Filipina files case; Rape charge on two Americans

KUWAIT CITY: A Filipina has filed a case at Salmiya Police Station against two Americans — with initials B.G. and D.S. — for allegedly beating and raping her. One of the suspects, B.G. , is said to have fled the country while D.S. remains at large. Christine (not her real name), 31, has also sought the assistance of the Philippine Embassy . She underwent a medical examination and submitted to the Prosecution Department a medical certificate along with her underwear and the photos of her bruised and beaten buttocks. “The case is now under investigation and a travel ban has been imposed on D.S. to prevent him from leaving the country. We have a strong case against the suspects. It’s just unfortunate that one of them managed to escape,” explained Atty. Khaled Al-Ajmi, the lawyer assigned by the embassy to handle Christine’s case. Al-Ajmi believes that B.G. had planned to rape Christine as he immediately slipped out of the country on the day of the incident.Christine recounted — in between sobs — to the Arab Times on Wednesday, in the presence of Assistance to Nationals Unit Head at the Philippine Embassy Mustapha Bayanan, the anguish she suffered at the hands of the two Americans. According to her, she pleaded for mercy but they ignored her. She said she asked them to stop but everything fell on deaf ears. She added she cried for help but no one heard her. She claimed that she was helpless as the two Americans allegedly beat her up and raped her. Christine, who works as a saleslady in one of the departmental stores in Kuwait , met one of the suspects B.G. in November 2006. To augment her meager salary, she agreed to work part time in January 2007 cleaning the flat of B.G. twice a month for KD 15 per visit. “He was good and he even entrusted me the key to his house so I could go and clean it up twice a month. I’ve been cleaning his place since January and it never occurred to me that one day he would commit such a beastly act,” she disclosed.

She recounted that on July 4, after doing household chores for B.G., the latter invited her to a dinner at the place of his friend D.S. which she agreed. “I went with him because he’s been good to me and I trusted him,” she stated. When they got there, the girlfriend of D.S. joined them. The dinner finished late and Christine asked B.G. to take her home but the latter refused claiming he was exhausted. “He said he was very sleepy and not fit to drive anymore. Then his friend D.S. offered us to sleep over in his place in separate rooms. I stayed and we slept in different rooms,” she recalled. The following day at around 6 am, Christine was awakened when she felt someone was pulling her hair. “I was shocked to see B.G. pulling my hair and then he started beating my butt and asked me to keep quiet. I fought back but he was too strong for me … then his friend D.S. entered the room,” she disclosed.Christine then detailed what they made her do before finally, taking turns in raping her. “They had no mercy. What I had mind was to survive the ordeal and come out of the place alive,” she pointed out as she broke down in tears.

After they raped her, she asked them to let her out of the house but they refused. “I pleaded to D.S. to let me out. He then tried to strike a deal with me saying that he will only let me out if I promise that I won’t report him to the police and he would be a witness against B.G.,” said Christine. Left with no choice, she agreed with D.S. so that she could escape from the house. Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador Ricardo Endaya warned all Filipinos especially women to be cautious at all times. “Please be careful in accepting invitations or part time jobs. Don’t trust people easily,” he stressed. Christine is bent on pursuing her case even one of the suspects fled the country. “They have to pay for what they did to me. They can’t just get away with this. All I wanted is to make a clean living to help my family back home. I want justice to be served,” she cried.

By Michelle Fe Santiago
Special to the Arab Times

What not to do in Kuwait

Published Date: June 02, 2007
By Muna Al-Fuzai of Kuwait Times

There are several things that every one must avoid to do while he/she lives in Kuwait. This rule is important to all expatriates, especially the ones who don’t enjoy the blessing of having a ‘wasta’. The aim of this rule is to spend your time here without thinking and feeling sorry for yourself of not to get sent to jail for being a fool. Most expatriates want to stay away from trouble but due to being ignorant about a few basic facts, it leads them to various unexpected conditions which make their period in Kuwait very miserable.

