WHEN YOUNG FILIPINO WOMEN MAKES THEMSELVES EASY PREYS OF ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT

Something has to be done about many of young Filipino women who makes themselves easy preys of illegal recruiters.

Waiting for their flight from Kuala Lumpur to Manila were two young Filipino ladies, one was only seventeen years old, and the other one was in her twenties.

The two Filipinas were supposed to go to Qatar via Kuala Lumpur , to work as domestic helpers, they said. However, their tickets were fake, so they were not allowed to leave.

The two alleged that they arrived in Kuala Lumpur on July 9 but since they were not allowed to leave, a Malaysian taxi driver was good enough to bring them to a Chinatown boarding house where Filipinas are staying. There they stayed until their “aunt” sent them e-tickets.

One trembles thinking what would have happened to these Filipinas if no Good Samaritan was around?

On further questioning, it appeared that the Filipino girls from South Cotabato didn’t have working papers for Qatar . Their passports were tourist passports.

Their “aunt” used to be a domestic helper in Qatar . Her former employer needed domestic helpers and the two girls were recruited to go. Asked what their aunt’s name was, the girls couldn’t or wouldn’t give the name.

The girls were supposed to receive $300.00 salary if they were able to reach Qatar . Asked whether they underwent any training before they left, they said no because they have been to Qatar as domestic helpers in the past.

So they have been illegal workers in Qatar in the past. This would have been their second time to work there if they didn’t have a problem with their tickets.

To think that many times, it is the relatives, the very ones who are supposed to protect these Filipinas, are the ones who push and endanger these young girls.

How many more young Filipino girls have similar experiences? How many Filipino young ladies put themselves in danger just for the sake of being able to find job in other countries. Surely, something must be done about this. Hopefully, there is an agency of the government that can do something about these situations.

The need for more advocacies and information dissemination about illegal recruitment and its hazards, can never be more emphasized.