Battered Pinay housemaid escapes abusive employer in UAE

A 25-year-old Filipino household helper is now getting help from Philippine officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after escaping her allegedly abusive employer who she claimed maltreated her and kept her captive for more than one year. A report by the Khaleej Times said the Filipino, who was not named, was discharged from a hospital only last Monday for injuries that included a broken rib. “She slapped me and kicked me as usual as she instructed me to water the garden and iron the clothes. She also used a long electric extension wire to beat me until it was torn into pieces and plastic bits were embedded into my skin," she was quoted saying. According to the report, the Filipino had been working for one-and-a-half years for the family in Ajman without being paid. Following her discharge from Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Hospital in Ajman, she has sought the assistance of the Philippine Consulate General to pursue a case through the courts. Khaleef Times also quoted Lt. Col. Ali Alwan, director general of the Ajman Police, saying the maid had filed the complaint with Al Madina Police Station and the employer had been arrested on an assault charge and the matter has been referred to the public prosecution. Ajman Police and Teresa Bautista, a coordinator for the Philippine Consulate, visited her after her hospital stay and she was later brought to Philippine Consul General Benito Valeriano in Dubai. “This is very brutal and in my entire services in the diplomatic missions, this is the first time I witness this kind of brutality," Valeriano said. He assured the woman the consulate would support her to pursue the matter with the police and the court. He made a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on Tuesday for possible legal assistance. The Filipino arrived in Dubai from Manila on February 26, 2008. She claimed her employer began beating her in July 2008. She said she wanted to run away but the door to the sixth floor apartment was kept locked. Last August 9, a technician went to the house to repair the air conditioner in her employer’s bedroom and the employer forgot to lock the door. “After watering the plants, I found out the door was unlocked when I went inside the living room and that she (the employer) was there sleeping. I decided to iron the clothes of her children then slowly left the house though I could hardly walk because of the pain all over my body. I had nosebleed and my face was swollen," she said. As she walked to the road, she hailed a passing taxi and had the taxi driver take her to her agency. A member of the staff took the woman to a hospital and helped her lodge a police complaint. She was discharged from the hospital on Monday after a 12-day stay but has a fractured rib and is continuing to have medical treatment. The Philippine Overseas Labor Office is now looking after the Filipino while the court is processing her case, said the paper. - GMANews.TV