THE BULLETIN
The Bulletin is MWA’s collection of briefs, statements and updates on current developments relating to the Kafala system in Lebanon.
Migrant domestic workers in Lebanon continue to be denied safe and dignified access to sanitation, a fundamental human right. On World Toilet Day 2025, MWA sheds light on how the Kafala system, collapsing infrastructure, and exclusion from national WaSH frameworks leave migrant women facing daily humiliation, restricted bathroom access, and heightened vulnerability during crises. Their testimonies call for urgent reforms to ensure dignity, safety, and equality for all.
Migrant domestic workers in Lebanon face a mental health crisis driven by the Kafala system, systemic exclusion, and the compounded emergencies affecting the country. On World Mental Health Day 2025, MWA highlights how restricted access to services, confinement during the war, and decades of racialised and gendered abuse have resulted in widespread trauma that remains largely unacknowledged. Their experiences underscore the urgent need for inclusive, equitable, and migrant-led mental health responses.
In light of recent developments in the region and the debate surrounding human rights, our team member L. shares a heartfelt message of solidarity and support. As a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon she is experiencing challenges and discrimination, similar to those experienced by Migrant Domestic Workers trapped under the Kafala System.
During Ramadan, we are called to reflect on compassion and gratitude, yet migrant domestic workers in Kafala countries often face systemic exploitation and dehumanisation in our own households. Kuwaiti activist, Aryam Marafi, examines how privilege and entrenched hierarchies allow abuse, overwork, and denial of religious freedom, highlighting the urgent need to extend dignity, respect, and human rights to those whose labor sustains our daily lives.
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