Maid in Hell

Documentary Screening: "Maid in Hell"

DIRECTOR / SØREN KLOVBORG (DK)
PRODUCER / METTE HEIDE (DK) FOR THE WHY FOUNDATION

Lebanon, Jordan & Kenya 2018
59 Minutes
English and Arabic, with English and Greek subtitles

Can an employment system hide a reality of torture and humiliation? 35 year old Mary Kibwana is just one of thousands of women who lived through hell working as a domestic helper in Jordan. She is a mother of four and was lucky to return to her home in Kenya. She arrived in a wheel-chair with 70 percent of her body burned. Two months later she died.
Harassment, abuse, rape and 18-hour work days are a commonplace reality for domestic helpers who have traveled to the Middle East to find employment. Trapped in the Kafala system, their passports are confiscated and they are bound to their employer. Unable to flee, they risk harsh punishments or imprisonments if they try.

‘Maid In Hell’ gives unprecedented access to this frightening and brutal form of modern slavery. Following employment agents who vividly describe the trade, as well as maids who struggle to find a way home after harrowing, and sometimes, deadly experiences, we come to understand the grotesque reality faced by thousands of women each day.

This screening is the first in the collaboration between the Cultural Workshop Agion Omologiton and The Why Foundation in Denmark. It is part of our ‘Cinema Wednesdays’ series of events. In 2020, we focus on Cinematic Journeys around the World.

The Why Foundation is a multi-award winning independent Danish non-profit organization that initiates, produces and distributes documentaries on pressing social and environmental issues.

Through partnership with international, national and local broadcasters, NGOs, cultural associations, festivals and educational institutions across all continents, The Why ensures that all people have access to high-quality, fact-based information.

The Why has since 2004 produced various media campaigns focused on human rights and critical social issues: WHY DEMOCRACY, WHY POVERTY, WHY WOMEN; WHY SLAVERY, WHY STORIES. & WHY PLASTIC (coming 2021).

The Why has reached more than 191 countries through 70 TV stations, including BBC and BBC World News.

Free Entrance
Suitable for persons over 18

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