The Kafala system oppresses hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who come to Lebanon in the hopes of providing for their families back home. Most hail from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia where traveling to find work in Lebanon initially seems appealing.

The administrative process they go through upon arrival, however, strips them of their rights and mobility. Their passports are literally given to their employers. The houses they work in often become detention centers. They are forced to work overtime without pay, mandated vacation days are not respected and physical abuse is unfortunately too commonplace.

Teaming up with Anti-Racism Movement Lebanon, my colleagues at Leo Burnett Beirut and I started the #AbolishKafala campaign.