Here are the things you must avoid:
Avoid the use of the term why? In your stay here in Kuwait, you will experience a lot of things that you could never imagine to experience. Thus, you start to think over and over again why? why not or why me and why is trouble always coming to you from all directions.

Avoid showing dissatisfaction about the country’s work laws — the country’s regulations such as requirements of visa entry, or obtaining driving license, the corruption, the abuse of housemaids and etc. It implies that you do not appreciate how lucky you are for the gift of being in Kuwait and that you deserve to be deported or jailed for being ungrateful.

Avoid making complaints against your superiors. Your residency in Kuwait will be a threat if you complain or if you make fake cases such as a false absence report.

Avoid fighting with a Kuwaiti. He simply wouldn’t hesitate to use any wasta to make you the wrong person of the dispute and make you take the blame. You might end up begging to him just to let you go!!!!

Avoid trusting any unbelievable Kuwaiti promises with quick wealth and success. Some Kuwaitis may use your daydreams as a tool to make some money by doing illicit activities. You would be the criminal, while he will be set free.

Avoid saying yes all the time especially when you do not want to. Although it shows the objectivity in ones personality, it doesn’t make sense for someone to like everything he sees or hears with no reaction, especially in Kuwait. Always saying yes can lead to lots of problems such as sexual harassment or abuse or rape, this can even can encourage others to think you are weak and easy. This can cause real troubles for anyone specifically for women.

Avoid starting friendly conversations with taxi drivers. This would give him the impression that you want him to have sex with you and of course, he would ask you if you are married and if your husband is with you. Never admit to be single and alone or even to confess that you are a runaway maid or employee. Many of them would not hesitate to rape you and leave you empty handed and get you pregnant.

Avoid accepting gifts or laughing over sexual jokes with your boss unless it is really okay with you and this is what you want .If you came from an environment where you are very open with the opposite gender, then you might think that such jokes are okay but here, it is not. This would give men a hint that you are ready to have sex with him and you could find yourself a rape victim. Besides, accepting someone’s gifts means approval.

Avoid trying to look sexy by showing the sexiest parts of your body. You may think that you have a sexy body and want the world to see that because it is okay for you, but do not do that here. Lots of men here would think of you as a prostitute and may try to reach or touch you by any means. You may not mean it but this would be hard to convince them because they came from a different culture. The culture here associates clothes with manners. The more you cover yourself, the more respected you will be.

This list can go on and can be virtually endless, but the main fact is that caution is essential because what might be very normal in your country would simply not be normal here. Think of all the options and do the opposite. This may ensure a longer stay in Kuwait with less headaches.

Email me at munaalfuzai@kuwaittimes.net

Raped girl pregnant

Police are looking for a GCC national accused of raping a Bedoun girl some months ago, reports Al-Rai daily. Reportedly, the girl was forcibly bundled into a car and taken to Kabad area, where the accused hit her and brutally raped her. He then dropped her back and threatened of dire consequences if she dared to tell the incident to anyone. The girl remained quiet for many months until a severe stomach pain forced her to visit a hospital and found that she was pregnant. Police are looking for the accused.

Military guards kidnap and rape Indonesian housemaid

Two military men working for the Ministry of Interior and employed as guards at the Central Prison have been remanded to police custody for allegedly kidnapping and raping an unidentified Indonesian maid, reports Al-Anba daily. The Public Prosecutor has also ordered the maid to be referred to Forensics to determine if she was raped by the two men. The men were arrested after the maid filed a complaint with the Fintas Police Station accusing a military man of forcing her into his vehicle and raping her inside an apartment in Fintas. She also told police the man then invited his friend who arrived at the apartment wearing a military uniform and raped her. The two men were later arrested at their work place based on the information provided by the victim.

