MANILA – Need for a lifeline? Utilize social networking sites to seek for assistance, a migrant rights group advice to distress and maltreated Filipino migrant workers abroad.
“Tapping social networking sites to seek help and convey the concerns of migrant workers who were victim of abuses and maltreatment is a best antidote for government criminal neglect and failure to provide onsite assistance.”
“We have concrete victories staging our campaign in social media sites complemented by actual mass mobilizations such was the case of then Saudi OFW-on-death-row Rogelio Lanuza, among several others,” John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator of Migrante-Middle East (M-ME), said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
He added that many migrant workers especially household service workers (HSWs) in the Middle East should maintain discretely a spare personal mobile phone with an access to social networking sites. “This will serve as their lifeline amid dilly-dally assistance from the concerned Philippine embassy and labor and welfare officials,” he said.
Monterona observed that HSWs in the Middle East were deprived by their employers of their right to have an access to their families as their mobile phones were confiscated. “This right has been grossly violated by employers,” he said, citing a recent case of an overseas Filipino household service worker Abby Luna – based in Bahrain – who alleged that she was raped by the son of her employer.
Luna, in a post on her Facebook account, appealed to netizens to bring her case to the attention on the Philippine embassy and was immediately rescued by authorities.
“I’ve got several personal messages too regarding Ms. Luna’s FB appeal. Some have called to get my attention. And yes because of the overwhelming attention she got, Ms. Luna was immediately saved by the concerned PH embassy and labor officials in Bahrain,” Monterona said.
Monterona claimed that without overwhelming attention from netizens who shared Luna’s appeal, the Philippine embassy and labor officials may say – as they normally do – “Hey back off, rescuing OFW is a no, no in the Middle East. It is not allowed” an excuse repeatedly heard from embassy and labor-welfare officials.
Right after she was rescued, Luna issued a brief statement in her FB account thanking all the people who helped her and eventually rescued from her employer’s house. She has filed a case against her attacker.
“The family of abused OFWs should do their part. They should actively seek assistance from genuine migrant rights group and advocates,” Monterona said.
Monterona also lambasted the Philippine embassy officials in Kuwait and in Saudi Arabia as he accused them of negligence and their failure to provide prompt assistance to distress and stranded OFWs there.
“We have endorsed numerous cases of distress and abused OFWs in Kuwait. Until now, we have not received even acknowledgement from our embassy and labor-welfare officials,” Monterona said.
He said the Philippine embassy in Saudi Arabia would only reply to OFW cases referred to them through an email auto reply.
“We knew that there are more than 100 male distress and stranded OFWs in Riyadh temporarily staying at a villa, while there are more than 50 plus at a women shelter or Bahay Kalinga. They have been crying and pleading for their repatriation 3 months, 6 months, some more than a year ago. No one at the Philippine embassy hears them and not even (President) Benigno Aquino himself and his foreign affairs and labor honchos – all are criminally negligent,” Monterona said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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