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Marichu Suarez Baoanan's Case
A campaign around a woman being trafficked into the United States reveals another case of modern day slavery in New York City.
“My eyes became blurry from crying every night. It was like I did not have hope to escape or to continue to live. I thought about committing suicide because I was so depressed – I couldn’t even send money for my family’s food”.
These are the words of Marichu Suarez Baoanan when she spoke last week about being trafficked into the United States.
Marichu Suarez Baoanan Case
Marichu Suarez Baoanan met Norma Baja of Labaire International Inc. in the Philippines. Baja promised her a package deal of a visa, plane ticket, and work authorization to become a nurse in New York City. When Marichu paid the agency, they made her sign a contract that she could not read.
Upon Marichu’s arrival in New York, she was forced to work for the family who owned the travel agency, Lauro Baja the former UN Ambassador to the Philippines (2003-2006), his wife Norma Baja, and their daughter Maria "Beth" Facundo. She worked 18 or more hours every day for three months at the Bajas’ home in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Her passport was taken from her and was left isolated inside the house, subject to verbal and physical abuse. Her compensation? One hundred dollars. The Bajas’ defense? She was indebted to them for the package deal.
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Catherine-Mercedes, 21, is a senior at Queens College (CUNY) majoring
in Urban Studies with a concentration in Women's and Labor Studies.
She works as the coordinator for the Women's Committee of the NYC
Carpenter's Union, and is an active member of GABRIELA Network's New York/New Jersey chapter.