Lebanon's slaves, Lebanon's shame

Over a month ago, a French documentary, "Liban, Pays des Esclaves," harshly criticized Lebanese society and the authorities for their treatment of migrant domestic workers. But instead of being outraged by the behavior of their fellow citizens, many Lebanese expressed outrage against the filmmaker who dared to sully their reputation in France. One group even organized a petition against the documentary on Facebook, Lebanon's latest craze.....................................

...........................Two weeks ago, Human Rights Watch released a report based on interviews with 100 Sri Lankan migrant domestic workers who had returned to Sri Lanka after working in the Middle East, including many in Lebanon. They tell a disheartening tale of ill-treatment by their employers and official indifference on the part of the Lebanese authorities.

Lebanese employers routinely confiscated the passports of the migrant domestic workers and confined them to the workplace 24 hours a day. In many cases employers refused to allow them to telephone their relatives or friends. Some employers also withheld wages for months to years at a time.

"I had no freedom to leave, day or night," said Krishnan, a 42-year-old Sri Lankan woman who had worked as a maid in Lebanon. "When they went out, they locked the house and took the key with them, and I had to stay inside."

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