Videos on MDW in Egypt, USA and Lebanon

Facing Common Struggles, Domestic Workers Mobilize Across Borders

Posted: 05/21/2012 5:19 pm

Michelle Chen

Blogger, In These Times and CultureStrike

The United States isn't unique when it comes to political and social crises related to immigration. Migrants in other parts of the world face similar, sometimes much harsher struggles. Even those who are "legal" are often extremely vulnerable to economic exploitation, racial discrimination, and physical and sexual abuse. Abuse and enslavement of migrant and domestic workers from Asia and Africa has become epidemic in the Middle East.  In the wake of the suicide of an abused Ethiopian worker, Alem Dechasa-Desisa, whose story helped galvanize migrant rights campaigns, the issue has moved into the media spotlight lately:

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Stories of migrants dying on the job or taking their own lives are not uncommon, underscoring how their lives can be undervalued once they're swept into a "disposable" household workforce. Migrant women in particular struggle often with abusive employers and sexual harassment.

This video is part of a grassroots anti-harassment media campaign led by women in Lebanon:

See the videos and read more here