THERE are twin tragedies in the death of Joanna Daniela Demafelis, the 29-year-old overseas Filipino worker who was found in a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait.
We know as much: That her body had shown stabs on the neck and evidence of torture, and that her former employers, the suspects in her killing, were a Lebanese national and his Syrian wife who had since fled. The Lebanese was wanted for falsifying checks.
Demafelis’ body arrived Friday morning as the Kuwaiti government promised it would do its best to find her ex-employers.
The first tragedy is of the personal kind. Demafelis was the sole breadwinner in her family after her husband had been unable to work. It is horrible to imagine that a young, hardworking, self-effacing wife and mother would be subjected to such suffering and violence. These things should never happen.
The second is the repercussions of the death. President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, not just because of Demafelis but of other cases of abuse and maltreatment.
Some would say this is throwing the baby with the bathwater, because violence among Kuwaiti employers are the exception and not the rule. Indeed, many workers in Kuwait have given comfortable lives to their loved ones and built up their savings over the years. It is ridiculous to believe, too, that our workers can only be in danger if they work in Kuwait. The risks are everywhere, and evil deeds can be committed from anywhere.
Others say the ban is a necessary move to better protect OFWs.
If the aim is to protect our workers, then there are numerous ways that the government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, could ensure their safety. Embassy staff in other countries, for instance, should be reinforced and made aware of the impact of their action or inaction on the lives of our workers. What the employers do is, sadly, out of our control, but their governments should know at all times that we do not feed our citizens to wolves and will not just react when the harm has already been done.
In the very long term, the ultimate act of protection is to provide an economic environment where upward mobility and fulfillment are possible right within our shores.
And then, there would be no need to weigh financial gain against emotional and social cost. There would be no need to guard against known and unknown risks of working “out there.”