00:00Somebody crazy. You want to die? You want to watch your son die?
00:05No, I don't mean it.
00:07Why would you do that? Why would you do something like this?
00:10Crying and begging.
00:14You let my son go.
00:17This is what you will hear in a recorded video sent by an overseas Filipino worker or OFW to his family in the Philippines.
00:26Crying and begging.
00:31In the video, you will also hear the voice of a man as the woman continues to cry.
00:37You let my son go.
00:42The woman is the victim of abuse and torture by her employer in Saudi Arabia.
00:56How were you then? What did they feel?
00:59I remember everything. There were reports that I was being abused.
01:04I was going home to the Philippines. I was about to die.
01:07The only thing I was afraid of was that I was going to die.
01:11Beatings on various parts of the body and punches to the arms and hands.
01:18This is the video captured by another OFW in the hands of his employer in Saudi Arabia.
01:26There were many. It was more than two years.
01:29It was repeated?
01:30Yes, that's how it was.
01:32Beatings on my arms, beatings on my head, beatings on my eyes, beatings on my tongue, beatings on my back, beatings on my knees, beatings on my legs.
01:47They beat me until I was paralyzed.
01:51But the saddest thing is that his left eye was blinded and he had to be beheaded after being beaten by his employer.
02:01What did the doctors say about your head injury?
02:04It was fractured in the head and in the mouth.
02:10What do you want to happen to your employer who did this to you?
02:16I don't know.
02:20Why is it that our countrymen continue to experience abuse,
02:24violence in other countries,
02:29and how can they be protected against violence?
02:34I don't know.
02:37I don't know.
02:40I don't know.
02:47After more than two years working in the Middle East as a domestic helper,
02:52Leslie Gadeas, 34, returned to the country.
02:58But instead of returning to his home in Basilan,
03:02he was sent to a hospital in Zamboanga City
03:05to treat the wounds on various parts of his body.
03:10Leslie is a victim of the abuse of his partner in Saudi Arabia.
03:16June 2022, when he decided to work in Saudi Arabia as a domestic helper,
03:23his first year in the country was fine.
03:28But in the second year, that's when the abuse of his partner began.
03:34What kind of abuse did you do to him?
03:36When he was planning to go abroad,
03:38that's when the abuse of my partner began.
03:43What kind of abuse did you do to him?
03:45He punched me in the arm.
03:47He hit me in the head.
03:49He stabbed me in the eye.
03:54He burned my tongue.
03:56He stabbed me in the back.
03:58He strangled me.
03:59He pulled my legs.
04:00He dragged me until I was paralyzed.
04:06In two years, how many times did he hurt you in your memory?
04:12A lot. Almost every day.
04:15Leslie's other wounds left a lasting mark on him.
04:25This picture was taken in 2021 before he left for the Middle East.
04:30But now, Leslie is almost unknown.
04:36His head is full of wounds,
04:39so he needed an injection to heal the wounds quickly.
04:43His arms and hands were also severely injured.
04:46The injection was effective.
04:51He also had wounds on his back, chest, and neck
04:54due to the stabbing of a knife.
04:57He also needed an injection to heal his head
05:00after being punched by his boss.
05:04His boss also stabbed his left eye
05:07to make him blind.
05:10What was it that left a lasting mark on your mind
05:13that your boss did that to you?
05:25What did the doctors say about your head injury?
05:33He had a lot on his mind.
05:35What was the cause of Leslie's injury?
05:38Why was he so brutal to you?
05:40I don't know why he did that to me.
05:44It was just a sudden change.
05:46It started when I was 2 years old.
05:51Due to the abuse of his boss,
05:54in December 2024,
05:56Leslie decided to ask for help from his boss.
06:00He told me,
06:02in two weeks, I will cure you.
06:05When you recover, I will send you back to the Philippines.
06:09That's what he told me.
06:13On January 27,
06:15Leslie returned to the Philippines.
06:18When we talked to him last week,
06:21he said that he has been recovering in a hospital
06:24in Zamboanga City for a month.
06:27Who is responsible for your expenses in the hospital?
06:31We asked for help from the government.
06:34How big is your hospital bill?
06:36It's already more than P100,000.
06:38How long have you been there?
06:41We already paid the down payment
06:45because it's already more than P300,000.
06:49Leslie is planning to file a case against his employer.
06:53He has already submitted his complaint
06:55to the Department of Migrant Workers or DMW
06:59and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or OWA.
07:03What do you want to happen to the woman who did this to you?
07:08I don't know.
07:16In February 24,
07:18the OWA went to Leslie.
07:21They were able to reach the situation of the woman.
07:25They asked for financial help
07:28and promised to file a case against Leslie
07:31so that justice can be served.
