Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — A Filipina domestic worker in the Kingdom is facing charges of immorality and infanticide after the death of her newborn baby.

The woman claimed that she was raped by an expatriate in Abha, who was an on-call driver for her employer.

She had not reported the incident to anyone out of fear and hid her pregnancy from her employer, according to Philippine sources.

The woman’s female employer noticed only when she developed labor pain. The employer along with her family members rushed to help her but by then she had delivered the baby. The newborn was wrapped in a piece of cloth and placed in a plastic bag. The baby died on way to hospital, according to a Philippine media report.

After receiving the information on the incident, officials from the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah visited the female worker who is currently under detention in a southern Saudi city.

The woman has been charged with immorality and infanticide, and if proven guilty, she could face the death sentence, the report said quoting a Philippine consulate official.

The official also said that if she could be proven to be suffering from post-partum depression, the infanticide charge against her would possibly be dropped.

The consulate official urged all Filipino workers to report any sexual harassment immediately to the authorities concerned.