Another Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) fell victim to an abuse made worse by Philippine government neglect.

Grace (not her real name) was raped by an Emirati identified as Khalifa Hassan Khalifa on May 16 in a desert area in Sharjah, UAE, 50 km from Dubai. She was hospitalized for 10 days after which she pursued the case against Khalifa. In a tragic twist however, she was the one who was put in jail on May 26 on trumped up charges of Illicit Relationship (Adultery), and Under the Influence of Alcohol.

Justice should be served to the real criminal. The imprisonment of Grace is an affront to justice, fairness, rights of women, and the rights of migrant workers.

The Philippine government officials in UAE are culpable to the crime as the abductor and rapist of Grace.

She was denied assistance to pursue her case that forced her to raise the needed funds for her defense. Her lawyer did not even show up during the hearing - conducted in Arabic - that made her admit to charges she did not commit.

Not a shadow of any official from the Philippine Embassy in UAE was seen during the whole ordeal of Grace save for a single visit in jail of Consul Renato P.O. Villa, Labor Attaché Vicente Cabe, and Social Worker Delia Parani. The repeated requests for financial assistance from the Philippine government were continuously denied.

We are outraged by the statements of Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas and Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople who said that they were aware of the case but chose not to publicize it to supposedly "protect the victim and not to prejudice the case" because it is a "matter of policy and simple decency."

A matter of policy is the protection that the Philippine government should give to OFWs. Simple decency is for government officials to own their faults and suffer the consequences of their neglect.

Grace's case exhibit a government wrought with neglect of their nationals abroad. We see in her Glenda Giron-Lorio who was forcibly taken from a Philippine government-run shelter in Hong Kong and killed only meters away from the shelter. We see in her Flor Contemplacion from Singapore whose execution, largely due to government inaction, enraged the Filipinos worldwide.

We see in her thousands more of OFWs who suffer abuses, unjustly imprisoned, stranded in foreign countries, and victimized by human rights violations.

If the full justice is to be given to Grace, Philippine Embassy Charge d' Affaires Generoso G. Calonge, Consul Villa, Labatt Cabe, Welfare Officer Betty Walkington, Secretary Ople and Secretary Sto. Tomas must resign from their posts due to gross neglect of their duties.

Grace must be given full assistance for her release from prison. Her abductor must be prosecuted and she must be given just compensation.

We demand no less.

Signed:

HONG KONG
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)
United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-HK)
Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers
Bethune House Migrant Womens Refuge
Pinatud A Saleng Ti Umili
Association of Concerned Filipinos
Abra Tinguian Ilocano Society of Hong Kong
Migrante Sectoral Party - Hong Kong Chapter
Ifugao Organization - Hong Kong
Cordillera Alliance in Hong Kong
Kiangan Association Hong Kong
Mindanao Federation
Thai Regional Alliance in Hong Kong
Asosiasi Tenaga Kerja Indonesia di Hong Kong
Association of Sri Lankans in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
Apo Leong
Bruce Van Voorhis

MACAU
Macau Cordilleran Association

BEIJING, CHINA
Jory Porjuia

PHILIPPINES
MIGRANTE Sectoral Party - National
Rep. Liza Largoza Maza, GABRIELA Secretary General and Bayan Muna Party List Representative
Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR)
Susan P. Lubi
Janice Lee M. Monte
Rosario T. Padilla
Celeste Gimena
Judith Cellona
Abigail Barotilla
Ricardo Clarin
Innabuyog- Gabriela Cordillera and Cordillera Women's Education and Resource Center (CWERC)
College Editors Guild of the Philippines
Mindanao Interfaith People's Conference (MIPC)
Bayan (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, New Patriotic Alliance)
International League of Peoples' Struggle - Philippines Chapter
MIGRANTE International
Kalipunan ng Migranteng Pilipino at Pamilya (KMPP)
Kabataang Migranteng Pilipino para sa Bayan (KAMIYAN)
Worldwide Advocates for the Rights of Migrants (WARM)
Filipino Seafarers Movement (FSM)

TAIWAN
Hsiao-Chuan Hsia, Associate Professor, Shih Hsin University, Taipei, Taiwan
Liza de Silva, KaSaPi and MSP Taiwan

SOUTH KOREA
Migrante Sectoral Party-South Korea Chapter
Garry C Martinez, Chairperson - Katipunan ng mga Samahang Migrateng Manggagawa sa Korea (KASAMMA-KO)
Pastor Jones Galang, Coordinator - Migrante Sectoral Party
Sonny Plana. President - Pag iribang Bikolnong
Alwin Casiao, President - Quezon Association
Neneth Villanueva, President - Southern Tagalog Organization
Renato Camacho, President - Federation of Filipino Workers in Korea
Fatima Leoncio, President - Women On The Move
Celso Macuja, President - Filipino Workers Associaton
Danilo Santos, Chairperson - New Era Foundation Seoul Chapter
Manny Tiongson, Chairperson - New Era Foundation Suwon Chapter
Celso Panlaqui, Chairperson - New Era Foundation Puchon Chapter
Ariel Cayanan, OIC Chairperson - New Era Foundation Ilsan Chapter

JAPAN
Filipino Migrant Center (FMC) Nagoya, Japan
Kalipunan ng mga Filipino na Nagkakaisa - (KAFIN-Tokyo)
Kalipunan ng mga Filipino na Nagkakaisa - (KAFIN- Saitama)
Kalipunan ng mga Filipino na Nagkakaisa - (KAFIN- Nagoya)
Center for Japanese-Filipino Families-CJFF
FICAP- (Filipina Circle for Advancement and Progress)- Nagoya
Ecumenical Filipino Fellowship- (EFF) JAPAN

INDONESIA
Center for Indonesian Migrant Workers, Indonesia

AUSTRALIA
Migrante - Melbourne
Brian Byrne, SVD
Dr Peter M Sales, University of Wollongong, New South Wales
Migrante - Australia
Action for Peace and Development in the Philippines

NEW ZEALAND
Philippine Resource Centre - New Zealand Inc.

