A Filipino domestic helper found herself in jail in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the death of her newborn baby.
In her defense, Lorna (name withheld) said that she was raped by a foreign expatriate, who was an on-call driver of her employers.
She claimed that she kept the incident secret from her employers in Al Baha in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia for fear of losing her employment.
Kaagapay Ng Bawat OFW Advocates, an NGO helping distressed Filipino expatriates, is calling on the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah to help Lorna, who was possibly suffering from postpartum depression as a result of her ordeal.
According to reports, Lorna’s female employer witness the birth of the child, but had to leave the room to call her children. When the employer returned, the baby was already wrapped in a malong and placed in a plastic bag.
The baby died while being transported to the hospital.
Lorna is now facing charges of immorality and infanticide, which as a penalty of death.
Philippine Consulate in Jeddah said that Lorna’s only reprieve is to establish that she was having postpartum while handling the baby by herself.
