Performances by migrant domestic workers during a celebration of women's day in Beirut. Picture by authors. Used with permission. As one dance ended and the audience burst into applause, loud Ivorian beats began to blare from the speaker in preparation for the next performance. The room, full of beautifully dressed women in saris, pagnes, jeans and shiny sequinnedtops, jostled for space in the packed theatre.
Before the last dance, Rose took the stage, switching fluently between English and French. “I want everyone to know that we are human beings. That we have skills and dreams other than just working in people’s houses.”
It might not seem a lot to ask for, but in Lebanon where these women work, their most basic human rights are systematically violated. Just two years ago, domestic workers would face detention and deportation if they were found to have a relationship. “They even want to control who we love and when we love”, Rose told us.
