Cases of Abuse of Household Helpers Increasing, Gabriela to Push for Laws for their Protection

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL

Bulatlat.com
Mary Jane Sollano was only 13 when she was recruited from Zamboanga del Sur in June 2004 to work in Manila. For five years, she suffered like hell as a house helper.

There were times when she was told to undress and her employers took pictures of her. She was hit with an iron bar and thick slippers. Her employers would sometimes pour hot water on her hands when she was caught getting food from the refrigerator. She was then chained and was not allowed to eat for three days.
She was prohibited from using any phone, to talk to her co-employees or to laugh, to sit, to peep through the window, to watch television, to eat and to rest until her work is done. She was not even allowed to read or write letters. She was also deprived of her salary and was threatened to be killed by her employers if she tried to fight back.

Her boss belongs to one of the influential families in the Philippines. Mariano Tanenglian, a former bank director and treasurer of Allied Bank, who is reportedly the brother of business tycoon Lucio Tan was her employer. Aleta, Mariano’s wife and their children Fayette and Marvin were also cruel to her, according to Sollano.... MORE     
Source:  BULATLAT

URL: http://www.bulatlat.com/main/2010/06/11/cases-of-abuse-of-household-helpers-increasing-gabriela-to-push-for-laws-for-their-protection/