Filipina Victims In The Middle East

It may sound incredible, but a Filipino woman who was hired by a Saudi family in 1987 as a domestic helper is now stranded at the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah after working as a shepherdess for 18 years in Al-Baha and weathering unpaid salaries, ice storms and being arrested several times by the police. “I want to go home as I don’t want to die here,” said Leonora Somera, aged 65, in an interview with Arab News yesterday. “My employer still owes me SR63,000 in back wages, but since it seems he cannot afford to pay me that amount, I’m ready to just go home.” “I never dreamed that this would happen to me,” the Nueva Ecija native said. “In the Philippines I was working as a bus conductor when my husband died. With a six-year-old daughter to support alone, I had no choice but to seek my fortune abroad. It was a colleague who suggested I apply to work as a maid in Saudi Arabia.” “Please help me go home,” Somera told this reporter yesterday, “I want to see my daughter.”

Read full report here.

When I first heard about it, I really felt bad. C’mon, she’s already 65! How could they do this to her?

This is the reason why I never let two of my cousins worked here as domestic helpers. They’d asked me to help them out. As much as I wanted to help, I did not encourage them. And I don’t want to be blamed if something like this happens. Instead, I told them to be with their family. Life abroad is not like what they think.

Not only that… Last night, it was in the news – another domestic helper seeking for help, a Filipina rape victim in Saudi.

It is so frustrating… *sigh*

Mitch Carvalho

I am a full-time home-based Marketing Manager by day, 24/7 Mom, and a Blogger/Content Creator in my spare time. Proud mom to 2 girls and 1 boy, Derelle, Erchelle, and Elric.

I am happy to share my adventures as I walk through motherhood and have to do most things on my own while my husband works miles away from us. Turning my passion into a profitable venture is another thing.

Authoring and managing this personal blog developed my social media awareness over the years.

From being an ex-OFW to doing what I am good at in the comfort of my own home – while taking good care of my 3 wonderful kids, I hope that people see me as a great inspiration when it comes to pursuing my passion and turning it into a profitable venture.

A giant leap like this is such a challenging journey but indeed is rewarding. A few bumps along this whole journey did not stop me from being the best version of myself.