Overworked Filipina nanny in Canada wins case vs employers

MANILA, Philippines - A jury of the B.C. Supreme Court found a man from Vancouver, Canada guilty of human trafficking after forcing a Filipina nanny to work 16 hours every day.

A report on the website of the National Post said Franco Yiu Kwan Orr was also found guilty of employing Filipina Leticia Sarmiento illegally and making a "misrepresentation that could induce an error in the administration of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act."

However,  the jury acquitted his partner, Oi Ling Nicole Huen, of human trafficking and illegally employing a foreign national.

According to the report, the 40-year-old Filipina had worked for Orr and Huen since 2007, first in Hong Kong and then in Canada starting September 2008.

Sarmiento had been taking care of the couple's three children.

The report said Sarmiento had testified that when she arrived in Canada, she was forced to work 16 hours daily, seven days a week.

"During the trial, Sarmiento testified that she was told by the couple that her working conditions would be the same as in Hong Kong, where she had two days off a week and regular hours, and that she would become a permanent resident in Canada after two years," the report said.

Sarmiento was also quoted as saying in the report that she was not allowed to talk to other nannies.

Earlier this month, an article on the National Post website also reported that in 2010, Sarmiento called 911 after she was pushed and doused with a jug of water by one of her employers.

Lawyer Nicholas Preovolos, legal counsel of the couple, said in a separate report that his clients treated the Filipina as a "member of the family."

He said his clients are "stunned" by the verdict, claiming that Orr "has never been in trouble with the law, is a respectable citizen and is not a danger to the public."

Preovolos also said this is the first conviction in Canada on a human-trafficking offense.