Leena Ksaifi
I am a long-time activist for migrant domestic workers (MDWs) working in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. My drive to fight for the respect, freedom and rights of MDWs has roots in my early life, since I grew up in the MENA region and watched complex dynamics play out between “madams” and “maids”. These dynamics—often gendered and racial—are rampant, and while it was very easy for me to notice the uneasy and unfair power dynamic, MDW abuse often goes unnoticed and even condoned.
I have dedicated my professional life to challenging this normalised abuse and racism against MDWs and to fight, alongside them, for their rights - it is an upward battle, but one that is necessary to advance racial justice and gender rights.
I currently lead a small organisation that operates a hotline to rescue abused MDWs in Lebanon and Syria. I aim to utilise my professional experience of over a decade to build a more just and sustainable care economy that respects and empowers both the care provider and care receiver.
Previously, I worked at the United Nations and International Labour Organisation where I consulted on projects related to labour migration and decent work for MDWs. I was also a project coordinator at Oxfam, and I founded a labour rights organisation that aims to create ethical and sustainable relationships between employers and MDWs.
I am a Chevening Scholar and hold a master’s in the political economy of violence and conflict from SOAS University of London.