Saudi Arabian boss pours boiling water on maid: report

A 23-year-old Filipino maid in Saudi Arabia suffered horrific burns when her employer allegedly threw boiling water at her.

Photos of Miss Fatma (not her real name), with burns on her back and legs, were posted by her cousin on Facebook last Saturday.

The photos went viral, leading many netizens to express support and prayers for the woman, Philippine TV station ABS-CBN News reported.

Ms Fatma had been working for the Arab family for just two months before the incident.

She claimed she had been neither paid nor given any food.

ANGRY

Early this month, the report said, her employer's mother got angry after she did not immediately bring her coffee.

The woman then allegedly poured boiling water on her.

While in hospital, Miss Fatma secretly gave a nurse a piece of paper with her older sister's phone number in the Philippines. Her sister was able to give the nurse the phone number of her relatives in Riyadh.

When her employer took her to the hospital for treatment, Miss Fatma's cousin was able to rescue her. There were no details on how she was saved.

The maid is recuperating at the Philippine Embassy.

Ms Fatma, who has two children aged four years and 11 months, said: "Please help me. I hope justice will be done because they treated me so badly."

According to a study by the Committee on Filipinos Overseas, 70 per cent of Filipino domestic workers in Saudi Arabia have reported physical and psychological abuse, UK daily The Independent reported.

This article was published on May 21 in The New Paper.

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