PAKISTAN
Rubina Jamil, President - Working Women Organization, Pakistan
Gulzar Ahmed Chaudhary, General Secretary - All Pakistan Trade Union Federation
Aima Mahmood, Secretary, Working Women Organization
Salma Liaqat, Working Women Organization

KUWAIT
Freda Editha O. Contreras

EUROPE
Rev. Cesar T. Taguba
EMFA- Ecumenical Ministry for Filipinos Abroad-Europe, The Netherlands
Rio Mondelo and Grace Punongbayan, Migrante International-Europe

THE NETHERLANDS
Gemma T. Cruz (Nijmegen, the Netherlands)
Iraanse Studenten Association - Holland
Maurice de Kromme, Amsterdam
Martijn Thuysman, Amsterdam
Maitet Ledesma - Pinay sa Holland Gabriela
Ben Brugman
Melinda Brugman-Antoni
Manuel Singson III, International Network for Philippine Studies (I.N.P.S.)
Edna Njio-Mijares
CSVI / GPDI, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Chico B. Taguba, Pinoy Youth Orqanization, Netherlands
Ruth de Leon, Filipino Refugees in the Netherlands
Rev. Cees van Steenis, Michiel de Ruyterstraat 42, 5582 JM Aalst Waalre
Fr. Dave Capucao, Catholic University of Niijmegen
Federatie van Afghaanse Vluchtelingen Organisaties in Nederland (FAVON)
Sally Guit-Cimanez, Foundation in Support of the Deaf and Blind in the Philippines
Tina Fernandez
Fr. Rico Ponce, O'Carm.
Theo Droog, Nederlands-Filippijnse Solidariteitsbeweging

DENMARK
Ugnayang Pinoy - Denmark
Radyo Pinoy - Denmark

BELGIUM
Ric Cuyob (Cordillera Community in Belgium - Cordi-Bel)
Art Gelle (Ugnayang Pilipino sa Belgium - UPB)
Myriam De Feyter (December 18 Committee, Brussels)

ITALY
Ugnayan ng Migranteng Pilipino - Milan

IRELAND
Rachel Doyle - Ireland
Maire Brookfield - Ireland

FINLAND
Sari Nurminen - Finland

SWEDEN
Filippinska Kultur
Friitdsförening i Botkyrka

GERMANY
Melvin Gonzalez, Balitang Verein

USA
Filipino Workers' Association -- San Francisco, USA
FILIPINO COMMUNITY SUPPORT (FOCUS) San Jose, California, USA
CFFSC (Critical Filipina/Filipino Studies Collective), Bay Area, California
Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines [NISPOP] - New York, USA
DAMAYAN Migrant Workers Association - New York, USA
Filipino Ministry, Diocese of San Bernardino, California, U.S.A. c/o Msrg. Cesar Encinares, Diocesan Director
Peoples' Health Network c/o Placido Andrade, St. George Church, Ontario, CA. USA
US Filipino Catholic MInistries Council
Rev. Art J. Monzon-Balagat, Chariman & National Consultant for the US Catholic Conference of Bishops/MRS/PCMR
Bev Tang, Secretary General, Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB)

CANADA
Cynthia Palmaria, PINAY (Filipino Women's Association of Montreal)
Vancouver Association of Chinese Canadians
Professor Abigail Bakan, Queen's University
Willie Nabus, Philippine Unionist & Nationalist Alliance (PUNA) and Filipino Charity Mission (Filmission), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

MEXICO
Suad Elias Atala

ISRAEL
Purisima Bagsawan, Chairperson, Association of Igorot Migrant Workers in Israel
Reut Barak - Kav LaOved (Worker's hotline)

CHILE
Coral Pey, Executive Director - Chilean Alliance for a Fair and Responsible Trade, ACJR

INDIA
Dr. Vineeta Gupta, Secretary General - Insaaf International, India

TUNISIA
Dr MOALLA T. Khadija, Lawyer based in TUNISIA

BENIN, WEST AFRICA
Huguette AKPLOGAN - DOSSA de l'ONG SOEURS UNIES A L'OEUVRE

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Bernie Penus, KGS Riyadh, K.S.A.
Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan -- Riyadh, KSA
Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan -- Dawadmi, KSA
Riyadh Overseas Filipino Workers Association
Kalmapi - Kalipunan ng Manggagawang Pilipino sa Industrial, Riyadh, KSA
Edgar C. Cadano, - Rights and Welfare Committee - Dabawenyo Overseas Association
Migrante Sectoral Party Saudi Arabia Chapter
Kapatiran ng Migranteng Stranded sa Riyadh (KAMI-SR)
Lakas Mangagawa ng Silangang Probinsya (LMSP) Jubail, KSA
Francis M. Maca - Founder, Madja-as Federation of the Provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo and Guimaras
Mark Ibanez and family, SAMAHAN ng mga MAKABAYAN - Riyadh
Armando Ordonez, Chairperson - MSP Jubail, KSA
Cesar Saavedra, Secretary-General - UNCLE

MONGOLIA
Centre for Human Rights and Development