07:44Meanwhile,
07:45we tried to get a permit from the Recruitment Agency
07:48that sent Leslie to the Middle East.
07:52Although the agency is registered
07:54to the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency or POEA,
07:58we were able to reach their office.
08:01We went to their address in Pasay City.
08:06We followed their office in Quezon City.
08:12The Recruitment Agency did not provide a permit.
08:17In 2024,
08:18the highest number of overseas employments
08:21in the past four decades
08:23according to the Department of Migrant Workers.
08:25It reached almost 2.5 million OFWs.
08:30As of this date,
08:32Rishelene is 28 years old.
08:35She was admitted as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia
08:38until February 3.
08:43This is what you will hear in a recorded video
08:46recorded by her father, Zaldi.
08:48In the video,
08:49you will hear Rishelene's pity.
08:54Where are they?
08:55Where are they?
08:59You will also hear a man's voice
09:01while Rishelene is crying non-stop.
09:10Rishelene was feeling sorry for the Arab employer
09:13who sent her back to the Philippines.
09:16How are you?
09:17How do they feel?
09:18I'm worried about everything.
09:21According to Zaldi,
09:23Rishelene was the victim of the employer's abuse.
09:26It was hard for her to go far away.
09:30You can't go to her right away to help her.
09:33There are many people who are afraid of us.
09:36We are going back to the Philippines.
09:38We are going to die.
09:40Because of Zaldi's deep concern,
09:44he asked for help from OWA.
09:48With the help of OWA,
09:50Rishelene was able to go back to the Philippines
09:52on February 11, 2025.
09:55Rishelene was able to borrow a reporter's notebook.
09:58According to her,
09:59she was able to go back to the Arab employer in June 2024.
10:04But only two months had passed
10:06when she experienced the pain from her employer.
10:10I was carrying a bag
10:12when my employer suddenly pushed me from behind.
10:15I was shocked.
10:17Rishelene said
10:18that she was abused several times.
10:23Every time my employer gets angry,
10:26he hits me.
10:29He doesn't leave me alone.
10:32He only slaps and punches me.
10:39She recorded a video of the pain she was experiencing.
10:42But the employer took her cellphone.
10:48He will hurt me.
10:49I want to record it.
10:51But what I did was
10:52I hid my cellphone
10:54so that he won't be able to get it.
11:00Until just a month ago,
11:02a friend recorded Rishelene's call
11:05while she was pitying her employer.
11:08I'm sorry.
11:09I'm sorry.
11:11I'm sorry.
11:12I'm sorry.
11:22He slapped me.
11:24I recorded it.
11:26I was on a call.
11:34The reporter's notebook was sent
11:36recruitment agency in Malate, Manila,
11:38who asked Richelene to leave.
11:40They conducted an investigation
11:42on what happened to Richelene.
11:44There was an issue that she ordered
11:46a mobile phone
11:48online address
11:50to the employer's house,
11:52which is prohibited by
11:54the Saudi law
11:56for privacy protection
11:58of the employer.
12:00Another complaint is that she
12:02didn't do her work.
12:04The biggest concern
12:06of the employer
12:08is that she didn't wear her uniform.
12:10It's not advisable
12:12because they are in a Muslim country.
12:14But the agency clarified
12:16that even if there is a lack
12:18in Richelene's plan,
12:20they do not consent to the
12:22harm done to her by the employer.
12:28We do not tolerate
12:30any physical abuse,
12:32even if it's just grabbing.
12:34No, we don't allow it.
12:36Within three days,
12:38we solved the issue.
12:40We sent her home,
12:42and we followed our responsibility
12:44as an agency in the existing contract.
12:46Because of the abuse,
12:48automatically,
12:50the contract will cease
12:52because the employer has a violation.
12:56Even if they want to answer,
12:58Richelene admitted that she
13:00did not arrange it with her employer.
13:02I just wanted to go home.
13:04If I sue her,
13:06it will take longer
13:08for me to process my papers.
13:12For now, Richelene is committed
13:14to taking care of her three children.
13:16Will you allow your children
13:18to work abroad?
13:20No, ma'am.
13:22It's a proven fact.
13:24But sometimes,
13:26the abuse experienced
13:28by some of our countrymen
13:30who are also
13:32working abroad
13:34leads to death.
13:42November 2016,
13:44Joanna Demafelis was killed
13:46by her husband.
13:48To hide the crime,
13:50she was put in a freezer.
13:52In February 2018,
13:54her body was discovered.
13:56Joanna's husband was imprisoned
13:58in Syria and Lebanon.
14:02A memorandum of understanding
14:04or MOU was passed
14:06between Kuwait and the Philippines
14:08to protect the OFWs
14:10on May 11, 2018.
