Just when we thought our foreign domestic helpers are the ones at most vulnerable to cases of abuse, it’s quite shocking to learn in the news (as is always the case), that one of our kababayan has been charged for abuse/maltreatment of somebody else – a young child, at that.
Shocking as it is, but there needs to be careful evaluation of such cases because it deals with a foreigner who was given the responsibility to look after a minor by the family. Nevertheless, justice does not seek favour from anyone. When there’s an unlawful act, the only way to proceed to is to seek the truth, and to find applicable help from relevant authorities.
Pinay on Trial for Child Abuse Pleads Guilty in Court
This has been the case of a Filipina domestic helper who pleaded guilty to charges of abuse of her employer’s two-year old son in Hong Kong’s Kwun Tong Magistrate’s Court last December 26 (Wednesday), as shared in a report by Asia Times.
The Filipina domestic helper who was identified as Organista Erlinda Benavidez, 40, cited marital stress as the reason for lashing out her anger, which has resulted to the abuse of her employer’s son.
According to the report, Benavidez had been with the family since February and had admitted to slapping the child, pinching his neck and abdomen, as well as pulling his legs several times while feeding him porridge within half an hour.
The accused had been arrested in mid-December after the victim’s father heard his son crying, and learned of the abuse through a CCTV footage taken at home.
Following the discovery, the child was sent to the hospital for treatment, and was fortunately released on the same day, as well.
The Filipina domestic helper made a plea on court during trial, stating that she was the sole breadwinner of their family of two children and a husband who could only plough fields.
The defence counsel supported the Filipina’s plea noting that she was overworked at her employer’s home, as was suffering from insomnia as well as marital woes back home. Moreover, the counsel explained that the defendant’s repentance should also be taken into consideration as a mitigating factor to the decision of the case.