OFW wins abuse case vs Lebanese employer

A Lebanese national was convicted for beating up a Filipino domestic worker in 2006, the first conviction ever for maltreating a migrant worker in the history of Lebanon. In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Embassy in Beirut said Fayrous Farez was sentenced on December 9 by a Lebanese court to 15 days in prison, US$34 (P1,586) in court fines, and US$7,200 (P1,586) in compensation to victim Jonalyn Malibago, a native of Quirino province. “The Embassy views this case as an important legal precedent in Lebanon, being the first conviction of a Lebanese employer for the abusive treatment of a migrant worker, who significantly happened to be a Filipino," Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Mohd. Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot said in his report. Welfare Officer Mario Antonio rescued Malibago three years ago from her Lebanese employer who was beating her up as she tried to escape from Farez’s car around 200 meters away from the Sassine Evacuation Center in Beirut. Glenda Manalo, then Labor Attache, and another Welfare Officer from Riyadh then brought Malibago to a hospital for treatment of her bruises. The Embassy had earlier coordinated with the Caritas Migrant Center, an international non-government organization with a branch in Lebanon specializing in the welfare of migrant workers, mostly women, for filing and pursuing the case against Farez. Lomondot also expressed hope that the conviction would push the Lebanese government to enact laws and regulations to protect the rights of migrant domestic workers. The Middle East chapter of Migrante, a migrant workers' rights group, welcomed the decision, but said that Malibago's case is just one of many in Lebanon and other Middle East countries where many overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have been victims of abuses and maltreatment in the absence of consistent legal assistance. “Sad to say, several RP posts in the Middle East are hesitant to hire local lawyers in defense and in filing cases against abusive employers," Migrante regional director John Leonard Monterona said in a statement. Based on Migrante monitoring, there are still almost a hundred OFWs seeking refuge in the Embassy-run Filipino Workers Resource Center after suffering abuse and maltreatment from their employers. – Nikka Corsino and Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV