A Filipino maid was rescued by Philippine embassy officials from her employer in Bahrain after she posted a desperate cry for help on the social networking site Facebook.
Staff at the Philippine embassy were alerted to the plight of Abby Luna, 28, who claimed she was raped and beaten by her employer’s son, after she posted a three-minute video on her Facebook page on Thursday morning.
READ: OFW in Bahrain seeks help via video
Luna’s tearful plea made the rounds online, attracted about 78,000 shares and 19,000 likes, reaching the Philippine authorities who made her rescue possible.
“The rescue was prompted by the video message…She is now under the care of our embassy,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Charles Jose told AFP.
Philippine embassy officials and staff from Luna’s employment agency picked her up from her employer’s house, Jose said, adding that police were investigating the incident.
Luna’s alleged assailant denied to police that he attacked her, Ricky Aragon, vice consul at the Philippine embassy in Bahrain, told AFP by phone.
In the three-minute long video, which appears to have been made on a webcam, a sobbing Luna accused her employer’s “drug addict” son of raping her. She also posted a written appeal for viewers to contact the Philippine embassy on her behalf.
“Help me get out of here. I’m scared. Until now, my genitals hurt. My leg is bruised. He (attacker) punched my leg to immobilize me,” said Luna, a resident of Los Baños, Laguna, who had been working in Bahrain for a year.
“After my employer’s son abused me, he threatened to kill me and bury me in the desert if I tell anyone about what happened.”
Luna said her employer did not believe her claims of being raped and beaten and insisted she finish the remaining two months of her contract before she could go home. Her employer also told her to have an abortion if she felt pregnant, she added.
Wearing a green T-shirt, Luna narrated her ordeal to netizens in a hushed voice while constantly wiping away her tears.
According to her Facebook post, she was raped and beaten on April 8 by her employer’s son whom she described as a drug dependent.
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