 

Police hunt 2 for raping Asian maid in Mahboula

May 12, 07:

KUWAIT CITY: Police are looking for two unidentified Arabs for kidnapping and raping an Asian maid, reports Al-Watan daily. In her complaint to the police the maid said the men kidnapped her from outside the gate of her sponsor’s home in Mahboula, drove her to an apartment in Fintas and raped her several times. The men also stole her cell phone and KD five, drove her back and escaped. However, the Al-Rai daily said the suspects are policemen and they offered to drive an Indonesian maid to an unidentified location, took her to an apartment in Fintas and raped her.

Teen arrested for sodomy

May.1.2007

Police have arrested a 15-year-old schoolboy for sodomizing a 13-year-old student more than once over a period of three months, reports Al-Anba daily. During interrogation the juvenile is said to have admitted to committing the act. The suspect has been referred to the Juvenile Prosecution.

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Filipina abducted, robbed, and raped

May.1.2007:

Police are looking for three unidentified persons for stealing money, jewelry and a camera from a Filipino woman and ‘raping’ her, reports Al-Rai daily. The victim told police she was on her way to her sponsor’s home when a man wearing a dishdasha grabbed her from behind and dragged her into his home and raped her. He then drove her to a livestock pen in Jahra and invited two other men to have sex with her. The man then escaped with her purse containing $500, KD 65 and her jewelry and a camera

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Kuwaiti Youth lures UAE girl and commits multiple rape

A girl of UAE nationality has registered a case in Jleeb Shuyoukh police station accusing a Kuwaiti youth of locking her in his flat and raping her several times. Apparently the accused baited her saying he was looking for a secretary in his company and asked her to report at his flat. As soon as she entered the place, he locked the door and raped her several times. Finally when the accused, who was under the influence of alcohol, collapsed, she escaped from the flat and came straight to the police station. A criminal case was registered and a police officer and a public prosecutor rushed to the flat and arrested the accused. It was found that the accused was wanted in many other cases.

Raped 13-year-old girl gives birth to baby

March 29, 2007:

KUWAIT: A 13-year-old schoolgirl revealed that she was raped by the haris of their building while she was alone in the flat. The haris came to the flat in order to change some lamps as a periodical maintenance check and assaulted the girl sexually and  threatened to kill the girl if she told anyone. The girl informed her parents what happened and the parents took her to the hospital and reported the matter to the police. The haris was summoned for questioning but was then released because he had told the police that he harassed the girl but did not rape her.

After three months, the girl started feeling sick and upon getting a check up at the hospital, she discovered that she was pregnant. The parents reported the matter to the police again and the police arrested the haris and referred him to the central jail.

Later on, the girl gave birth, but then the police refused to release the baby only after recording the baby under the name of its father. The family got an authorisation letter from the haris while he was in jail and recorded the baby under his name.

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3 Filipina raped in Kuwait

Kuwait, Nov. 30. 2005:

Three Filipino women, including a 17-year-old teenager, have allegedly been gang raped in Kuwait in the past 10 days, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

Citing a report from the Philippine embassy in Kuwait, the DFA said the three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were abducted by unidentified men aboard a car while they were walking in the streets of Kuwait city.

Kuwaiti police are still trying to find out if the suspects are the same in each case, the report said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo told reporters that the department will exert all efforts to ensure the prosecution and conviction of the suspects in the crimes.

Romulo assured that the Philippine embassy in Kuwait and the DFA’s Office for Migrant Workers Affairs are providing legal, consular and psychological assistance to the three Filipinas.

“The department will provide the necessary legal funds to secure the conviction of those responsible for committing this terrible crime on our nationals and will ensure that the victims get the proper counseling and social support in order to overcome the trauma of this incident,” Romulo said.

In November 2003, the Philippine government successfully sought the prosecution and imprisonment of three Kuwait policemen for the rape of a Filipina.

The Kuwaiti court imposed prison sentences on the three Kuwaitis in a decision rendered on May 31, 2005.

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