The SUN HK : Pinay complains to police about employer’s alleged indecent assaults

By The SUN

Wanchai Police Station where the complaint was filed

A Filipina domestic worker has sought police help against her male employer in Diamond Hill just five months into her two-year contract, for his alleged indecent assaults on her on four occasions in January and February.

Helen (not her real name) was accompanied to the Wanchai police station by two officers of the Consulate on Mar 11, a day after she left her employer’s house and complained against him at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

Helen, who is 31 years old and single, said in her statement that the assaults by her employer, who reportedly works in a bank, started on Jan 15.

She was about to put the employer’s 8-month old baby into her crib when he reportedly approached her from behind and pressed his penis against her buttocks.

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The man allegedly repeated the indecent assault on Feb 7 as the frail-looking helper was again stooping to put the baby in the crib.

Helen said she did not do anything about the assaults as she did not want to risk losing her job. But she said she shared her concerns with a Filipina co-worker who brushed them off, saying she might have just misinterpreted their employer’s intent.

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Unconvinced, Helen also reported the incidents to another Filipina who lived next door. She also sent text messages to several other people to ask for advice.

On Feb. 15, the employer allegedly repeated the assault, but this time his sex organ was exposed.

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Helen said she punched the man in his leg and when she turned around, her hand brushed against his exposed genitalia. She said the man told her, “Sorry, I will not do it again.”

But the employer assaulted Helen again on Feb. 21, pushing his exposed organ behind her as she leaned over the baby’s crib. Then he groped her breasts from behind and, as she struggled to free herself, he moved his hands down to her underwear and groped her private parts.

While allegedly assaulting the maid, the employer reportedly kept saying, “Sorry, this is my personal problem.” He then dragged her to the bathroom and tried to thrust his penis against her buttocks.

The woman ran to her bedroom but the suspect allegedly followed her, and continued to grope her breasts, then took her left arm and placed his penis in her hand, still thrusting.

After each assault, the man allegedly warned Helen not to tell his wife.

She said she herself was afraid of telling the wife because she was heavy-handed and was not easy to talk to.

“Natatakot akong sumigaw dahil nasa kuwarto ang among babae. Nananakit daw ang babae,” (I was scared because my female employer was in the next room. She’s known to hurt her maids,) Helen said.

She said she and her co-worker were not allowed to chat, and both their phones were confiscated by their female employer in the morning so they couldn’t use them while working. They only got them back before going to bed at night.

There were also CCTVs in the common areas of the house so their employers could monitor their daily movements. Both helpers were also not allowed to touch the baby, who would be swaddled in towels so they could not have skin contact with him.

On their days off, the helpers’ bags were searched before leaving, and they were reportedly prohibited from bringing their passports with them so they could not run away.

Helen said she did not get support from her companion, who did not complain even if their female employer was beating her.

“Sinasaktan tayo kasi amo natin iyan,” the other maid would reportedly say.

But on the day of the latest assault, Helen said she got so upset that her female employer noticed that she was listless, and kept asking her why. Helen suspects her male employer then confided his misdeed to his wife so that from then on, she kept an eye on them.

However, the female employer still reportedly made Helen share a bunk bed with her husband in one room, while she slept in another room with her seven-year-old son.

The other helper slept in the living room with the baby.

Asked if she did not find this strange, Helen, who got up to first year in college for her studies, said she did ask her friend next door about it, and was told to leave her employer’s house immediately.

Helen said she hesitated at first because she wanted to keep her job, but after the last assault, she decided to finally seek help.

With help from a friend, the Hong Kong newbie headed for a migrant support organization on Mar 2, a Saturday, to ask for help, but they ended up in another office in the same building. They also tried to look for the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Wanchai, but got lost and by the time they got there, it was already closing time.

On Mar 10, Helen decided to leave her employer’s house with nothing on her except her purse, telephone and passport which she hid under bulky clothes. She sought advice and shelter from Polo, which referred her to the assistance to nationals section of the Consulate. The next day, she finally got to tell her story to the police.

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