Judith Nyakangi worked as a domestic worker in Qatar, where she suffered extreme abuse at the hands of her employer and sponsor. Debilitating injuries left her in need of multiple surgeries and ongoing physical therapy. After months of waiting for her employer to be punished and to receive adequate compensation for her injuries, she returned to her home country Kenya on 25 February 2023.

Judith had put up a brave fight against a system that was hostile and an employer who was powerful. However, as officials repeatedly ‘archived’ her case and refused to investigate, she remained destitute and dependent on charity.

Qatar’s Ministry of Labour maintained that this was not a labour case but a police one, but the police did nothing since her employer was part of the force.

Back home, responsible for her family which includes a daughter just starting school, and a dependent mother and sister, Judith is struggling to make ends meet. Her spinal and leg injury makes it impossible for her to do physical labour, and she is in need of further treatment and therapy.

In this appeal, she speaks about her life now, and how the justice system in Qatar repeatedly failed her.

As per her calculations, and the documents she has shared with MR, she needs between KSH300,000 and 400,000 (approx US$2300 to 3000) for the coming financial year to cover her daughter’s schooling, medical expenses, as well as household and sundry expenses.

 

In her journal entry published by Migrant-Rights.Org last year, Judith wrote in great detail on what she endured. A few excerpts from her experiences:

I JMM a Kenyan 27 years old. I started working at my sponsor’s house whose name is Mr FS. On 5th of May 2021 at Shahaniya Estate.

The first day I entered the house they took everything I had, which are my bags and my mobile phone.

He used to punish me by locking [me] inside a room that has no AC whenever they go out. It reached a time where I couldn’t be able to walk my self due to they injured my keg and my back by beating me and slapping on my back. Other scars he would use  *** wires highheel shoe, a sweeping broom and a fire lighter. They used a fire lighter to burn me on my hands, chest and my neck. And the broom they used to on beating me mostly my head and other parts of my body until it breaks. And highheel shoes was used to beat me on my fingers and my toes until he hit it on my *** where it reached appoint (a point) that I couldn’t walk nor stand.

Read more here.