Negros Occidental woman flees abuses in Kuwait exec’s house

BACOLOD CITY—The desperation at home that drives millions of Filipinos to abandon families in search of jobs abroad could best be illustrated by the case of Rachel Aquilisca Guzon, 25, who fled her abusive employer in Kuwait where she was earning P9,000 a month as a maid.

Guzon came home to Murcia, Negros Occidental, following her escape from Kuwait and is now in search of a local job so she won’t have to go through her ordeal in Kuwait again.

Guzon went to Kuwait on July 21, 2010 to work for the family of an official of the Kuwaiti defense ministry.

Just like countless of cases of abuses committed against Filipino maids abroad, Guzon soon found hell in the hands of the Kuwaiti family that paid her P9,000 a month to work as a maid.

Her female boss slapped, kicked and beat her with kitchen utensils at her slightest mistake.

One time, the son of her employers tried to force her to hold his penis and let go only after she threatened to scream.

The son had succeeded in sexually abusing the maid who came before Guzon.

Despite the beatings, Guzon said she decided to hang on for the pay because her family desperately needed money.

The abuses became unbearable, however, as these became a daily occurrence.

Guzon, another Filipino woman Nanilyn Vito and a Sri Lankan who also worked in the defense ministry official’s house ran off and sought refuge at the Philippine Embassy.