OFW who plunged to her death in Morocco was trafficking victim

MANILA, Philippines — The overseas Filipino worker who fell to her death in Morocco was a victim of human trafficking, Chargé d’Affaires Elmer Cato said Tuesday.

In an update on Twitter, Cato said the 49-year-old household service worker “was recruited in the Philippines for a job in Dubai but ended up in Morocco instead.”

@PhinLibya has conveyed its condolences to the loved ones of our 49-year-old kababayan from Isabela who fell to her death in Casablanca. A human trafficking victim, she was recruited in the Philippines for a job in Dubai but ended up in Morocco instead. @teddyboylocsin @DFAPHL

— Elmer G Cato (@elmer_cato) June 25, 2019

Cato told INQUIRER.net in a Viber message that the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, which has jurisdiction over Morocco, had already informed the husband of the Filipina worker about what happened.

The worker, the mother of a three-year-old boy, hails from Isabela.

Her identity remains private as the embassy can only release her name with permission from next of kin.

The worker reportedly had an argument with her employer and jumped off the third floor of an apartment building in Casablanca last Saturday.

READ: OFW falls to death in Morocco; employer under custody

The 49-year-old succumbed to severe injuries she sustained after she tried to flee the building using pieces of garments she had tied together.

Cato said that a consular team was currently in Casablanca “making arrangements for her repatriation and coordinating with authorities who are investigating the case.”

“We are working to bring her home at the soonest possible time,” he added.

(Editor: Alexander T. Magno)