The EU Delegation deeply regrets the tragic death of Ms Alem Dechassa, a domestic worker of Ethiopian origin, and extends its condolences to the relatives of the deceased. We call on the Lebanese authorities to fully investigate the circumstances of the
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Eight organisations in Lebanon: Stop Abuse of Domestic Workers
(Beirut, 23 March 2012) – Lebanese authorities should act quickly to reform restrictive visa regulations and adopt a labor law on domestic work to address high levels of abuse and deaths among migrant domestic workers, a group of eight concerned civil society groups said today. The government should also announce publicly the outcome of the investigation into the recent abuse and subsequent suicide of Alem Dechasa-Desisa, an Ethiopian domestic worker.
The eight groups are Human Rights Watch, Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center, KAFA (enough) Violence & Exploitation, Anti Racism Movement, Amel Association International, Insan, Danish Refugee Council, and Nasawiya.
On March 8, 2012,
The eight groups are Human Rights Watch, Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center, KAFA (enough) Violence & Exploitation, Anti Racism Movement, Amel Association International, Insan, Danish Refugee Council, and Nasawiya.
On March 8, 2012,
ثمان منظمات لبنانية: يجب الكف عن انتهاك حقوق عاملات المنازل
(بيروت، 23 مارس/آذار 2012) – قالت ثمان منظمات من المجتمع المدني اليوم إن على السلطات اللبنانية أن تتحرك سريعاً لإصلاح نظام الكفيل لعاملات المنازل، وأن تتبنى قانوناً للعمل يحميهن ويتصدى لارتفاع معدلات الانتهاكات والوفيات بين عاملات المنازل الوافدات الى لبنان. كما ينبغي على الحكومة أن تنشر نتائج التحقيق في واقعة الإساءة إلى عاليم ديشاسا-ديسيسا، عاملة المنزل الأثيوبية، ثم انتحارها.
Ethiopia seeks full investigation into suicide of maid beaten in Beirut
Housemaid Alem Dechasa killed herself after street attack that sparked outrage over treatment of migrant workers in Lebanon
Rachel Stevenson in Beirut, guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 March 2012
Alem Dechasa was found dead in hospital, apparently hanged using strips from her bed sheets. Warning: video contains violence Link to this video
Ethiopia is lobbying Lebanon to investigate fully the death of an Ethiopian housemaid who killed herself after being beaten on the
Rachel Stevenson in Beirut, guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 March 2012
Alem Dechasa was found dead in hospital, apparently hanged using strips from her bed sheets. Warning: video contains violence Link to this video
Ethiopia is lobbying Lebanon to investigate fully the death of an Ethiopian housemaid who killed herself after being beaten on the
المجتمع المدني يستذكر عاليم الأثيوبية «المنتحرة»: شُبِّه لنا أنها انتحرت، إنما نحن قتلناها
 |
| بكت العاملات الأثيوبيات في القداس الذي أقامه «مركز كاريتاس للأجانب» لراحة نفس عاليم (فادي أبوغليوم) |
قتلت السيدة الأثيوبية عاليم ديسيسا نفسها في 14 الجاري، إنما يبدو الجزم بالانتحار الذي جاء في تقرير الطبيب الشرعي غير مقنع للمجتمع اللبناني والجمعيات الأهلية والجالية الأثيوبية في لبنان. هؤلاء لا يشككون في التقرير الطبي بقدر ما يشيرون إلى عنف وعنصرية مورسا على عاليم وساهما في دفعها إلى إنهاء حياتها. علما أنه حتى اللحظة لم تظهر أي نتائج للتحقيق وفق مديرة مركز الأجانب في «كاريتاس لبنان» نجلا شهدا لـ«السفير»، موضحة أن «كاريتاس» موكلة من القنصلية متابعة قضية عاليم واتخاذ الخطوات القانونية والقضائية اللازمة بعد صدور نتائج التحقيق».
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Photos: Vigil for Alem Dechassa Outside Lebanon Embassy in D.C.
 |
| Photo by Martha Z. Tegegn for Tadias Magazine |
A crowd of Ethiopians gathered in front of the Embassy of Lebanon here on Thursday morning for an hour vigil to mourn and protest the death of 33-year old Alem Dechassa, the Ethiopian woman that was violently mistreated outside the Ethiopian embassy in Beirut as shown in a viral video last weekend. Alem died on Wednesday.
