A businessman has denied raping his Filipina housemaid as his son lay asleep beside them, Dubai Court of First Instance heard today.
The court heard how the 39-year-old Syrian businessman raped the maid many times over a week and threatened to kill the Filipina if she told his wife.
“Just three days after I started working for the family and while I was sleeping in the same room as his son he (the defendant) came in to the room at 2am.” the victim said in the records. “He got hold of me, threatened to kill me and then raped me,” she continued.
The defendant told her that he would kill her if she told his wife or caused problems for him.
“I was afraid. He (the defendant) kept having sex with me for a week in different places in the house. I then decided to escape with another housemaid after the family had gone to sleep but he came into the room again and raped me whilst his son was asleep beside us,” she said.
She added: “I washed myself and then escaped and went to the consulate to complain.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty and the case has been adjourned until next month to give time to prepare the defence.
Domestic workers in Dubai and the whole Gulf region live in terrible conditions. I just saw a report on CNN on maids' plight in Bahrain - some of these women have not been paid their due wages for 3-4 years!!! Their passports are held by their bosses. Many have also been raped. They have nothing.
I also saw that report. It's horrible to take free people's passports in the 21st century. They are turned into modern-day slaves by their Arab masters.
BTW, here's the vid clip for the report (pay attention especially after 1:10 min)
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2009/05/15/mme.1.face...
somebody has to stop this!!! but when? the region needs debate.. these issues have to be brought under the public light (I mean, "local" light) and discussed abundantly and incessantly until this form of slavery is over once and for all