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Jullebee Ranara (35), a Filipino domestic worker was raped and burned by her employer’s son in Kuwait. This killing triggered 114 Filipino domestic workers to leave Kuwait en masse. Photo/Twitter via Al Arabiya
KUWAIT CITY – A total of 114 domestic helpers (PRT) origin Filipina leave Kuwait in less than four days. It happened after their partner, Jullebee Ranara, was brutally murdered last month.
Ranara (35) was killed by a 17 year old boy. The teenager was reported to have raped and burned the victim’s body.
The victim spoke to his family earlier last month, telling him that he was afraid of his employer’s son.
The victim disappeared a day later, and was found dead beside a road in the desert with his skull crushed and his body charred.
Read also: Kuwait hangs 7 people, 2 of them are women
Last week, the Philippine government said it would take steps to assess and prevent abuses including the rape and abuse of Filipino domestic workers in the Gulf country.
The Ministry of Migrant Labor in the Philippines blacklisted Kuwaiti recruitment offices, preventing Filipino workers from being sent to work in Kuwait.
The Ministry of Interior of Kuwait, as quoted by Al Arabiya, Sunday (5/2/2023), immediately conducted an investigation after receiving reports of the victim’s body and resolved the case within 24 hours.
The teenager accused of raping and killing the victim has been named a suspect.
Ranara’s death marks the latest tragedy to befall an expatriate worker from the Philippines and a heartbreaking loss to the Filipino community.
About 268,000 Filipinos are currently working in Kuwait, including many domestic workers.
Migrant Workers Deputy Secretary of the Overseas Employment Administration of the Philippines Hans Cacdac said more than 400 Filipinos had sought shelter in recent weeks at emergency centers run by the Philippine Embassy due to labor issues. According to him, nearly half had flown back to Manila.
About 10 percent of Filipinos’ 110 million people have gone to other countries, driven by high rates of poverty and unemployment. They work or live in more than 200 countries and their remittances play an important role in keeping the Philippine economy afloat.
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