Pinay rape victim in Kuwait returns home after 8 years

A Filipino overseas worker in Kuwait who was raped, stabbed in the neck, and left for dead in a desert by a policeman, returned to the Philippines this Sunday, after achieving justice within 8 years of fighting in his case.

It seems that “Marissa,” not her real name, received an early Christmas present when a Kuwaiti court convicted the Kuwaiti police who raped her in 2012.

“Maging matatag lang at manalangin hindi naman tayo pababayaan ng Panginoon, huwag lang natin siyang kalimutan kasi lahat ng dumarating sa buhay natin may magandang kinabukasan din yan… 8 years binigyan pa ako ng lakas na kayang harapin ang pagsubok na dumating sa buhay ko,” Marissa said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

The 35-year-old was a native of T’Boli, South Cotabato, a single parent, and has one child. She was among the more than 300 OFWs who returned home last November. 29 using Kuwaiti Airways chartered flight.

It was Sept. 12, 2006 when the Filipina first arrived in Kuwait and was employed as a household service worker.

Pinay rape victim in Kuwait returns home after 8 years

According to Marissa, she and her friend were on their way home in a taxi on September 30, 2012, when a police officer blocked it.

Since her residence visa had expired and was under renewal, the suspect took her to a police car and took her to a desert in South Surra, where she was raped and stabbed in the neck and back.

Police left her dead, but Marissa was able to crawl to a roadside where she was spotted by a passing car and taken to Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital.

In June 2014, the Kuwait Court of First Instance sentenced a policeman to death after being found guilty of a crime but sentenced him to life imprisonment after his lawyer appealed.

The last meeting between Marissa and Kuwaiti human rights lawyer Sheikha Fawzia, who did not accept payment for her services, was emotional.

“I wish you [a] good life, forget what had happened before. I wish you peace of mind and happiness,” Fawzhia said.

“Everything khalas, it’s [a] dream then you start a new life. Khalas… Now you start again,” she added.