Pinay, branded as witch, mauled by employer in Kuwait

Map of Kuwait / Wikipedia Photo

KUWAIT – A Filipina working as a household help was accused of being a witch and was beaten up by her male Kuwaiti employer.

“Sarah,” not her real name, was called a witch by her employer after a dried amniotic sac covered in red cloth was found inside her bag.

She said that the sac, which had been with her as her lucky charm for 16 years, was dried after giving birth to her child.

Sarah, a 35-year-old native of Cagayan Province, also recalled how her employer and its brother tied her up and started kicking her repeatedly.

“Sabi niya, kaya pala gustong-gusto ka ng anak namin. Kaya pala ikaw ang gusto-gusto ng anak namin, wala ng iba. Yan ang ginagamit mo sa anak namin,” Sarah said.

[He (the employer) told me ‘That’s the reason why our son really likes you. The reason why he likes you a lot is because you are using that charm on him.’”]

Sarah was also dragged to the police station by her employer accusing her of sorcery and witchcraft, which is considered a crime in Kuwait.

She denied the allegation but was detained for two days until her employer decided to sell her to another agency.

Meanwhile, a Filipino advocacy group was able to rescue her and turned her over to the embassy.

With reports from Maxxy Santiago