14:14Seven years later,
14:16we contacted Joanna's family.
14:18We talked to her mother,
14:20Ewa Demafelis.
14:22Ms. Ewa said
14:24she was able to arrange
14:26for Joanna's ex-boss
14:28to take care of her family.
14:30We waited for five years.
14:34That was the payment
14:36from her employer.
14:40We haven't received anything yet.
14:44But it's not clear
14:46to Ms. Ewa's family
14:48how their case was handled.
14:50I haven't received
14:52any update yet.
14:54I heard that
14:56the man was imprisoned
14:58but the woman
15:00was released.
15:08They were not brought
15:10to justice physically
15:12because they left Kuwait
15:14and wherever they went,
15:16we don't know.
15:22Abuse of physical and verbal
15:24violence and exploitation
15:26is one of the top 10
15:28most frequently
15:30filed complaints
15:32by our OFWs.
15:34According to the GMW,
15:36the first complaint of OFWs
15:38is the contract violation.
15:40The salary is not enough,
15:42the working conditions
15:44are not enough,
15:46the living conditions,
15:48the food,
15:50passport and cell phone.
15:52And then of course,
15:54there are certain types of cases
15:56that deal with physical abuse.
15:58According to the GMW,
16:00there are 24,000 documented cases
16:02about abuse and exploitation
16:04of the rights of OFWs
16:06in 2022.
16:08It increased from
16:10more than 23,000 in 2020.
16:12Many of the cases happened
16:14in countries in the Middle East.
16:18In a survey conducted by
16:20Social Weather Stations or SWS
16:22in January 2025,
16:24one of the workers' rights and OFW welfare
16:26among voters
16:28in their vote
16:30in the upcoming election,
16:3292% said
16:34it is important that it is included
16:36in the platform of their
16:38candidate.
16:40There are a lot of bilateral agreements
16:42where we have partnerships
16:44to help OFWs.
16:46So that's another way of providing protection.
16:48What's important to everyone
16:50is that we have a system
16:52on how to avoid it.
16:54That's why we are fighting
16:56against illegal recruitment,
16:58our education programs.
17:00According to the Global Filipino Movement,
17:02a non-government organization
17:04that supports the rights
17:06and welfare of Filipino migrant workers
17:08despite the existence
17:10of a bilateral agreement
17:12between the Philippines and other countries,
17:14there are still a lot of employers,
17:16especially in the Middle East,
17:18who do not follow this.
17:20On the ground,
17:22we know that
17:24the employers themselves do not follow.
17:26For example,
17:28it is a basic right
17:30that you should hold your passport,
17:32your cell phone,
17:34and take it.
17:36And until now,
17:38it's still going on,
17:40even though it's already prohibited.
17:42We also have a monitoring facility,
17:44the Overseas Workers
17:46Monitoring System.
17:48So this is an electronic system
17:50where overseas workers through the recruitment agencies
17:52can report significant incidents.
18:06If a migrant worker experiences
18:08violation of his or her contract,
18:10there is a law to punish
18:12those involved in the complaint.
18:14According to Republic Act 8042,
18:16and later on
18:18revised as
18:20Republic Act 122,
18:22they have a
18:24solidary liability
18:26that the agency, local, foreign,
18:28and employer
18:30all have
18:32a responsibility
18:34or obligation.
18:36So even if the OFW
18:38is already here,
18:40you can blacklist
18:42the employer,
18:44you can file a
18:46foreign agency
18:48or blacklist him.
18:50The government reminds
18:52that in case of abuse
18:54in other countries,
18:56there are ways to immediately ask for help.
19:00Aside from the 1348 hotline,
19:02the respective migrant workers offices
19:04and labor attachés
19:06on the ground will help
19:08in the immediate way
19:10and the same way
19:12of helping.
19:14As I said earlier, filing a complaint.
19:22I am very thankful
19:24because I was able to return home alive
19:26and safe.
19:28I cannot thank them enough
19:30for what they did for me.
19:34What do you want to happen
19:36to the woman
19:38who did this to you?
19:40I don't know
19:42if she's still human
19:44because when she's hurt,
19:46it's like she's being killed.
19:52How many
19:54Rishaleen, Leslie,
19:56and Joanna
19:58are the thousands of OFWs
20:00who experienced violence and abuse
20:02while entering other countries?
20:04If there's enough
20:06opportunities and jobs in the Philippines,
20:08they won't choose to go abroad.
20:10They repeatedly say
20:12that they are the new heroes.
20:16But will they be given
20:18the proper protection?
20:22Until the next Saturday,
20:24I am Mackie Pulido.
20:26I am a Second Generation Filipino.
20:28And this is Reporters.org.
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