Pinay maid suffers abuse

Updated on: 25/05/2012

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Cristy’s blistered hands (inset) Cristy narrating her story

Pinay maid suffers abuse Bruises, hematoma marks on body

KUWAIT CITY, June 18: Both of her hands are heavily-bandaged. Bruises and hematoma mark several parts of her body. Cristy, not her real name, 24, married with three kids and a native of Manila, Philippines, claimed that she suffered severe physical abuse from her Kuwaiti employers. She recounted in between sobs to the Arab Times on Saturday her harrowing experience at the hands of her lady employer. Cristy arrived in Kuwait last March to work as a household service worker for a Kuwaiti family.

“At first, they were treating me well but my Madam started hurting me last May when we visited her mother and stayed in their house in Jahra for three weeks,” she stated. She claimed that her lady employer slapped her on several occasions and allegedly pushed her and hit her head on the wall for no apparent reason.
On one occasion, her lady employer asked her to pour two cups of liquid bleach and a detergent powder into a small basin and allegedly asked her to use her bare hands to dip into the solution and clean the walls of the house. “She did not allow me to use gloves or a sponge. Both of my hands were blistered because of the solution but she asked me to go on and clean everything,” she stated.

She narrated that she endured all the physical abuses inflicted on her because she has been thinking of her kids back in the Philippines. “I need to be strong for their sake. I have to be alive for them,” she shared. Finally, on June 12, due to fear of getting killed, she was able to escape from her employers when they asked her to accompany them to a mall. “I took a taxi and went straight to the Philippine Embassy for help. Coincidentally, it was the Philippines Independence Day and it’s also a freedom day for me,” she recounted.
The Head of the Assistance to Nationals Unit at the Philippine Embassy Dalidig Ibrahim Tanandatu informed the Arab Times that the embassy upon the instruction of Philippine Ambassador Shulan Primavera immediately extended legal assistance to Cristy. “She was accompanied by two lawyers to the Jahra police station and they were referred to the Criminal Evidence Department. They have already filed a case of sexual harassment and grave physical injuries against her employers. We will do all our best to help her,” he explained.

Cristy is now housed temporarily at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) together with some 300 distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). “We have already brought Cristy to the hospital for a thorough examination. Aside from the legal assistance that the embassy is giving her, we will also help her recover from her traumatic experience through counseling and therapy with the help of some partners in the expatriate community,” outlined Philippine Labour Attache David Des Dicang.

“I demand justice for what they have done to me. They have to pay for their inhumane acts. I want them to feel and experience what I’ve been through. Even though I want to go home now and be with my family, I will stay here and will fight my case to the end and make sure that justice is served because if I won’t do this, how many more housemaids will they abuse?” she stressed.

By: Michelle Fe Santiago - Special to the Arab Times

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THIS IS THE TRUE EYE OPENrosalyn | 2/11/2012 2:03:14 PM OHHHHH MY GOD THIS IS THE HUMAN ABUSE ...THIS IS IT YOU NEED MORE FROOF GO TO THE AMBASSES YOU CAN VISE THERE YOU SEE MORE ,,,I KNOW NOT AT ALL KUWAITI IS BAD THERE S A GOOD,,,,,,,,,,

dont expectGeri | 6/22/2011 10:48:07 AM This is the story that kuwait love to hear and they will not care about this in the end this lady will accept a blood money for the sake of her family in her country and people need to wait for another abusive story, about maid end their lifes, maids jumping from window or i should say maid push by the sponsor and publish as jump to window, how many more story that we read and prove right? does the parliament care? they care more about grilling some MP's or who ever they think wont doing their JOBS! but here is the JOBS they should care to think! ABOLISH THE SPONSORSHIP !!! if this maids will escape from here sponsor of course ABSCONDING CASE WILL BE THEIR TO LABEL HER AS ILLEGAL AND CRIMINAL!!! FIX OR ABOLISH ABSCONDING CASE !!! if this lady will escape before this inhumane incident do we think that his maid is in the hell in the hand of her sponsor !!! FOR KUWAIT this is only a another SAD STORY OF A MOTHER WHO want to work for the better future KUWAITI WILL JUST ASK HOW MUCH BLOOD MONEY THIS MAIDS NEED? AND THE SPONSOR WILL GET FREE AND FIND ANOTHER BAIT... THE STORY WILL CONTINUE AS THIS... STOP THIS BY! ABOLISH SPONSORSHIP.