Continue reading here: http://www.tadias.com/03/16/2012/photos-vigil-for-alem-dechassa-outside-lebanon-embassy-in-d-c/
In Memory of Alem Dechassa: Reporting & Mapping Domestic Migrant Worker Abuse: http://www.tadias.com/03/17/2012/in-memory-of-alem-dechassa-reporting-mapping-domestic-migrant-worker-abuse-in-the-middle-east/
Online Outrage Over Death of Domestic Worker Turns Into Activism http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/03/17/ethiopialebanon-online-outrage-over-death-of-domestic-worker-turns-into-activism/
وزير العمل اللبناني: مأساة انتحار الخادمة الأثيوبية تفتح الباب أمام تنقية قطاع مكاتب الاستخدام
الوكالة الوطنية - أعلن
وزير العمل سليم جريصاتي أنّه يسجّل "بأسف وأسى إقدام الخادمة الاثيوبية
التي تعرضت منذ ايام لاعتداء على مدخل القنصلية الاثيوبية، على الانتحار"،
وأعطى جريصاتي توجيهاته اللازمة "للتشدد في هذا الظرف مع مكتب الاستخدام
لجهة ظروف استقدام الخادمة المذكورة واستخدامها والأعراض الصحية التي قيل
انها تشكو منها". وفي بيان لمكتبه الاعلامي، لفت جريصاتي إلى أن "ما جرى هو مأساة انسانية
تفتح الباب واسعاً أمام تنقية قطاع مكاتب الاستخدام وفتح الملف على
مصراعيه".
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Daily Star Editorial: Real racism
The Daily Star, March 16, 2012
 |
| LBC’s broadcast shows the Ethiopian woman being pushed into a car by Mahfouz and another accomplice. |
The tragic case of Ethiopian migrant worker Alem Dechasa, who committed
suicide this week, has once again shone light on the shameful neglect
of basic human rights in Lebanon. Dechasa was seen being beaten and forced into a car by a Lebanese man, in footage released last week. She killed herself Wednesday morning |
An Open letter to the Ethiopian Consul in Lebanon
Letter by Tadeos Anteneh, published on nazret.com, an Ethiopian Blog
Dear Asaminew Debele,
The tragic and untimely death of fellow Ethiopian and mother of two Alem Dechasa has once again blown the cover masking the utter and complete lack of concern your government continues to show to the plight of Ethiopian women across the Arab world.
Alem did not have to die at this point in time
Dear Asaminew Debele,
The tragic and untimely death of fellow Ethiopian and mother of two Alem Dechasa has once again blown the cover masking the utter and complete lack of concern your government continues to show to the plight of Ethiopian women across the Arab world.
Alem did not have to die at this point in time
لاكسمي البنغلادشية: sorry أنا ما عملت شي
Al-Akhbar newspaper published today the story of a 27 year old Bengali domestic worker who was freed without charges after 15 months of detention. She was accused of attempted murder.
جريدة الأخبار، محمد نزال، الجمعة ١٦ آذار ٢٠١٢
بعد 15 شهراً على توقيفها احتياطياً، أمر القاضي بإطلاق سراحها لـ«عدم كفاية الدليل».
بعد 15 شهراً على توقيفها احتياطياً، أمر القاضي بإطلاق سراحها لـ«عدم كفاية الدليل».
Thursday, March 15, 2012
السيدة الإثيوبية عاليم ديسيسا انتحرت
يمكنكم أيضا قراءة: كان اسمها آلِم آشِسا، جريدة الأخبار
إسمها باللغة الإنجليزية: Alem Dechasa
يقول تقرير الطبيب الشرعي الذي كشف على جثتها، ان «السيدة الإثيوبية عاليم ديسيسا قد انتحرت»، وفق المعلومات الأمنية. ماتت عاليم، تاركةً طفلين ينتظران رجوعها من البلد الذي قصدته لتؤمن لهما حياة كريمة. نُقل عنها حلمها قبل يومين بطفلها البكر يحمل صحناً فارغاً ويلومها لأنها تأكل من صحن ممتلئ. رحلت عاليم، لكنها تركت للبنانيين شريط فيديو يظهر تعنيفها خلال إرغامها على الصعود إلى سيارة قريب لصاحب
Ethiopian migrant worker publically beaten takes own life
Also: Maid in Lebanon abuse video kills herself Aljazeera.com BEIRUT: The Ethiopian domestic worker whose beating outside her country’s consulate was caught on tape and widely publicized committed suicide Wednesday, Ethiopia’s consul general in Lebanon confirmed to The Daily Star. Alem Dechasa, 33, hanged herself using her bed sheets between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., Ethiopian Consul General Asaminew Debelie Bonssa said doctors had | |||||||||||||||
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The identity of the aggressor of the Ethiopian is revealed: Will the judiciary take action?
