OFW in Kuwait accuses employer of physical, sexual abuse

TOENAILS FORCIBLY REMOVED


A 24-year-old Filipino domestic helper in Kuwait has expressed her intention to go home after suffering abuse from her employer, GMA News' Marisol Abdurahman reported on 24 Oras on Monday.
Marjorie Lizada, who started working in Kuwait in October 2016, had told her relatives in the Philippines that the abuse started during her first few months of working there.
At one time, her employers allegedly forcibly removed her toenails. The abuse was not only physical but also sexual.
"Sabi niya, ''Te, gusto ko nang umalis kasi hinipuan ako ng anak pa ng amo ko'," said Juliet Magtanan, Marjorie's cousin.
Marjorie's employer has also threatened to kill her, Juliet said.
"Sinasabihan ko siya na takas na siya 'pag may chance siya. Sabi niya, 'Wala talaga, 'te, dahil lahat ng pinto dito naka-lock," Juliet said.
Marjorie also told Juliet that her employer had sold her to other families twice already.
Juliet said Marjorie's mother is very worried about her that she could no longer eat and work properly.
The report said Marjorie's family, who wants her home, had repeatedly sought assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to no avail.
Meanwhile, OWWA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said they are already coordinating with their welfare officer in Kuwait to rescue Marjorie.
The government has stopped the deployment of newly hired Filipino workers to Kuwait following reports of abuses, among them the killing of Joanna Demafelis, whose body was found inside a freezer in an unoccupied apartment unit earlier this month. —KBK, GMA News

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