We have heard so much bad news about workers in the Middle East but there have also been a number of wonderful news that make us believe there is still a lot of hope left in this place.
Recently, a Filipina who has been stuck in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for nearly 8 years found help in the case she is facing for a Dh-190,000-debt (Php2.7 million).
The 43-year-old Filipina had been stuck in the UAE after spending time in jail for a bounced check conviction. Sadly, though she was able to get out of jail, she was stuck in the country because she was put on the travel ban list and was not allowed to leave until she pays off the debt.
But without a visa and the conviction on her record, the unnamed Pinay was also not able to find a stable job. What’s worse, since she had been staying illegally in the country for many years because she didn’t have a visa, she was also facing numerous fines.
Her problems had just piled up, one of top of the other.
But the Filipina never lost hope. She sought the help of human rights authorities in Abu Dhabi for her case.
“The poor woman had spent time moving from office to office, seeking help, but couldn’t find hope until she was directed to the human rights section,” revealed the head of the Human Rights Section at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), Fatma Abdulrahim Obaid.
“She came to us crying. She had spent almost eight years stuck in the country and without a job. She couldn’t move out of the country because she had a travel ban on her as she was unable to pay the amount on the bounced check.”
Amazingly, help was swift in this government agency. Her warrant was temporary lifted and her named cleared from the immigration office within just a day! Afterwards, she was given the chance to obtain a new visa so she could finally get a job and repay the debt.
“We have helped her get the six-month job seekers temporary residence visa under the ongoing amnesty scheme and she is now living happily and freely in the country as she looks fora job,” Obaid revealed.
Thanks to Abu Dhabi’s human rights section, this Pinay woman has found a new lease on life and now has the chance to live a better life in the country.
