Burundian's ordeal in Lebanon

[Ican]

Burundi's courts are investigating the alleged trafficking of young Burundian girls and women. Magistrate Arcade Niyongabo has told the BBC many of them think they are seeking asylum in Europe, but end up working as gardeners, maids or prostitutes in Lebanon.

He says about 30 Burundians are still in Lebanon but he thinks the number could be much higher because many change their names before leaving.

A 24-year-old Burundian woman who has returned from her ordeal in Lebanon tells the BBC her story:

It was in 2003 when many young girls were going to Lebanon.


There was little difference between prostitution and working as a maid because even when you chose house work, you would often be raped

I was an orphan and did not have a job. I wanted to get money to continue my studies and help my younger sisters.

Somebody came and told me that there were good job opportunities in Lebanon.

The person introduced me to a Lebanese man who was dealing with sending young girls to Lebanon. He got me a passport and sent me to Lebanon.

I had no parents to tell. I told my friends that I was leaving for Lebanon. They encouraged me to go saying those who had left earlier were sending pictures showing they were fine and well treated.

I thought I was also going to prosper

There were five of us when we left. They changed our names and gave us Congolese passports.

At the airport [in Lebanon] we were taken into a big room where your future boss would come to pick you.

We were given two options: to become a prostitute or to do house work.

Salary cut

There were so many girls from different countries... Ethiopia, the Philippines, from all over.

Ethiopian evacuee embraces friend she's leaving behind
African migrant workers were stranded in Lebanon during the bombing

The boss would come up and call your name, and take you home once you came forward.

You'd never know again what would happen to your friends. You would not see them again.

What we were being told and shown was totally wrong.

First of all they refused to pay me the amount we had agreed before I left.

When we arrived home, my boss told me I would be paid $50 a month whilst before I left we agreed I would be paid $100.

After three months, I asked for my payments so that I could send money to my brothers and sisters.

My boss gave me only $150. I complained I should be given $300. She said I was being paid $50 a month.

I had nowhere to go or turn to in the strange country. I asked for the contact number of the person who had sent me to Lebanon. She refused to give it to me.

Once she was not at home, I went to a public phone nearby and called my best friend in Burundi.

War

I told her my wages had been cut by half and that the work was so huge.

It was a big house with several storeys and I had to tend the gardens as well.

But she said I should continue working.

We went through lots of ordeals.

The husband or son of the lady I worked for would often rape me. And there was no way you could complain: I felt they would not hesitate to kill me.

You just kept quiet. We were often beaten and tortured. They chose food for us, they would decide the clothes that we would put on, but being beaten was the most common practice.

There was little difference between prostitution and working as a maid because even when you chose house work, you would often be raped there.

And the prostitutes would not receive any money from their sex buyers. The money was paid to their boss.

I spent three years there until war broke out [between Israel and Lebanon last year].

We had to run away. At the end of my three year contract, I demanded to go home.

My boss paid me half of the money she ought to have given me. Then she deducted $700 for my ticket to Lebanon from Bujumbura. I was left with very little money.

At the airport I found my visa had been extended for another year. The agency that employed me said I could only leave in 2007.

It was a Friday.

I insisted that I leave. In the end the exit visa was changed and the next Sunday, I left and here I am.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6241214.stm

[Ina Baxar]

Same thing happened to Ethiopian women.

[Naaima]

Salam alaikum

how sad

[Ina Baxar]

Wa alaikuma salam wa rahmatullah wa barakato
Indeed!

[Naaima]

and what are you laughing at? hee

[Ina Baxar]

Waxaan ku qoslay naaima , salaanta ka dheer jawaabta .

[*Arabman]

Hezbollah or Islamists aren't involved in this ordeal. This is the work of the secular Lebanese government and secular Lebanese civilians.

[Naaima]

[quote="Ina Baxar"]Waxaan ku qoslay naaima , salaanta ka dheer jawaabta .[/quote]

saas miyaa

arabman, arab people are known for that and known for talking to black people in the most disrespectful way

[*Arabman]

[arabman, arab people are known for that and known for talking to black people in the most disrespectful way]

It's seculars wherever they are; not Islamists.

[Naaima]

why are you bringing religion into this!..allahu aclam waxay yihin

[*Arabman]

[ why are you bringing religion into this!..allahu aclam waxay yihin]

Because seculars don't practice religion. Those who practice (Islamists) religion don't talk to black (or any other color) people in the most disrespectful way, because they practice the teachings of Islam that teach white isn't better than black, neither black is better than white, save on taqwa.

[Naaima]

right, but do you really think people follow the sunnah , i doubt that, just look at somalis, we could be a good example! the nabi swc said that ‘a person who follows the cause of nationalism and qabilism is not one of us’....we don't follow the sunnah we use qabiil reer hebal is better than reer hibal..

[*Arabman]

[right, but do you really think people follow the sunnah , i doubt that, just look at somalis, we could be a good example! the nabi swc said that ‘a person who follows the cause of nationalism and qabilism is not one of us’....we don't follow the sunnah we use qabiil reer hebal is better than reer hibal..]

However, the Islamic Courts Union follow the sunnah; it doesn't follow nationalism and qabilism. The ICU encouraged marriage between those with nasab and those with less/no nasab. My point, there are many Somalis who follow the sunnah; it's only those seculars (Abdullahi Yusuf, Geedi, Hiraale, Riyaale, others) who don't follow the sunnah.

[Naaima]

i have just alluded to the population, and why are u bringin the icu and the warlords , it's not their fault we using qabiil, qabilism is a bad somalian habit it's a part of our cultur walal and that habit is not easy to break nomatter what, we all know that the icu can't break that!

[quote]it's only those seculars (Abdullahi Yusuf, Geedi, Hiraale, Riyaale, others) who don't follow the sunnah.
[/quote]

allah aclam kuma danbai karo, and the sunnah is more than qabilism

[Ican]

[quote="*Arabman"]Hezbollah or Islamists aren't involved in this ordeal. This is the work of the secular Lebanese government and secular Lebanese civilians.[/quote]

How do you who's involved or not? This has nothing to do with the government from I've read, it's regular Lebanese people who are mistreating and abusing African and other foreign women. I'm pretty sure most of them would not describe themselves as "secular". But I guess it's easier for your mindset if everyone who does wrong is secular.

To be honest, some of the most racist Arabs I've met are the older ones, who are always at the mosque and devote themselves to the mosque, yet they have this superior attitude towards non arabs(except Caucasians). That is the reality, some people use religion to justify mistreatment of others just like the Christians did in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. And Arabs are no different, Islamist or otherwise. Deal with it.