Allegedly abused Filipina seeks PH help in Riyadh

INQUIRER.net PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–A Filipina maid reportedly harassed by employer in Saudi Arabia has sought the help of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh (POLO-Riyadh), Arab News reported.

Sittie Sarah Hussain, who hails from Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, reportedly suffered harassment last August 26, 28 and 29.

She threatened her employer, a businessman, that she would tell the driver about his “unpleasant overtures,” the news report dated October 29 said.

She later filed a complaint with the Philippine Embassy against her employer. She is now staying with other run-away female overseas Filipino workers at Bahay Kalinga in Riyadh.

Hussain said when the employer’s family left for Dubai nearly two weeks ago, the businessman brought her to the Saudi capital to stay with his relatives.

“He also asked our driver to take me to the Philippine Embassy to withdraw my complaint. That’s how I managed to come here,” Arab News quoted her as saying.

Hussain had asked the embassy to help her find a new job in Saudi Arabia, citing financial obligations back in the Philippines.

“However, the legal officer reportedly told her that she would have to go back to the Philippines to solve her problem to process her papers without violating the Kingdom’s labor laws,” the report said.

The Filipina worker, who arrived in Saudi Arabia last May, was said to have been illegally deployed there. She was earning SR1,200 (about P14,000), reportedly below the minimum wage of SR1,500 (about P17,800) for Filipino domestic helpers as agreed between Manila and Riyadh.

“My papers were allegedly processed by Trustworthy Manpower Agency but it was no longer in existence at the time. So, my papers were passed on to another agency,” Hussain said.