DUBAI: How do you free yourself when someone grabs you by the hair? You just go with the flow and throw your attacker off-balance.
That's one of the techniques Filipina housemaids in Dubai have picked up at free self-defence classes organised by non-government organisation SAMPII, a group of Filipino self-defence enthusiasts. "If you don't do this, you will end up getting hurt more," Ebrahim Robel Beltran, an aikido expert, tells his wards during a training session at Zabeel Park.
"Don't wait for a hot flat iron to land on your back. Run away and report to authorities the first sign of abuse."
Beltran is one of the three "shihans" or instructors who conduct these classes held on weekends in the quiet corners of Safa Park or Zabeel Park.
Beltran said: "We've encountered many sad stories about our abused sisters working as domestic workers and we thought we should do something about it. We give them the basics so they are able to defend themselves when attacked."
Ex-cop from Philippines
A former cop in Quezon province, Beltran taught self-defence at the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) in Laguna for four years before moving to Dubai to work as security manager at a five-star hotel.
Though there are no official figures on the number of Filipina housemaids in the UAE, it is believed to run into several thousands.
About 20 "weekend warriors" have signed up for the sessions since classes began earlier this year. Cherry Silvano, 42, a nanny from Tarlac province, has been training since January. "I've been working in Dubai for two years and I have no problems with my employers," said Silvano. "I train because it's good exercise. The stretching part alone is great. I feel light. It is also for my own good. I see with my own eyes how some of our fellow kabayans [citizens] end up being victims of abuse," she said.
Myrna Tiemsin, 36, from Pampanga, said: "My American employers give me off days and allow me to attend the training."
The techniques they learn are different from martial arts, but effective to get them out of a bad situation when it arises, she said.
Professional Filipinas also attend these classes. Jennifer Silva, a 34-year-old nurse from Bataan, said she joined early this year but stopped when she learnt she was pregnant. She teaches first-aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to nannies. "We try to give the girls more confidence."
Nilda Santilla, 42, a Dubai dressmaker, from Catbalogan, Samar, said: "It is my way of spending lazy weekends productively. It's also good to learn something new, which may come in handy one day."
The group also provides information on UAE laws to the maids. "Ignorance [of the law] is no excuse," said Beltran.
"Knowing the law prevents us from going astray — or being subject to abuse."
A Philippine labour official in Dubai said most of the Filipina housemaids are treated well.
There are currently 50 "runaway" Filipina housemaids in a halfway house in Al Ghusais, awaiting clearance to fly home.
