Lebanon urged to end ‘abusive’ kafala system after suspected suicide of domestic worker

Faustina Tay, 23, was found dead hours after she reported abuse by her employers and expressed desire to go home.

The suspected suicide of Faustina Tay, a 23-year-old domestic worker in Lebanon, has renewed calls for the country to abolish its controversial kafala system.

Tay's body was found in a car park below her employer's building in Beirut on 14 March, shortly after she sent a final plea for help.

Prior to her death, Tay, a Ghanaian national, sent dozens of texts and voice messages to human rights groups and her brother, which detailed physical abuse by her employers, a charge they have denied.

After her story was published by Al Jazeera on 24 March, users took to social media to express their anger and to call for Tay's employers to be brought to justice.

English | March 27, 2020

COMMENTS

SUPPORT OUR WORK

We depend on your donation to fight for domestic workers in Lebanon.