Problems facing Lebanon OFWs
While in Lebanon, she came to know workers that had worse experiences. She knew workers sent to their respective agencies, then to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) due to false accusations against them. Some of them went home personally paying their plane tickets.
There were cases of forced extension of OFW contracts. The failure to complete the said additional year would be used against them to pay the sum of $2,000 as an alleged payment for the employer’s expenses. If they failed to pay, they will be sued, Nordis learned from Cabbigat.
One of the problems that an OFW confront there is the lack of medication. Allegedly, most employers in Lebanon are not concerned regarding the health of their employees.
OFW experiences
Cabbigat shared that an OFW from Samar, employed as domestic helper, was raped by his employer, employer’s son, and the employer’s son’s friend. When she found a way to escape, she immediately filed a case at the OWWA. The Agency paid $5,000 for the damages but the employer and the other culprits are still free. She is now in her hometown with her family.
Another woman from Pangasinan ran away from her abusive employer. Unfortunately, she was locked in jail because her employer told the police that she tried to escape and stole US $500,000. Until now, she is suffering in jail in Lebanon, Nordis learned.
“If our government can’t afford to protect and defend the rights of the migrant workers who are being abused and maltreated by their employers in the Middle East and other countries, then the government should have had the decency to stop deploying workers from the Philippines,” Cabbigat reiterated. (Bulatlat.com)
