File Civil Claims, Pinoy Victims in HK Urged
THE recent vindication of two Filipino domestic helpers who filed charges against their employers for sexual assault should encourage more to pursue cases if they suffer the same abuse, a Philippine diplomat said.
Vice Consul Fatima Guzman-Quintin, Assistance to Nationals section head, said Filipinos in Hong Kong should seek the help of the Philippine Consulate General so they could be advised of the next steps to take.
“Right after the incident has happened, they can approach the Assistance to Nationals section immediately. Mayroon po tayong hotline and pwede din silang pumunta sa ATN section,” she said.
Guzman-Quintin added that the case would be better prepared if, in the initial stages, the ATN would be there to assist. The diplomat’s comment was made after a seven-man jury convicted 65-year-old Lee Man-biu of one count of indecent assault against his 48-year-old Filipino domestic helper.
The Filipino accused Lee of fondling her breasts in October 2014 and threatening to throw her out the window if she reported the incident.
Lee was sentenced to a 10-week jail term.
A video camera set up by the victim recorded the incident and became the basis for Lee’s conviction.
Guzman-Quintin said they were trying to get in touch with the victim, but the woman requested privacy.
In another case, a Kwun Tong court sentenced 43-year-old Shek Kwok-ngai to five weeks in prison after a video camera set up by his Filipino domestic helper recorded him exposing his private parts for six seconds while staring at the woman in his home’s small kitchen in 2014.
Guzman-Quintin said group Justice Without Borders had approached the PCG and offered to assist Filipinos in the city in filing civil claims.
“We had an initial meeting with Justice Wihtout Border. Kaka-discuss lang namin with Justice Without Borders and timely ang meeting namin and we’re working on possible coordination with them,” Guzman- Quintin said.
She said the group was willing to take in pro bono cases.
“Our initial meeting was two weeks ago. They’re willing to help especially the household service workers and they initiated the meeting,” Guzman-Quintin said.
“But if we give them details of cases, the concerned Filipinos should give their consent first,” she added.
Presently, the practice of Filipino litigants was to wait for the verdict in the criminal charges before proceeding with civil claims, but lawyers said those two cases could be filed simultaneously.
“Of course, this would have to be approved by the court,” Guzman-Quintin said.
(Source: HongKongNews.com.hk)