Shame on KuwaitisFahad | 6/20/2011 12:27:49 PM Shame Shame they think they have money and we are dogs. They treat us like dogs

Stay and fight?Roland | 6/20/2011 12:10:11 PM I'd be you I would go back home. You'll fight for nothing and obtain nothing. The system is completely corrupted. Human rights don't exist in this country. Discrimination is the power. Wasta is the nuclear weapon. Kuwaitis abroad (not all but 90% of them) act and treat people as they treat foreigners in their own country...but the only difference is that we make them shut up and throw them out of pubs, restaurants for bad behavior. Can you do that here? If you try you'll hear the super fetish phrase "Ana kuwaiti (I'm Kuwaiti)" and can expect a bunch of cops arriving and insults of all kinds towards the worker. Then they want to pass a law to reduce foreigners to 45%...haha!! Can't wait to see a Kuwaiti in a taxi car or salesman...i think even the children of my children won't see any.

They wlll never punish a KuwaitiBobby | 6/19/2011 9:16:16 PM It is sad but they will never really punish a Kuwaiti. If there is a lot of publicity they will make a public show of punishment but then when it gets quiet they will drop all charges. However, God is waiting and 1 day that Kuwaiti lady will feel His terror for what she has done.

Education is KeyMary Morgan | 6/19/2011 4:18:13 PM Years ago, I did a cross-cultural educational campaign in Kuwait where I dressed in a sari which I used my nationality to empower the sari, and I went into the private schools, with lovely colored picture boards and lectured to KG level students on the wonderful country of Sri Lanka. The levels of racism are very apparent in this country, so unfortunately I had to do this here and even at this age it is engrained in these children. At that time the Sri Lankan Embassy housed the most foreign women in their embassy who had fled there for protection from maid abuse. I had bowls of rice, fresh mango’s, spices, banana’s, tea, all products grown in Sri Lanka and I lectured them on how these items are part of their daily lives in their kitchens. I related their everyday life to this country and stressed how important this country was to Kuwait. I spoke about the early days in the gulf when Kuwait was a sleepy desert land when Kuwait was dependent on the trade routes from South East Asia, because during the early days of Kuwait they were dependent on these external trade routes. Their eyes were wide in amazement when I discussed this wonderful country and at the end of my lecture I asked them, “How many of you have Sri Lankan maids at home?” which many children raised their hands and I told them to go home and tell your maid what you learned about their country today. In this respect, I encouraged positive dialogue with their housemaids. I believe you must address this issue at an early age in this society, so it is important for schools and governments to be participative in the process of educating this nation on the positive aspects of societies, so that social problems like maid abuse can be minimized. That is what Sheikh Mohammed’s Global Village is about in Dubai. Education is key.

@ Umm YusufSteven | 6/19/2011 4:15:26 PM Seems like I touched your heart with my comments there...at least the US evolved with time and not like here in the Middle East, some tries to catch up with what the rest of the world is doing and some still choose to remain living like cave men....maybe it's too hard for some to evolve like the rest so they choose the easy way and live like barbarians and uncivilized, even the teenage arab kids here, they try so hard to mimic what they see in movies and look stupid trying to act and live like we live in America. They want what we have, free to do whatever and live life to the fullest, but they can't because of what they grew into believing in and must do. America shapes the world we all live in, america represents freedom, america stands for liberty, america keeps the world in check and stable....

