In November this year, a Filipina domestic helper was accused of sexually abusing her employer’s two year old child using a vibrator in their residence at Tseung Kwan O in Hong Kong. On December 8, the domestic helper was finally set free due to lack of evidence.
This decision came after the prosecutor withdrew the charges because the investigators can not provide enough evidence to support their allegations that the domestic helper mistreated the child, much more sexually abused her.
Filipino maid walks free from sexual assault charges
Gina Budhuan, a 38 year old domestic helper who has been working in Hong Kong since 2016, was accused by her female employer last November of maltreatment. This was brought about when Buduan’s employer found red spots and rashes on their daughter’s private parts. When the employer took her child to the doctor she was given some ointment for the child’s rashes. Later that day, when the mother tried to apply the ointment on the child, the two year old allegedly said that the maid had poked the vibrator on her private part. This prompted the employer to report Buduan to the authorities where she as arrested on October 31. Buduan denied the sexual harassment charges but the judge did not allow her to post a bail and she remained in custody until her name was finally cleared.
Magistrate Don So told the SubWebHK that “A two-year-old cannot tell between a lie and the truth. How she hurt herself is a mystery,” So said.
He also added that even if there are doctor’s reports showing that the little girl had rashes in her private parts, there is no way to prove that it was caused by any type of abuse done by the domestic helper especially because the two year old cannot recall how and when she got the rashes.
With this, Magistrate Don So told Baduan last December 8 that she is free to go and that the charges against her has been withdrawn.
Baduan has spent a little over a month in custody. She wept some happy tears upon hearing that she’s finally free and that her name is cleared from the wrongful accusations.