused to work. Her mother was supposed to find a family that would take her. She could not find one. Twenty days ago she stole money and ran away. Next week I am going to book a ticket for her and she is traveling to Ghana. She should be in Ghana next week.”
Listen to the call with Mohamad.
On 24 January, This Is Lebanon called Hiba Itani and tried to facilitate a call between Joy and Blessing. Joy desperately pleaded to speak to her daughter, stating that it had been more than 5 months since she had last spoken to her. Hiba denied that it was Joy on the line and hung up on her.
Listen to the call with Hiba.
Joy called her back immediately. Hiba claimed that Blessing stole money and the concierge caught her. She said: “I could have handed your daughter to the police but I am so merciful that I didn’t for your sake, because I am a mom and I know what a mom feels when her daughter is imprisoned for stealing. Do you know how much your daughter cost me up till now? She cost me $3500 and she took the $1000 that we caught with her, and she hasn’t worked one day.
I have medicated your daughter for 3 months for free. I have made x-rays and lab tests without any penny. I am serving your daughter as if I’m the servant and she’s the madam. The police know about your daughter but I told them I don’t want to imprison her.”
Joy pleaded to speak to her daughter and Hiba responded: “Why do you want to hear from her, my dear? You have to behave yourself if you want to talk to your daughter. Anyway, she’s asleep. And don’t send me messages from anyone else again. Otherwise I will put your daughter in prison and you can take her from there in 5 years.”
Listen to the call with Hiba.
In the same call, she also complains that Blessing does not know how to do anything and had to be trained. It is clear that she has no concern for her employee’s wellbeing, and her main concern is the amount of money she has invested and that she has a clean house.
Hiba says: “I told her she needs to be medicated for 6 months. She took it for two months but she has to stop it so it won’t have a bad effect on her kidneys, her liver, she started another time for another 2 months. Her case was severe. Now she moved from stage 3 to stage 1. Now am I supposed to lose all my money? And I have to lose $1,000 for the ticket also? No Ma’am, I’m going to wait for her to be better - but I am not going to lose more money. I can give her to another family or a restaurant.”
When Joy asks about Blessing’s promised return to Ghana in February, Hiba replies, contradicting her husband Mohammad: “Who told her she is leaving next month? She is not leaving next month.” Hiba also complains about having to do her own housework: “I swept under her bed, I am 50 years old and I am sweeping under her bed. I have lost $4,200 for a girl who cannot move herself.”
To date, Blessing remains locked in her employers’ home. Joy finally managed to speak to her on 27 January, 2020. Blessing attested to her mother that she is gravely ill and that she stopped menstruating 3 months ago. She alleges that her employers verbally abuse her, that they have not allowed her to shower for two months, and they have taken away all her warm clothes. She says she has not stolen a single lira. Blessing alleges that she has also been reprimanded for taking a piece of bread from the fridge.
On 29 January, we contacted Hiba again. Our goal is always to rescue women in slavery, not to post. We wrote, "We are giving you one last opportunity to pay her and send her home. If you undertake to do that in the next 7 days we will refrain from posting the article tomorrow." Hiba responded that Blessing has been paid in cash. She also sent us a video with the comment, "The girls took this yesterday while playing." Obviously, Heba's idea of play for Blessing is doing the ironing. It is common for abusers to record their victims giving false testimony under duress.
A staged video by Hiba of Blessing.
A well-connected family
The Ghalayinis live in Moussaitbeh, Beirut, on Chafei Street on the fifth floor of the Farah building. Mohammad is an engineer, and owns a company called the Lebanese Engineering and Development Company, established in 2006. According to its company profile, it provides engineering, contracting and consulting services. Our investigation confirms that he has had legal troubles in the past due to unpaid debts. He works in the Prime Minister's building.
This is Lebanon has a number of questions:
- Why won’t the employers provide the medical reports both This Is Lebanon and Joy have asked for?
- Why hasn’t Blessing been paid since she arrived in August, 2019?
- Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease. Why hasn’t Blessing been sent to the sanitorium in Azounieh or been sent home?
- Have Mohammad and Hiba completed Blessing’s residency papers and insurance, to ensure she is working legally?
- Why wasn’t Blessing allowed to speak to her mother and sister, who are also in Lebanon, for 5 months?
- If the Ghalayinis have financial problems, why have they been allowed to employ a domestic worker?
- Which government agency will rescue Blessing?
Update
As a direct result of this post, Blessing was sent home to Ghana. She was sent home without any of her salary. It is unclear whether she ever had tuberculosis or whether this was another of the Ghalayinis' lies. As of March, 2020, she is still suffering from PTSD and is seeking medical attention for ongoing health issues.
Meet The Abusers
Imprisoning a sick worker? False accusations? Enslavement? When will this end?
Hiba Itani Ghalayini
She enslaved Blessing, and blocked her mother on WhatsApp. She verbally abuses Blessing and prevented her from speaking to her mother Joy for five months.
Mohammad Ghalayini
Mohammad’s Facebook pictures show him with his wife and daughters, but he seems to have complete disregard for the daughters of Ghanaian women.
