RP authorities in Jeddah warn vs underage household helpers

Underaged Filipinos planning to work in Saudi Arabia as household helpers face grave sanctions should they be caught, Philippine authorities there warned anew. Philippine Consul General to Jeddah Ezzedin Tago issued the reminder that the minimum age for household service workers (HSWs) is 23 years old, after helping repatriate a 16-year-old girl found working there. "Recruitment and deployment of minors is a grave violation of Philippine and Saudi laws, punishable by cancellation of deployment licenses as well as fines not exceeding a million pesos," Tago said in an article posted Tuesday on the Department of Foreign Affairs website. Tago issued the reminder after the recent repatriation of a 16-year-old HSW who was deployed in Jeddah. Investigation showed the girl used a falsified birth certificate to apply for a passport, and deployed to Taif as an HSW. Her employers relinquished her to the Consulate due to frequent disagreements. The Consulate General coordinated with the girl's employer for the issuance of her exit visa and she was repatriated after a week. "We have recommended the blacklisting and filing of appropriate civil and criminal charges against Lamona's recruiter and placement agency," Tago said. The Consulate General continues to extend assistance to all distressed OFWs in the area. Earlier, 57 distressed Filipinos — eight of them minors — were repatriated from Jeddah. The mass repatriation was a culmination of the appropriate representations of the Consulate and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jeddah with relevant Saudi authorities to facilitate the early repatriation of these Filipinos. — RSJ, GMANews.TV