Foreign Women Illegally Detained After Answering Facebook Job Ads

UPDATE: Since this story was published, we are told that the women have been released from the building and are on the way home. Hopefully they will be able to speak publicly about their terrible experience in due time.

A concerned husband has contacted CNE after his wife, a Philippines national, managed to get word from what is claimed to be an illegal detention in Sihanoukville.

The victim claims to be being held in a windowless room with two African women after answering a job advertisement on Facebook.

After Jene Miras Martinez responded to the advert, on July 16 she was interviewed in Phnom Penh by a recruitment company named by sources as MVRF Resources Co. Ltd..

The next day Ms. Martinez headed to Sihanoukville to begin what was described as a ‘training course’ so she could work in what she believed was a Chinese owned call center. On July 18 she was moved into the accommodation near Otres provided by the company, which turned out to be a sparsely furnished, dark room shared with two other women.

The women were told that they could not leave the building and were not given any form of contract. Deciding that the work was not suitable for her, Ms. Martinez wanted to leave, and had here passport and cellphone taken from her.

Since then, the women have been locked inside the room and given very little to eat. Ms. Martinez had hidden another cellphone, which she used to contact her husband, a Turkish national living in Phnom Penh named Murad Durak.

Mr. Durak filed a police report on the morning of July 25, but so far there has been no action. He was told that around 10 similar complaints from relatives had been made recently.

The Philippines Embassy in Phnom Penh were also contacted, who acknowledged the issue and told Mr. Durak that at least 9 other citizens were also being held. An official said that the Embassy are investigating.

It is hoped that all the women will be released from this illegal detention immediately, and this will be a warning all foreigners- especially women- to be careful when applying for jobs online.