@StevenUmm Yusuf | 6/19/2011 2:58:00 PM LOL...are you joking? American history (past and present) is fraught with examples of racial abuse and ethnic double standards. There are hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants (desperate, poor people often trying to help their families 'back home' and frequently trafficked against their will) being exploited ( in a similar sort of way and worse as these maids i.e. over- worked, under-paid, physically and sexually abused and killed!) in the US without recourse to justice but the US government often turns a blind eye to this 'problem' allowing these people to be exploited! Do you really think the US is incapable of finding and helping these people on their own soil when they have shown that they can track down just about ANYONE to the ends of the earth to mete out 'justice' when it suits them? Wake up! People are people and everyone is capable of good or evil. Saying that all Arabs are 'evil people' is a racist, unjust and above all plain ignorant thing to do- your attitude helps no one least of all this poor woman! I don't think Americans are better than Arabs or Arabs are better than Americans - i try to think well of everyone (unless and until they prove themselves not deserving of that) and leave the judgement to GOD.

Mudasir Ahmad / Umm Yusuf Steven | 6/19/2011 1:52:42 PM If you go back and take a look at abuses that took place similar to this case, these all took place here in the Middle East, Saudi, Kuwait, etc...come-on, in America you will goto jail for crimes like these, where here in the middle east, the local police will try to hide crimes that are committed by their fellow narrow-minded Arabs....in America, the police force sees no colors, no nationality, no cultural differences, no ethnic differences, they all human beings and equal across the board, so you guys tell me that's a fact....and it's not just only Arabs but in this case I'm directing this to all Arabs who fall into this category and if you don't fall into this category then don't read my postings and move-on.

FrustratingMike | 6/19/2011 1:43:17 PM What's most frustrating! This article was censored and nothing was mention about the sexual abuse she "claimed" happen. They inserted chili peppers in her sexual organ. You can read the full article here: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/06/17/11/ofw-cries-abuse-bleached-hands-chili-vagina

MP's Won't Touch It With a Ten Foot PoleFred Jones | 6/19/2011 1:29:10 PM Thanks Raffy! This is one subject that not one MP want's to touch it with a ten foot pole, because the Kuwaitis are so dependent on this workforce. So, bottomline is that with the meeting in the UAE that I spoke about in my comment, is a major breakthrough for these women. It will take an outside GCC source to force issue on this matter with the Kuwait government. Thank you ILO with this groundbreaking treaty! Take care ladies, hope may be coming!

@TedUmm Yusuf | 6/19/2011 1:28:04 PM Hmm..I think you need to mind your tongue and brush up on your reading skills too -Steven quite clearly referred to both the Arab perpetrators of this crime as well as the Arabs of the Middle East in general when he said: 'Hell is here in the Middle East, the way these arabs are, they won't last too long, they'll end up destroying each other. The only smart and good ones are the ones that left abroad..' -which is, as Mudasir pointed out, a very racist and intolerant thing to say. What this poor maid went through is tragic -what she needs is justice not a perpetuation of hate, intolerance or a narrow-minded self-righteous crusade against 'these arabs' so if you're so concerned about human rights abuses then I suggest at the very least that you 'speak good or keep silent' -that way you'll be sure to hurt no one! There is far too much hatred in the world as it is.

Full Uncensored Version of the StoryRaffy B | 6/19/2011 12:37:59 PM Please Read: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/06/17/11/ofw-cries-abuse-bleached-hands-chili-vagina

A Total Disregard for HumanityMary Morgan | 6/19/2011 11:48:31 AM As stated by Fred, this is a continuing problem in Kuwait and what angers most, is the disregard this society has for basic human dignity. When a government disregards human diginity in it's legal system, they promote a direct contempt for humanity. Yes, this is a global issue, but this is a common phenomena in this society. The violence in this country is overwhelmingly unacceptable and not only does this matter need to be addressed at the legal level, but it needs to be addressed at a social level. The Kuwait government recently has stated in the press that they are going to construct a women's shelter for this labour grade, but when are they breaking ground? Foreign embassies are not meant to be 'safe havens' for their nationals, they are meant to generate business for their countries, but some foreign embassies struggle daily to house hundreds of women who have fled households with complaints of physical abuse, with no other recourse but to run to their embassy, because this government fails to give them any protective legislation. The legal system needs to be reformed and rights need to be provided to this labour grade. A separate court should be set up for labour disputes so that each party's rights are protected (employer and employee).

