Report suggests domestic worker abuse is linked to mental health issues

Psychological problems of employers are a leading cause of violence or abuse perpetrated against domestic workers in Lebanon, according to an European Union-funded report published yesterday, 30 March 2011.

While existing social prejudice and legal loopholes allow for such behavior, the personal mental health problems of the “madame” are also responsible, suggests the report entitled  An Exploratory Study of Psychoanalytic and Social Factors in the Abuse of Migrant Domestic Workers by Female Employers in Lebanon.

“The reason why some women abuse [domestic workers] and others don’t … could be an unconscious problem,” said Lebanese American University professor and report author Ray Jureidini, who conducted the study on behalf of Lebanese NGO KAFA: Enough violence and Exploitation.

Read more in The Daily Star - Lebanon News: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=126610#ixzz1IAkbsjQb

 

A further report Trafficking of Migrant Domestic Workers in Lebanon: A Legal Analysis By Kathleen Hamill has also been published. We'll let you know if they become available on the web.