Pinay kidnapped, raped by Kuwaiti cop —DFA



By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA News
A Filipina household service worker who has just arrived in Kuwait was allegedly raped by the police officer who assisted her, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The DFA said it is closely coordinating with Kuwaiti authorities, through the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait, to hasten the arrest of the 22-year-old suspect, identified as Fayed Naser Hamad Alajmy.
Kuwaiti authorities have already issued a warrant of arrest against Alajmy.
Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Mohd Noordin Lomondot reported to DFA that it was Alajmy who had assisted the Filipina worker in finger scanning registration at the airport when she arrived on June 4.
Lomondot said Alajmy allegedly kidnapped and assaulted the Filipina.
According to Lomondot, the employer of the victim is cooperating with the Embassy and the local authorities.
The DFA vowed that the government would ensure that justice will be given to the OFW.
Malacañang, meanwhile, condemned the rape incident.
"We are certainly outraged by that and [Labor] Secretary [Silvestre] Bello is responding to that incident," presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters.
Panelo said he has not discussed the matter yet with President Rodrigo Duterte, who last year banned the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait following reports of abuses. The ban was lifted when the two countries signed a memorandum ensuring the protection of Filipino workers in the Gulf state.
Meanwhile, Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana, who serves as the CHR’s focal person on Migrant Workers’ Rights, condemned the incident.
“We condemn this act of sexual violence allegedly committed by no less than a member of the Kuwait airport personnel," Pimentel-Gana said.
"We seek justice in her behalf and urge the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment to ensure that our aggrieved OFW’s rights are protected and upheld,” she added.
Pimentel-Gana vowed that her office would be reaching out to the concerned government agencies in monitoring the case.
“Definitely, my office at the CHR will closely monitor the case. We will coordinate closely with the DFA and DOLE to ensure that the rights of the victim are protected,” she said. —with Virgil Lopez/KBK/RSJ, GMA News

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