Pinay Maid Suffers AbuseHipolito Luzon Jr. | 6/19/2011 11:40:02 AM I was saddened with your traumatic experience with your "mukmafi" employer. I salute for your bravery. Be strong Cristy, God is with you. Let's just hope that it will not happen with anyone. I do hope that kuwait government will abide the ILO, im sure they are aware that abuse is very rampant in kuwaiti household. This inhumane act is due to lack of education...

When will it end?Ted De Hoff | 6/19/2011 11:22:27 AM @Mudasir Ahmad -mind your tongue. If you knew how to read, he is referring to the ones who abused this lady. Hmm are you so quick to answer when things go wrong?? Why are not the Arab peoples names mentioned when they commit crimes? Are they ashamed that others might find out about them? But when something is good, everyone jumps on the "Praise Wagon" Are there good Arabs- yes, but there are also bad ones. Most of the ones reported seem to be those who fail to pay salaries, treat workers badly and keep their passports (Which is against Kuwaiti Law) If I worked for you, I do not need permission to leave to go anywhere - PERIOD. If you treat me badly, I can leave anytime I choose - Period. Let them one time treat me this way, I would never put up with this, sad as it happens and it found out every single week in Kuwait. It is even more sad that nothing is REALLY being done to stop it. This is the issue here - Human Rights Abuses !!!!!

all arabs are not badMudasir Ahmad | 6/19/2011 10:34:43 AM @ Steven..you are living in an arab country ..mind your tongue..do not spill your mouth with hatred towards arabs...do not generalize all arabs with your mere narrow speculation...everywhere there are good and bad people...i dont know to which country you belong but i am sure that in your country there might be worst cases of rape , abuse , domestic violence and horror crimes then how can you call arabs bad ? i am also sympathetic to this victim but does not mean that i put all arabs in the bad category...i have seen very good arabs..very good generous , kind kuwaitis ..i am not ungreatful to this country where we are living earning and getting a tax free salary..may allah guide you

Gods Bless you Christy!Fred Jones | 6/19/2011 10:12:25 AM continued....The Kuwait government will now be forced to comply with international standards and reflect them through the legal system in this country. God Bless you (Christy) my prayers are with you. Many of us are very angry when we view your suffering in this picture, are hearts are with you - stay strong God is with you.

Hell in the Middle EastSteven | 6/19/2011 9:06:50 AM These Arabs are not human, they're uncivilized, narrow-minded, dumb and stupid. Hell is here in the Middle East, the way these arabs are, they won't last too long, they'll end up destroying each other. The only smart and good ones are the ones that left abroad and are doing better for themselves. They pray, they fast, but only for showing on the surface, deep down inside they're evil people. God will punish these people.

God Bless you, Christy!Fred Jones | 6/19/2011 8:42:15 AM “I need to be strong for their sake. I have to be alive for them,” she shared. These women so bravely leave their villages and cities to make a living for their families. Imagine, if you had to travel to a strange, foreign land so that that your children could afford to go to school or to have a decent meal on the table. This is not a new story, it is a continuing story. It is the Kuwait government’s fault because they fail to protect this labour force with protective legislation and this has been discussed for over a decade in this country. The Kuwait government does have ‘black lists’ of people that are continuously committing violent crimes against these women, yet they continue to give these people maids over and over again. Does this woman have a new maid (victim) now? These are mentally sick people who prey on the vulnerable and they need to be punished through the legal channels in Kuwait to highlight this phenomenon that is so prevalent in this society. Am I saying that only Kuwaitis are the perpetrators, no, the perpetrators are from all nationalities, it is the system that has failed these women! I commend the Philippines Embassy for taking a proactive role in handing this case and I truly hope for some justice in this matter. There is some hope for these women, because in a forum in the UAE yesterday, domestic workers employed in the Gulf region will get more protection after the adoption by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) of a new, groundbreaking treaty. Millions of people who have been without guarantees of their basic rights will win new protection, US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. Governments, trade unions, and employers' organisations that make up the ILO overwhelmingly voted to adopt the ILO Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers on Thursday. ILO members spent three years developing the convention to address the routine exclusion of domestic workers from labour protections guaranteed to other workers. The Kuwait governm

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