By EUNICE del ROSARIO
Published: 12th October 2006
A FILIPINA housemaid, who claimed her sponsor coerced her into trading sex for salary and phone calls home, was last night deported back to the Philippines.
Irenea Sanchez, 38, refused to return to her Egyptian employer after he told police he would welcome her back to his family home despite her allegations.
The Public Prosecution Office then advised Philippine Embassy officials yesterday that it was best to send the mother-of-three home as soon as possible.
A third and final meeting was held between Mrs Sanchez, her sponsor and police yesterday.
By EUNICE del ROSARIO
Published: 12th October 2006
A FILIPINA housemaid, who claimed her sponsor coerced her into trading sex for salary and phone calls home, was last night deported back to the Philippines.
Irenea Sanchez, 38, refused to return to her Egyptian employer after he told police he would welcome her back to his family home despite her allegations.
The Public Prosecution Office then advised Philippine Embassy officials yesterday that it was best to send the mother-of-three home as soon as possible.
A third and final meeting was held between Mrs Sanchez, her sponsor and police yesterday.
“The police asked the maid to bring her personal belongings to the police station and they inspected them,” said sources.
“When they opened her bags, they found two mobile phones and gold jewellery, which the Egyptian employer said belonged to his family.”
The police reportedly told the man that he and his family could file theft charges against the maid, but they had declined upon condition that she return to work.
“When the maid refused, the man agreed to release her to police for deportation,” said sources.
A Philippine Embassy official was with Mrs Sanchez throughout all three meetings with police.
Mrs Sanchez told the GDN that she chose to be sent home to her family in Novaliches, Philippines, rather than return to work for the elderly Egyptian man she claims had repeatedly sexually abused her for 10 months.
The employer, believed to be in his 60s and suffering from diabetes, has reportedly denied forcing himself on the maid, saying he was too weak with diabetes. But according to the maid, she was subjected to continuous sexual abuse from within just one week of arriving in Bahrain, last New Year’s Eve.
Mrs Sanchez said that her employer’s wife and 26-year-old son were unaware of the “sexual encounters” between them.
She said that in return for sexual favours, she would be granted free phone calls to her family and that whenever she refused him, he would withhold her BD50 monthly salary.
She said that she ran away last Saturday after her employer pushed her to the bed hard enough to leave bruises on her arms.
Mrs Sanchez arrived at the embassy’s shelter, Zinj, on Saturday, telling officials she had been raped.
Following an interview with embassy officials, she then admitted that she had sometimes had consensual sex with her employer.
© Gulf Daily News
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/story.asp?Article=158503&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29206
