Power Trip

The Middle East’s Kafala System Imprisons Millions of Women

Domestic workers face abuse and exploitation at the hands of their employers

Feb. 18, 2018 — Filipina workers returning home to Manila from Kuwait. Photo by Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images

It’s late afternoon in Beirut. Traffic is gridlocked and the city is soaked in heat; taxi drivers jamming the roads are edgy and impatient.