The identity of the aggressor of the Ethiopian domestic worker was revealed yesterday. He even gave an interview to LBCI news, who had initially showed the shocking phone footage of incident.
Despite the council of ministers' statement on this issue, condemnations by government officials, extensive media coverage and human rights activists outrage, the aggressor, who works in an employment agency, remains free. Will the judiciary take action?
The Ethiopian girl is said to have attempted to commit suicide.
The Ethiopian consul reiterated his request for the Lebanese authorities to assign a security guard to the consulate. Caritas representative said that this is a case of human trafficking. He said that similar incidents in front of his embassy are recurrent.
While most media coverage was rationale, Annahar newspaper wrote in Arabic that despite this incident, and "in reality" many of the workers are living in "acceptable to good conditions" and that some of them are harming they country they're living from (i.e. Lebanon). Annahar adds that in any case "we should not consider that Lebanon, who does not offer his own citizens all their rights, is not affording any rights to [migrant domestic workers]".
لكن للحقيقة، ان كثيرين منهم أيضاً يعيشون في ظروف مرضية بل جيدة، وبعضهم يسيء الى البلد الذي يقتاتون منه، إذ لا يجوز أن تتحوّل ظاهرة المطالبة لهم بحقوق، الى جلد الذات واعتبار ان لبنان لا يوفر لهم أي حقوق، وهو لا يوفر أصلاً لأبنائه كل الحقوق.
The following is some English media coverage.
The Daily Star: Officials to investigate beating of domestic worker - March 10, 2012, By Annie Slemrod, Van Meguerditchian
BEIRUT: The government has called for a probe into a video showing an Ethiopian domestic worker being beaten by a Lebanese man
 |
| LBC’s broadcast shows the Ethiopian woman being pushed into a car by Ali Mahfouz and another accomplice. |
The Ethiopian girl is said to have attempted to commit suicide.
The Ethiopian consul reiterated his request for the Lebanese authorities to assign a security guard to the consulate. Caritas representative said that this is a case of human trafficking. He said that similar incidents in front of his embassy are recurrent.
While most media coverage was rationale, Annahar newspaper wrote in Arabic that despite this incident, and "in reality" many of the workers are living in "acceptable to good conditions" and that some of them are harming they country they're living from (i.e. Lebanon). Annahar adds that in any case "we should not consider that Lebanon, who does not offer his own citizens all their rights, is not affording any rights to [migrant domestic workers]".
لكن للحقيقة، ان كثيرين منهم أيضاً يعيشون في ظروف مرضية بل جيدة، وبعضهم يسيء الى البلد الذي يقتاتون منه، إذ لا يجوز أن تتحوّل ظاهرة المطالبة لهم بحقوق، الى جلد الذات واعتبار ان لبنان لا يوفر لهم أي حقوق، وهو لا يوفر أصلاً لأبنائه كل الحقوق.
The following is some English media coverage.
The Daily Star: Officials to investigate beating of domestic worker - March 10, 2012, By Annie Slemrod, Van Meguerditchian
BEIRUT: The government has called for a probe into a video showing an Ethiopian domestic worker being beaten by a Lebanese man
Friday, March 9, 2012
Shocking phone footage of abuse of Ethiopian worker on Lebanese TV
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International LBCI broadcasted yesterday a shocking short video (below) showing the abuse of an Ethiopian women, presumably a domestic worker, in front of the Ethiopian Embassy in Lebanon. One of the persons present was heard saying "the people on the balconies are watching".
The Ethiopian was forced into the car... I can only imagine the worst for what would follow.
The Ethiopian was forced into the car... I can only imagine the worst for what would follow.
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