The Department of Foreign Affairs says the Malaysian employers of a Filipina who had been victimized by human trafficking have been convicted in court.
The department said the Sessions Court in Malaysia found the employers guilty of violating the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act.
The court sentenced the employers to 10 to 12 years in jail and ordered them to pay the victim RM20,000 (P232,976) in damages.
“The conviction is a big win for us during this pandemic and is the first victory for a Filipina in Malaysia,” Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said in a statement.
“This is an example of the government's commitment in protecting and promoting the rights of our workers.”
The Filipina, identified by the department only as "Courage", first escaped from her first employer due to a rape attempt. She was then employed by the now-convicted Malaysian couple.
The department said Courage was maltreated and abused by the couple using a hanger, an iron and boiling oil, among other things.
When Courage escaped from the Malaysian couple, she was found by a Filipino couple in an abandoned lot and was brought to the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Police investigated the matter and the victim was placed in a safe house.
During the trial before the Magistrate Court, Courage testified and recounted her ordeal.
Initially, her employers were acquitted, but on appeal, the Sessions Court reversed the lower court's decision and found her employers guilty.
The Blas F. Ople Policy Center, which assists distressed Filipino workers, hailed the court's decision, calling it a "major milestone" in the fight against human trafficking.
“It was a succession of vicious physical and verbal abuse. They starved her, beat her and scalded her and brought her by the side of the road when they thought she might end up dying inside their household,” Susan Ople, head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and former labor undersecretary, said.
“With the help of the Philippine Embassy and the Malaysian Royal Police, her employers were charged with human trafficking and were finally sentenced to jail by the court.”
In February 2019, Courage flew back to Malaysia through the department’s help to file a separate civil case against her employers.