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Outlook: I escaped my abusive boss and found a sisterhood

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Mariam

25/01/2023 GMT

I escaped my abusive boss and found a sisterhood

BBC World Service - Outlook, I escaped my abusive boss and found a sisterhood

Mariam was mistreated while working as a cleaner in Lebanon and now campaigns for others

Mariam left Sierra Leone to become a domestic worker in Lebanon, but was mistreated and sexually abused by her employer. She now campaigns to help other women in her position.

Growing up in Sierra Leone, Mariam was one of the best students in her class - her dream was to become a journalist or a lawyer. But when finances prevented her from continuing her education she travelled to Lebanon to become a domestic worker. She soon found herself faced with terrible working conditions, and suffered sexual abuse from her male employer. She eventually escaped, and was able to meet other women in a similarly vulnerable position. Together the women are now campaigning for better protection for migrant domestic workers in Lebanon. Mariam asked us not to use her full name in this interview.

Fereshteh Khosroujerdy was born blind in Iran, and loved to sing despite being told it was sinful. She later came to the UK as an asylum speaker and now performs with the Inner Vision Orchestra, the UK's only professional orchestra made up of blind musicians. This interview was originally broadcast in July 2020.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Gaia Caramazza

(Photo: Mariam marching through the streets of Beirut. Credit: courtesy of MCC)

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