Gov’t asked to rescue 20 Pinays from virtual harem in Saudi

Migrante International, a global alliance of Filipino migrant organizations, has asked the government to immediately act to rescue about 20 Filipino women who were reportedly being held at a recruitment office in Dammam, Saudi Arabia where they are being allegedly treated as its owner’s harem.

In press conference yesterday, Migrante chairman Garry Martinez said two Filipino woman domestic helpers were rescued from the said recruitment office last June 23 by the Middle East arm of the migrant group.

Prior to their rescue, Martinez said the Filipino women were being held in the office of Maqpoon Belahodood General Service Co., a recruitment agency owned and being managed by a certain Abu Khalid.

According to Martinez, the two Filipino women, who are presently in the custody of the Philippine embassy in Saudi Arabia, told Migrante over the phone their harrowing ordeal while in the hands of their Arab recruiter.

The two Filipino women allegedly claimed to have been raped by Khalid.

Martinez said after hearing the two women’s story, Migrante became worried over the plight of the other Filipino women who were still being forced to stay in the said recruitment office.

“We demand that the Arroyo administration conduct an immediate rescue mission to save the 20 Filipino women who are still being held in the harem of Abu Khalid. The Philippine embassy in Saudi Arabia should also ensure that they are brought to a hospital for medical treatment and that criminal cases be filed against Abu Khalid.

“Twenty lives are at stake here, and the government should act on this immediately,” Martinez said.

At the press conference, Migrante presented Aileen Baldiray, one of the Filipino domestic helpers who had stayed in Khalid’s recruitment office last May. She gave a detailed account of the harsh experience she and 20 other Filipino women endured while staying at the said recruitment office in Dammam.

“Abu Khalid also tried to rape me. It was about nine in the evening when he summoned me to his office downstairs. Upon entering the room, he told me to sit down in front of his desk and casually told me of his sex life. When he noticed that I was already getting nervous, Abu Khalid immediately took off his clothes. I grabbed a pen that I saw on his desk and warned him that if he continues with his wicked plan, I would be forced to stab him,” Baldiray recounted, adding Khalid then backed down and told her to get out of his office.

She said when Khalid called her to his office, her fellow Filipino woman domestic helpers who were also forced to stay at the recruitment agency’s building had warned her of what Khalid may do to her as they, too, had allegedly been raped by him when he summoned each of them to his office.

Baldiray further averred that the Filipino women had also claimed that sometimes Khalid would let his son or a friend rape them.

She said she was able to escape the agency’s building and stayed a while at the Philippine embassy before being repatriated by embassy officials last June 7.

Martinez called on the families of the Filipino women who were still staying at the said recruitment agency in Dammam to contact Migrante and file a complaint against the recruitment agency in Manila that had recruited the victims so that it will also be held accountable for what has befallen the Filipino women in Saudi.

Migrante identified the said recruitment agency as the AFT Co., whose office is located in Ermita, Manila. –With a report from PNA