The cousin of a Filipino woman who suffered horrific burns at the hands of her Saudi employer's mother is speaking out.
Arnel Tahal recently uploaded the graphic images on Facebook of his cousin, Pahima Alagai Palacasi's severe injuries.
Tahal said he put the pictures on the social media site because he felt powerless to help his cousin.
"I did not know what to do. But after people started sharing the pictures, some told us what we can do to help her," he told CNN.
The images show the horrific burns Palacasi suffered on May 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 23-year-old maid was preparing coffee when her boss' mother became angry that she wasn't working fast enough. The mother poured the boiling water on Palacasi, burning her back, arms, and legs.
Palacasi was taken to the hospital six hours after the injury, and was forced to return to work afterwards. When she returned to the hospital for a follow-up visit, she had hospital staff call Tahal, who took her to his home.
Tahal uploaded pictures of her burns, and described the months of abuse and neglect his cousin was subjected to in a Facebook post.
"Her female Saudi employer poured boiling water on her. She has only been in Riyadh for two months," he wrote.
"She was beaten up within five days of her arrival by her male employer and was sometimes deprived of food.
"She was only taken to the hospital six hours after boiling water was poured on her. She was then taken home to continue working despite her extensive injuries."
The post and photos drew international attention, and both the Philippine and the Saudi Arabian government have come to her aide.
Saudi Arabia's Department for Social Welfare and Development is providing the wife and mother of two with medical care, and put her in a Philippine Embassy shelter. The Riyadh police are also investigating the case.
The Philippine government has suspended the Saudi job agency that facilitated Palacasi's hiring, and stated that they will help her in legal proceedings.
Palacasi intends to bring her assailant to justice.
"Help me file a case against my employer," she said in a cell phone video. "I suffered a lot."
