Lebanese Domestic Worker Abuse Video Goes Viral

Lebanese TV channel LBC has shown this footage of a Lebanese man beating an Ethiopian maid. The harrowing video has caught media and government attention. Although violence against domestic workers is no secret, it is even worse when it is done so unabashedly in front of the woman's own embassy no less.

The film and the book, The Help, had caught its fair share of public accolade and criticism for dealing with race and domestic workers. Merely a day before the video of the Ethiopian maid beating came out, Elie from Lebanon was commenting on the unadulterated racism against domestic workers and making parallels with the famous book.

"I never thought the passages present in the book, The Help, would actually pop up in such dramatic fashion in a Lebanese society. I never thought for a moment the bathroom issue was actually an issue in Lebanon. Aren’t those maids cleaning the bathroom to begin with?"

The Ethiopian maid video has caused much debate about foreign domestic workers, but also a debate on social media in Lebanon. According to this Lebanese blogger, people are too busy video sharing and retweeting than actually trying to help.

"When I first posted the video of the Ethiopian woman being humiliated and beaten in front her own embassy earlier today, it had around 300 views. Looking at it now, it has surpassed 6000 views and counting."

This Lebanese blogger talks of her experience making a speech about women and discrimination on International Women's Day, making some fair points and observations. Yet, it seems that the audience was more bothered that she said the word "sex" out loud.

"But I can’t help but wonder: what does it say about the state of a society when you tell some of its young members, educated, bright, privileged members, that rape is permitted under the laws of their country, that women are second class citizens ... what does it say when you say all that, and get nothing?"

There is a saying in gender studies that the problem for a female begins the second the doctor says, "It's a girl". This blogger discusses the gendered nature of the world that we live in, listing the things that alter our perceptions. Will this ever change? Perhaps, if we began with ourselves.

"The sum of all this brainwashing made that today many functions have become one gender dominated. And when a member of the opposite gender comes in, he/she is given a one way ticket to hell. Female surgeons, male nurses, female engineers, male classical ballet dancer, female car mechanics, male make up artist ... they all have experienced this."

So the cliché is that when women aren't in the kitchen making a sandwich, they shouldn't go anywhere near a computer or a math book because they just won't understand. Well, from a female blogger who loves math AND computer science, ladies, there should be nothing holding you back.

"So ladies, if you want to go tech, do it. Nothing biological prevents you to :), it's only in your head and your surroundings. Stop waiting for encouragement, just do it."