Since the implementation of the Kafala, or “sponsorship” system
facilitating the movement of migrant workers from Southeast Asia and
parts of Africa to work in the Middle East, thousands of women have left
their homes to work in Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and
other countries with a demand for cheap labor. While many women
initially sign up by choice, the high recruitment fees (often at least
$3,000) give them little choice over employment options, landing them
in underpaid, exploitative jobs as domestic workers—or in some cases,
sex workers. They stay out of necessity to pay back their debts and try
to make the experience a profitable one.
The majority of these women don't have a clue what's going on in these
countries. They are innocent, uneducated women from little villages who
don't know that there is a war going on in e.g. Syria...
