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Women Domestic workers in Lebanon - Part one
Thousands of Asian women leave their homes each year to work as maids in the Arab World with the hope of securing a better economic future. Yet since their experiences are hidden behind closed doors, little is known of the fears and struggles they face while abroad. Tracing women's journeys from Sri Lanka to Lebanon, this film exposes the little known world of the domestic migrant worker.
Since 1973 women have been migrating to Lebanon to work to fulfill the caring and cleaning needs of wealthier families. These women work for years to send money home for their financial futures. While some are able to succeed, many do not. Rather, their dreams are shattered in exploitive and abusive situations. In their own voices, the women in this film reveal cases of torture, rape, physical and mental abuse, and non-payment of wages. The documentary provides an insightful and sensitive look into the lives of these migrant workers with interviews from family members, employers, hiring agents and specialists in the field. It explores the questions of why women migrate, why they often return to the Middle East multiple times, and why abuses occur. Ultimately, the women's harrowing accounts point to several solutions to the problems. As they speak of dreams, hard work, failed goals and triumphs, their stories reveal the immediate need for better legal protections at home and abroad. Shot on location in Lebanon and Sri Lanka.
