Back from Lebanon, a Davao OFW�s Nightmare

Judith Solis couldn�t wait to abandon her abusive Lebanese employer. When she finally arrived home in Davao City, she had been incapacitated after an alleged suicide attempt. But Judith�s family suspects something more sinister.

By Jeffrey B. Javier
davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY — Last Feb. 14, 2006, when Jemar Solis was called by his wife�s employer, he got the shock of his life. The employer called to tell him that his wife needed $700 to be sent to Lebanon. Not knowing what the $700 was for, Jemar called his wife�s recruitment agency. The Golden Future Agency, based in Manila, told him that his wife, Judith, had a slight accident on Valentine�s Day and was being treated in a hospital.

Four days later, on Feb. 18, the Overseas Workers� Welfare Agency (OWWA) called to tell Jemar that Judith was in a critical condition. At that moment, she was being operated on; her pelvic and thigh bones had been crushed. According to the police report he received via e-mail, Judith attempted suicide. Jemar knew right then something was not right.

Judith, 32, had been in Lebanon for only eight months; she arrived there in April last year to work as a domestic helper. Between November and December, she regularly called Jemar to complain about her working condition. She would tell him that her life was in great danger. She was determined to go home, she told him.

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