Migrant welfare advocates have expressed concern over the seemingly increasing number of abused Filipino women domestic helpers during Ramadan.

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator Leonard Monterona said a rising number of runaway and distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) during Ramadan is observed, noting the complaints they received at the start of the Muslim tradition.

Monterona said the women, who are living in their employer’s houses, were forced to abide by the cultural practices of their foreign employers observing Ramadan.

This year, Ramadan started last Aug.21 and will end on Sept. 19

“Many Filipina domestic helpers and of other nationalities could not anymore bear the difficulty of huge household chores, sleeping late at night but waking up early morning, and are having only a single meal daily,” Monterona cited.

“Since, domestic helpers are living in their employer’s house practically like an aliping namamahay during Philippine pre-colonial time, it is expected that they too would abide the cultural practices of their respective employers observing the Holy Month of Ramadan and this would be very difficult for them to adjust, coupled with the inhumane treatment accorded to them,” Monterona explained.

He noted that Migrante chapters in the Middle East documented six to eight cases daily of maltreatment of Filipino women workers there.

“If during the past months, we normally received an average of five cases of run away and distressed OFWs daily, now we are receiving six to eight cases since the start of Ramadan,” Monterona cited.
He pointed out that the same observations on last year’s Ramadan were noted.

Monterona cited the example of an OFW named Marie (not her real name) who complained that her employer is forcing her to work 18 to 20 hours a day, with only a single meal daily.

Marie is working as a domestic helper for an employer who is living in Al Hassa, Dammam, in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. She arrived in Dammam only in mid-July this year.

“On her latest text message sent to me, Marie said her employer is asking her an amount of 8,000 Saudi riyals (almost equivalent to P100,000) as payment for processing of her deployment and other formalities so that she could be sent back home. She asked where she could get such huge amount as she is only receiving 1,000 SR a month,” he said.

Migrante-Middle East advised Marie to wait first as they get in touch with Ritz Placement recruitment agency in Ermita, Manila that processed her deployment papers. “The recruitment agency in Manila could extend assistance by calling the attention of her employer and would allow her to be repatriated,” Monterona said.

In her message to Monterona, Marie extended her gratitude to Migrante by saying, “Thanks Sir, I can't bear their attitude, I am fighting back already Sir, I have no meal yet Sir, thanks Sir.”

Based on the 2006 Philippine Overseas Employment Agency data, it showed that about 90,000 Filipina domestic workers are deployed in different countries, mostly in the Middle East.