Salem-area job like slavery, Ethiopian says

Human-trafficking suit - The woman seeks nearly $1 million plus wages from a couple for whom she did domestic work
(Here again, a good reason to stop employers from importing people to America simply to work for low wages, and in this case, for free!)
Thursday, November 30, 2006

ASHBEL S. GREEN
The Oregonian
An impoverished Ethiopian woman who came to Oregon a decade ago seeking a better life working for a Salem-area doctor's family says that she was bullied and deceived into working 90 hours a week without pay.

Mulu Derbew, 32, contends in a federal lawsuit that she was lured to the United States by the promise of generous wages that would allow her to help her family in rural Ethiopia. Instead, she says she worked around the clock caring for children, cooking and cleaning for an affluent couple who kept her isolated and threatened her with jail when she asked for pay.

Derbew says she managed to break free in 2003 when the owner of an Ethiopian restaurant in Portland befriended her and helped her go to the FBI, which launched a criminal investigation.

Derbew's lawsuit, filed under the 2005 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, seeks nearly $1 million from her former employers, including more than $150,000 in unpaid wages.

Derbew declined to comment through her attorney, citing the FBI's request that she not publicly discuss the case.

The defendants in the suit did not return multiple phone calls seeking comment.

Human trafficking is a modern form of slave-trading, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, including 14,500 and 17,500 into the United States.

Although most human trafficking involves sexual slavery, the Justice Department estimates that domestic labor makes up 30 percent of the problem.

Kathleen Kim, an immigration rights teaching fellow at Stanford Law School, said those who exploit foreign workers often are otherwise upstanding members of the community.

"It's jarring," said Kim, who is unfamiliar with Derbew's case. "In my experience, the employers are professionals who are very educated, make good livings and know how to exploit the system, and they know how to manipulate their employee."

Derbew, the eldest of six children, left her family's primitive farm when she was 10 to live with an aunt in Addis Ababa. At 16, she began taking care of children in order to help pay for her schooling and send a small amount of money back to her family.

About five years later, Derbew learned of an opportunity to earn much higher wages working for a Salem-area couple who needed someone to care for their two small children.

Derbew was reluctant. She liked her employers in Addis Ababa. And her aunt warned her that it was not uncommon for foreigners to take advantage of Ethiopian women.

But after receiving a "generous" contract offer and seeing pictures that depicted a happy family, Derbew moved to Oregon in 1996 to work for Peter and Dr. Julie Kurian.

Derbew's contract called for her to work no more than 48 hours a week, according to the suit. But she claims she routinely labored 13 hours a day, from when the first child awoke until the last one fell asleep.

No time off, suit alleges

"Ms. Derbew did not receive time off on weekends or holidays," the suit says. "To gain a few moments alone, from time to time, Ms. Derbew would skip church services with the family on Sunday."

Beyond her child care duties, Derbew cooked and cleaned and did the laundry and gardening, the suit says.

Derbew was also isolated. She spoke no English when she arrived. The Kurians refused to allow her to call family in Ethiopia, and she had no money, the suit says. And the Kurians lived on a remote farm.

Derbew soon picked up English and inquired about her wages. The Kurians said they set up a bank account for her, which was untrue, according to the suit.

In addition, they allowed her immigration status to lapse, the suit says.

At one point, the Kurians dined at the Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant in Northeast Portland. The couple questioned the owner, Alem Gebrehiwot, about Ethiopian cuisine. Something about the conversation raised his suspicions.

Gebrehiwot, who knew that Ethiopian women suffer unlawful servitude around the world, questioned friends in the Salem-area Ethiopian community, but they had not heard of Derbew.

The Kurians divorced in 1999 after one of their children died, but Derbew continued to work for them.

Peter Kurian, who moved to Vancouver, began to frequent Queen of Sheba with a friend, according to the suit.

Making contact

In late December 2001, Kurian's friend took Derbew to the Queen of Sheba on her birthday. That's when Gebrehiwot met Derbew and learned how to reach her. He began to telephone her during the day and eventually confirmed his earlier suspicions.

Gebrehiwot counseled her to demand the return of her work papers and back wages and to quit. But according to the suit, Derbew could not believe that her employers had taken such advantage of her. "The fact that they held themselves out to be devout Christians, who were held in high regard within their Church, gave Ms. Derbew hope that Mr. Gebrehiwot was wrong," according to the suit.

Derbew spoke with Julie Kurian, who had since married Kenneth Gilbert. She was told she was working in the United States illegally and could be thrown in jail and deported, the suit says.

"Defendants threatened to defame Ms. Derbew in a manner that could jeopardize her safety in Ethiopia. Ms. Derbew became frightened and distressed," the suit says.

Gebrehiwot decided to confront the Gilberts, but they became so angry that he feared that further interference might provoke violence, the suit says.

Soon, the Gilberts sent Derbew to work for friends in Texas, threatening her with jail if she did not cooperate, the suit says.

When Derbew asked for her wages, according to the suit, Julie Gilbert gave her $10,000.

Derbew later told her Texas employers what had happened. They called Julie Gilbert, who threatened to report Derbew as an illegal alien. The Texas couple called Peter Kurian, who allegedly agreed to help.

But instead of fixing Derbew's immigration status, Kurian brought her back to Vancouver, borrowed $2,000 from her and required her to work without pay, the suit says.

Derbew finally turned to Gebrehiwot, who persuaded her to leave Kurian's house and meet with immigration and law enforcement officials.

Last year, Derbew received a rarely issued visa awarded to people who claim they are the victims of human trafficking and help law enforcement investigate.

Justice Department officials would not comment on the case but said they take human trafficking cases seriously.

"The Civil Rights Division vigorously pursues all cases of modern-day slavery. . . whether in fields, homes, sweatshop or brothels," said Cynthia Magnuson, a Justice Department spokeswoman. "We will continue to rescue and restore victims and bring traffickers to justice."



©2006 The Oregonian