Pinay domestic maid said ‘beaten to death’
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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 30: A Filipina Household Service Worker (HSW) was allegedly beaten to death by her employer on Jan 25, coincidentally on the same day that Filipina HSW Jakatia Pawa was hanged. Authorities identified the victim as Amy Capulong Santiago, 33 years old who arrived in Kuwait in August 2015.
Based on the initial findings of police authorities gathered by the Assistance to Nationals Unit (ATNU) at the Philippine Embassy from the Abdullah Al Mubarak Police Station, the sponsor rushed the victim to the Farwaniya Hospital at around 10:15 pm on January 25 but she was declared dead on arrival.
Findings from the Kuwait Directorate General of Criminal Evidence showed old and fresh bruises on various parts of her body, mostly on her back. “Yes, we actually we got the information from the Investigation Department, they saw some bruises on her body but again, it’s not yet official as they still have to include this in their report which has not yet been submitted to the prosecutor,” disclosed Philippine Vice Consul and ATNU Head Charleson Hermosura to the Arab Times on Monday.
The remains of the victim were referred to the Forensic Department on Jan 26 for further investigation to ascertain the cause of her death. Meanwhile, police authorities arrested the male employer while his wife surrendered at the Abdullah Al Mubarak Police station.
The two are now detained and under investigation by authorities to determine whether there was foul play or not on the death of Santiago. “We have already contacted the spouse of the victim in the Philippines and informed him of the demise of his wife. We would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Amy Capulong Santiago.
Rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this and know the cause of her death,” pointed out Hermosura. With the recent hanging of Pawa and death of Santiago, the call for a moratorium or the temporary suspension on the deployment of HSWs to Kuwait is mounting as various OFW advocacy groups take the campaign to Facebook and other social media.
There are around 250,000 Filipinos working in Kuwait and around 158,000 of whom are household service workers. The number of distressed OFWs continues to rise as Filipino workers who are mostly HSWs run to the embassy to seek refuge from their abusive employers.
With almost 500 Filipino workers who are victims of verbal, physical or sexual abuse, Kuwait has the highest number of distressed OFWs housed in the POLOOWWA Shelter and Kuwait Migrant Workers Shelter in the Middle East.
By Michelle Fe Santiago Arab Times Staff
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