Amel Association Hosts Migrant Worker Gatherings to Challenge Kafala System and Amplify Voices

In partnership with the European Union and Austrian Development Agency under the LEA Project

In line with its longstanding commitment to safeguarding the dignity and rights of all migrants, Amel Association International recently organized two impactful gatherings that brought together over 40 leaders from migrant domestic worker communities, representing more than a dozen nationalities across Lebanon.

These events provided a crucial platform for participants to voice their realities, share lived experiences, and collaboratively draft advocacy messages that will shape Amel’s upcoming media campaign. The goal: to ensure that the voices of migrant workers are not just heard, but placed at the forefront of the conversation around their rights.

💬 “These discussions revealed the persistent and systemic abuses faced by migrant workers under the Kafala sponsorship system,” said a representative from Amel. Participants highlighted patterns of exploitation, discrimination, and the urgent need for change.

Following the discussions, attendees took part in:

• Awareness sessions on Amel’s rights-based services and support structures

• A legal overview of the origins and implications of the Kafala system

• Discussions around realistic, rights-affirming alternatives to the current sponsorship mechanism

This initiative is part of the LEA Project (Labor, Empowerment, Advocacy), funded by the European Union and the Austrian Development Agency, which aims to eradicate all forms of forced labor and exploitation, and to promote alternative, human rights-compliant frameworks to the Kafala system in Lebanon.