Trapped and alone, African domestic workers in Lebanon fear for their lives amid escalating tensions

Kenyan domestic worker Eulita Jerop’s desire to leave Lebanon, driven by fears of escalating conflict, is complicated by the terms of her employment. “I want to go home,” she told the BBC from Lebanon, where she has been employed for the past 14 months.

The 35-year-old has been shaken by the unfamiliar sounds she has heard near Beirut‘s outskirts.

“It was so scary. We were told it wasn’t bombs, but it was planes breaking the sound barrier,” she said. “But the sounds were hitting so hard.”

Jerop’s panic is similar to many others in her WhatsApp group of fellow domestic workers. The loud booms she heard came from fighter planes, raising concerns of a possible all-out war.

Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group have exchanged near-daily fire across the border. Israel’s invasion of Gaza, aimed at eliminating Hamas, has heightened tensions in the region. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia and political movement, says its attacks on Israel are in support of the Palestinian people.

While most of the conflict’s shelling has occurred in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, there are fears that it could engulf the rest of Lebanon in a wider regional struggle. In response, the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, and Canada have advised their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.

But for many, leaving isn’t easy. Jerop explained that it’s common for employers to confiscate workers’ passports upon arrival in Lebanon. Even with a passport, domestic workers need an exit visa to leave—a document that must be approved by their employer.

This practice is part of the country’s “kafala” system, which governs the employment of an estimated 250,000 foreign workers.

Under the kafala system, an individual’s immigration status is entirely dependent on their employer, leaving workers with limited rights. Employers often exploit this system, leading to cases of overwork, underpayment, and physical abuse—though Jerop has not experienced abuse.

Despite calls for significant reforms, the kafala system remains in place across several Arab states. According to Daniela Rovina, communications officer at the International Organization for Migration, international law requires that individuals be allowed to leave a country if a conflict occurs. However, Jerop’s employers want her to stay.

Even with the necessary paperwork, Jerop and her fellow domestic workers face additional challenges in leaving Lebanon. “Few flights are available, and they are very expensive,” she said, noting that flights to Kenya can cost up to $1,000.

Banchi Yimer, founder of an organization supporting Ethiopian domestic workers, said that while the average monthly salary used to be $150, many workers are now unpaid due to Lebanon’s severe cost-of-living crisis. “Every day we receive calls from women panicking,” Yimer said. “They ask us if we have any evacuation plan, if we can do anything about it.”

Another Kenyan domestic worker, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, echoed Jerop’s concerns. Living in Baabda, she said she cannot afford the costly flight back to Kenya. “I personally would like to go back home. But the tickets are so costly,” she said. “And my mum and dad also can’t afford that money.”

For the past few weeks, she has lived in fear, but like Jerop, her employer insists she stay. “They say I can’t leave because I haven’t finished my contract,” she said. “But is this contract more important than my life?”

The Lebanese labor ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment.