BY BULATLAT
August 4, 2008 – 9:32 p.m.
A Filipina domestic worker was almost raped by her employer’s son in Kuwait. Her presence of mind and the timely response of her friends and Migrante International saved her from being added to the alarming list of Filipina domestic helpers who are victims of rape and abuse in the Middle East.
OFW Mary Jane Cabardo, 31 years old, has been working as a domestic helper for a Kuwaiti employer with address at No. 28 Blk. 2, Str. Mubarak, Al-Kaber , Kuwait. She is from General Santos City and was deployed by a recruitment agent in the Philippines, the NON-STOP Agency.
According to John Leonard Monterona, Migrante ME regional coordinator, Gil Lebria, country coordinator of the Migrante chapter in Kuwait, received an urgent message from Mary Jane via mobile phone at around 12:28 a.m. today.
According to Mary Jane’s message, at around 10:00 p.m. of August 3, her employer’s began caressing her and making sexual advances. This prompted Mary Jane to run to her room with her employer’s son in pursuit. She managed to lock her room but her employer’s son persisted in trying to enter the room. Sensing her life was in danger, she called her friends who in turn alerted Migrante by forwarding her message to Lebria.
Lebria then advised Mary Jane to stay in her locked room while he contacted Philippine Embassy and OWWA officials in Kuwait so that she could be rescued immediately from her employer’s house. The victim was hysterical and crying out of fear, Monterona added.
Mary Jane is now in the custody of the Philippine embassy.
“We urge Ambassador Endaya to thoroughly investigate this incident. We strongly suggest that they take Mary Jane’s affidavit and assist her in the filling of an appropriate case against her alleged attacker. We would be monitoring and closely observing how Philippine embassy officials would be handling the case in order to ensure that there would be no cover up and that justice would be rendered to Mary Jane,” Monterona said.
In response to Mary Jane’s request, Migrante International through its chapter in Davao City is currently trying to locate her family in General Santos City. (Bulatlat.com)
