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## author : cwgl@igc.apc.org
## date : 22.09.95
Last year Sarah was brutally raped by her employer. She was only 15 years old and was a domestic worker in the household of the UAE employer. During this attack on her person she killed him in self defense. In the ensuing trial it was accepted that Sarah had indeed been raped and she won compensation, but was also condemned to seven years in prison in the UAE for manslaughter.
This case follows closely upon the execution of another Filipina domestic worker in Singapore, Flor Contemplacion, last March. This had provoked widespread anger among Filipinos, many of whom have relatives or friends working overseas. In order to prevent the repetition of this incident, the Philippine government sought a retrial in the case of Sarah Balabagan hoping to reverse the decision of the Court. Unfortunately in the retrial, the Court saw fit to sentence Sarah to death instead, reversing the findings of the earlier trial that Sarah had been brutally raped.
Sarah's case once again brings to the fore the plight of millions of Filipino overseas workers, many of whom are women domestic workers, who are in an extremely vulnerable position and lack any effective protection from either the Philippine government or the governments of the receiving countries. It is ironic that the death sentence on Sarah comes within the same week that the UAE representatives attending the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing committed themselves to taking action to protect children from exploitation. The World Conference on Women also agreed on a Platform for Action which condemns all forms of violence against women.
URGENT ACTION IS NEEDED NOW TO STOP THIS EXECUTION AND AS A CONDEMNATION OF ALL THE OTHER ATTENDANT INJUSTICES COMMITTED AGAINST SARAH. SHE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO RETURN HOME TO HER FAMILY.
Please express your concern by writing to the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates:
His Excellency Easa Faleh Al-Gurg, CBE
United Arab Emirates Embassy, 30 Princes Gate, London SW7 1PT
Fax: 44171 581 9616
Kindly send a copy to the Philippine Embassy in London:
His Excellency Jesus P Tambunting,
9a Palace Green, London W8 4QE
Fax: 44171 937 2925
For further information:
KALAYAAN
St Francis Centre, Pottery Lane, London W11 4NQ
Tel: 44 171 243 2942 fax: 44171 792 3060
email: 100711.2262@compuserve.com