Reports of yet another Filipina domestic helper losing her life allegedly from mistreatment by her employer has once again brought to the surface the plight of domestic workers employed in Kuwait.
The Philippines Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) identified the domestic helper as 47-year-old Constancia Lago Dayag from Agadanan, Isabel. Initial investigations have revealed that Ms. Dayag was brought to Kuwait’s Al Sabbah Hospital with injuries to her body, but was declared dead on arrival.
Reports said that the Overseas Filipina Worker (OFW) had bruises and wounds all over her body and that she had been sexually assaulted.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III appealed for justice from the government of Kuwait and wanted Ms. Dayag’s employer to face prosecution the strongest possible punishment for the crimes that led to the death of the poor Filipina worker.
The Secretary also ordered the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) as well as Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) to investigate the case of Ms. Dayag and locate the local and foreign agents that recruited her to Kuwait.
Bello sent his condolences to the bereaved family and promised that the Philippines government would its utmost to ensure justice prevailed.
The violent mistreatment of Ms Dayag is only the latest in a series of cases where Filipina domestic workers have suffered injuries or loss of life from treatment meted out by their employers in Kuwait. Last year, the case of Joanna Demafelis, a Filipina domestic helper who was killed and her body stuffed in a cold freezer by her employer in Kuwait, had led to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte ordering a ban on the employment of OFW to Kuwait.
The war of words, actions and counteractions nearly ruptured relations between the Philippines and Kuwait, and ties were restored only after a comprehensive memorandum of understanding on all aspects of employing Filipina workers was signed by the authorities from both countries.
