A 22 year-old mentally challenged woman was raped twice by a Bangladeshi worker after her employer forced her to share a room with the man. After arriving in January to the city from Tanjung Karang for work as a cashier at a car wash, the woman needed a place to stay
“Initially I stayed with my manager, but after two months, in early March, I was sent to stay in the company’s hostel, a shop house in Taman OUG. Only when I reached there did I realise that I was sharing a room with two Bangladeshi men,” said the woman. She also added that amongst eight males that were living in the hostel, she was the only female.
She also said that when she asked for a room to herself, her request was denied and not more than a week later, one of her roommates proceeded to rape her.
“I told my manager about it and begged her to not make me stay there but she ignored me,” said the woman in Mandarin softly.
She also mentioned that she was told by her manager to seek for her own place if she was unhappy with the living arrangement, which she was in. “My family is poor. I earn so little. I don’t have enough to pay. So I had to stay,” said the woman. She also added that she was ashamed to tell them about the awful incident.
A month later, the same man who raped her the first time did it again but this time at knife-point. “I was very scared. I was lost. I did not know what to do. Then a few weeks later I found out that I was pregnant,” she said in tears.
After telling her friend, she was finally convinced to lodge a report at the Brickfields police headquarters on May 22. And even though authorities arrested him, the man who raped her got out on bail, thanks to the employer.
“Since then there has been no action from the police and they have not even brought me for a medical check-up,” she said.
Her already horrible ordeal did not end there as she received a threat from her manager, saying that she would be arrested for lodging a false report.
The woman spoke at a press conference, which was called byWanita MCA chief Datuk Heng Seai Kie and MCA Public Service and Complaints Department chairman Datuk Seri Michael Chong at Wisma MCA yesterday.
“This is a gross injustice. We not only need to bring her rapist to justice but also charge the employer for failing to provide a safe environment for their employee,” said Heng.
Heng has urged the police and the Attorney-General to reopen this case and to be more considerate towards the situations and ordeal these people has been through and the fact that aren’t able to defend themselves.
She also pointed put that Wanita MCA have arranged accommodations for the woman at Pusat Jagaan Sinar Puteri for mothers that have children born out of wedlock. “We will aid her through the pregnancy and upon childbirth, she can choose to either keep or give the baby up for adoption,” said Chong.
Chong also said that he would help the woman by looking into the possibility of suing her employer.
