OFW going home to the PHL after rescue from alleged abuse in Iraq


OFW rescued from alleged maltreatment in Iraq. PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN IRAQ FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
OFW rescued from alleged maltreatment in Iraq. PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN IRAQ FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

A Filipina overseas worker who was allegedly maltreated by her employer in the Middle East will soon be reunited with loved ones in the Philippines, according to the Philippine Embassy in Iraq on Wednesday.
"We thank everyone, especially our dear friends in Basra, for sorting things out with prison officials and helping us send our Kababayan 'Joyce' back home," the embassy said in its official Facebook page.
"She burst into tears the moment she saw us this morning. And more so when we told her she's flying today, mere hours after her release from jail. She'll be in Manila tomorrow," it added.
Joyce was one of the 22 human trafficking victims who were set to return to the Philippines last December. Her flight, however, was marred by a case filed by her foreign employer.
The Filipina was promised a job in Dubai but she ended up in Iraq in July 2018 using a Kurdistan visa. The embassy said Joyce was transferred by traffickers to different cars five times during the trip from the city of Erbil to Basra to avoid authorities.
By October, after enduring maltreatment from her employer, Joyce managed to escape and seek shelter in the embassy. After six months, she is finally going home.
"To those, who are eyeing jobs in Dubai with shady details, may this story serve as a warning to always be careful. If the offer is too good to be true, it is not true," the embassy said.
It also warned the illegal recruiters who are "feeding off the blood and sweat" of their fellow Filipinos.
"We sincerely wish that you live long, may you never be hungry, may you never be cold in bed or without a bed, and may you never be left alone, for the world is round, and life is long and you'll never know that twist of fate when it's your turn to be behind bars wanting and waiting for kind words," it said. — BAP, GMA News

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