http://www.time.com/time/international/1995/951023/justice.html
The link above posts a story from 1995 about a young Filipina woman Sarah Balabagan was sentenced to death for stabbing her employer to death after he had raped her. This story is unique because she was about 16 years old hen this incident happened. Against her family’s will she fled the Philippines and lied about her age so that she can work in Kuwait and help her family financially. Filipina workers were never treated with equality in Kuwait and its surrounding areas. This can be evident since the 1970s. Sarah’s employer had been giving sexually harassing from the time of her arrival and even was willing to give her gold in exchange for her virginity. Because of her Muslim beliefs, she refused this offer. Later he then took a knife to her neck and raped her. After it was over she was able to get away and used that knife to stab him 34 times. Obviously she did this out of self-defense.
The article recalls of other events where pinay workers have murdered employers in self-defense. One worker was on death row for a double murder in Singapore. This just shows that there are countries that do not have laws that protect employees. There is a great deal of injustice of Filipina women and their rights have been violated. A female employer beaten a Filipina worker to death and she was given a 5 year prison sentence. How is that different from Balabagan’s story? It seems that when workers go overseas, sometimes they would surrender their rights as a human. This is my third blog on Kuwait and they all show stories of injustice and mistreatment of their workers. What gives?
Kubik - BacaBerita dan Raih Pulsa
5 years ago
3 comments:
Having come from the Philippines, it sickens me to hear these stories of abuse toward Filipina domestic workers. Sadly, the atrocities discussed in this article are not entirely uncommon for domestic workers who are imported from foreign countries. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of all is that laws regarding the treatment of domestic laborers, in many countries, have not changed. With all the changes that the world has gone through, it is deeply upsetting that to reverse the execution order for Sarah Balabagan, another woman had to have been executed before the Philippine government would intervene.
I don't understand how people can allow workers in their country but don't have any respect or laws when it comes to protecting them? It is very disturbing especially as i have been looking at studying abroad, will def stay away from kuwait that is for sure
ALthough this is a disgusting and gut wrenching story, im not all that surprised that this happened. When a person with little to no power challenges or fights back to a person with power, that person will always be punished. Unfortunately, this is how it has always been. This poor girl came there to survive and help her family, but she was not allowed to do that without being abused and taken advantage of. She acted out of self defense and sheer rage and i think she had that right being that something very precious was taken from her in a violent and dusgusting way.The globalization of young women and the harships they endure is another issue that we as american people need to focus on and fight for change.
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