Ethiopian domestic workers rebuild after expulsion from Lebanon
Audio 02:25
Dozens of Ethiopian servants gather outside the Ethiopian consulate in Hazmieh, east of Beirut, Lebanon, June 4, 2020. AP Photo / Hassan Ammar
By: Noé Hochet-Bodin Follow
5 mins
In Addis Ababa, repatriation flights have followed one another in recent months from the Middle East.
The majority concern Ethiopian domestic workers from Lebanon, driven out of the country by the coronavirus crisis.
Often victims of abuse and assault in Lebanon, they receive special attention.
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Gathered in a circle to follow a group therapy session, about twenty young women follow the words and rhythm of Eden Ayele, the psychologist from the Agar association who helps returnees.
“
When they are in the Middle East, they face different forms of abuse.
Psychological abuse, sexual abuse and physical violence.
"
In Agar's home, they follow professional reintegration workshops, music therapy and above all significant psychological support, absolutely necessary according to Eden Ayele. “
In particular, when they are victims of sexual assault, they lose their dignity. We can observe a feeling of guilt, a feeling of hopelessness. And sometimes they wonder if their life is worth living.
"
Women abused, and finally thrown into the streets by their Lebanese employers last year. While they left for Beirut full of hope, they often found themselves trapped in their condition, like Wekitu Nata, 30. “
My hostess was very powerful, much stronger than me, I couldn't stand up to her. Sometimes she decided not to pay me. I did not receive my last five months of salary. But the worst thing she did was deprive me of drinking water for six months.
"
Wekitu was not only a victim of his employer, but also trapped by his status as an undocumented migrant. “
The main problem in Lebanon is that for three years I had no papers, no passports, no money. I was not free. I could not work legally and I was stranded, without the possibility of returning home.
Like tens of thousands of others, she did not hesitate to return to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa a few months ago.
More than 60,000 women have since returned from Lebanon to Ethiopia.
A rhythm that is difficult to follow for support associations like Agar, assures program manager Fishesa Melese.
“
Personally, I am very surprised by their number.
I did not expect such a high number of repatriations.
Because of the confinement, they lost their jobs.
The economic crisis in Lebanon also forced them to return to Ethiopia.
"
Agar welcomed more than 900 returnees last year.
And should almost double the number of beneficiaries in 2021.
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Ethiopia
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