Filipina Allegedly Assaulted by Kuwait Airport Officer; Palace Outraged

The case over the death of a Filipina domestic worker in Kuwait, who was allegedly raped and then brutally murdered, has yet to be closed, and yet another incident involving a Filipina domestic worker being abused comes up on the headlines once again.

Despite efforts by the Philippine government to establish a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Kuwaiti government since last year on the protection of Filipino workers in the Gulf State, there has yet to be concrete measures done by the Kuwaiti government regarding issues of abuse and maltreatment among this population group.

Domestic Helper in Kuwait Allegedly Assaulted; Sparks Palace Outrage

A Filipina household service worker was allegedly raped and assaulted by a Kuwaiti police officer, as reported by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait coordinates with authorities for the arrest of the suspect, as shared in a report by the Philippine Star.

In a report to the DFA, Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Mohd Noordin Lomondot shared that Kuwaiti authorities have already issued a warrant for the arrest of the suspect, 22-year-old Fayed Naser Hamad Alajmy.

Lomondot further detailed that Alajmy was the one who assisted the Filipino worker for finger scanning registration at the airport upon her arrival in Kuwait on June 4. It was alleged that Alajmy later kidnapped and assaulted her.

Regarding the case, the Filipino worker’s employer is reportedly cooperating with the embassy and local authorities.

The DFA noted that the Philippine government would exert all efforts to ensure that justice is served.

As per Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, “We are certainly outraged by the incident and Secretary Bello is responding to that.”

Meanwhile, the Blas Ople Policy Center recently motioned for a slowdown in the deployment of domestic helpers to Kuwait following the rape report.

Until the rape case involving a Filipino domestic worker who just landed at the Kuwait international airport is deemed resolved, the government should slow down the deployment of Filipino workers there,” expressed Susan Ople, the center’s head.

Ople also urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to make a definitive case against lax security protocols at the international airport, which led to the victimization of the innocent overseas Filipino worker (OFW).

Furthermore, Ople appealed to the Kuwaiti government to show political will in going after the perpetrator and overhauling its airport security protocols.

Filipino domestic workers, especially those traveling for the first time, need to be assured that there are no rapists-in-uniform waiting for them at the Kuwait international Airport. For an OFW to be abducted and raped a few minutes after arrival is beyond despicable,” Ople stressed.

For his part, Bello assured that the government is ready to enforce a deployment ban if there is the need to do so.

We can impose the deployment ban again, if there is enough basis to support the (rape) allegations, and if no concrete measures are taken, then it might be enough ground to re-impose the ban,” Bello explained.

He clarified though that his office would first wait for the results of the investigation that is being conducted by the Kuwaiti government.

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