Nidzma Lali Ammad came to Lebanon in 1997 from the Philippines. She ended up enslaved for 21 years, having no contact with her family during the two decades. She never once remitted money home. Nidzma’s employer and slaveholder was Issam Hayek and his family, owners of the Green Hills restaurant in Nabatieh.

Nidzma’s son contacted This Is Lebanon in March 2018 and we posted about her on our Facebook page. Shortly after that, we received a phone call from her, as detailed below. Nidzma was finally freed in April 2018; the Lebanese police force, the Lebanese General Security, the Philippines Embassy, and This Is Lebanon all played a part in her release.

Nidzma made a deal with the Hayeks, and she returned home to the Philippines She finally left Lebanon in April 2018, with an undisclosed sum of money; she was owed tens of thousands of dollars, and received a partial payment.

So what happened in the two decades Nidzma spent working for the Hayeks? What kind of conditions did she live in? Why didn’t her family hear from her for about 20 years? And why wasn’t she able to send home any money all that time? All these questions remain to be answered.