Rebecca Balira was convicted at Southwark crown court of keeping Tanzanian woman
Methodia Mathias as a slave. Photograph: Martin Godwin
An HIV expert has been jailed for keeping a 21-year-old woman as a slave.
Scientist Rebecca Balira, 45, was convicted at Southwark crown court, south London, for keeping Methodia Mathias in servitude. She was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and ordered to pay Mathias £3,000 in compensation.
Mathias, 21, claimed Balira brought her from her native Tanzania. The court heard that Mathias had stayed with Balira's relatives in Dar es Salaam and they paid for her UK visa applications, the third of which was successful, as well as a return flight to Britain. But she claimed that she was kept as a slave in a flat in Thamesmead, south-east London after coming to the UK.
She said on Balira got so angry one occasion that she cut her bra with a pair of scissors and injured her in the process.
Balira maintained that she only pulled on Mathias's bra, causing it to snap, during a row over money missing from a coin box in September last year.
The court heard that Mathias's friend, Beatrice Kosgei, sought help from the charity Kalayaan, which represents migrant domestic workers.
Kate Roberts, from Kalayaan, said: "We are obviously pleased in cases where there is justice for domestic workers ... But cases such as these do highlight our concerns that instances of such abuse will increase if the protections that are currently maintained within the migration domestic worker visa are removed."
Prosecutor Caroline Haughey said Balira had imposed "conditions that ... amounted to slavery and servitude". Balira was cleared of trafficking a person into the UK for exploitation and of common assault.
Itabidi akafanyie utafiti jela masikini. Sifa ya msomi awe ni mfata sheria asiwe MUONGO na MNAFIKI. Aha masikini mwee!
ReplyDeleteWell if she was white Briton it wouldn't have ended this way - since she would have strong sympathetic backing. But this is "BLACK ON BLACK!!"
ReplyDeletekwa upande mwingine utaandika paper zako za HIV ukiwa huko jela. wana facility
ReplyDeleteIts unbelievable! Is Rebecca jailed? or joke from bloggers?? I cannt believe reading this. Ooh nooo! This was so quick. If it was in Tz, she it would take some years before the case is concluded. Mdau
ReplyDeleteSadly, slavery of this nature is a norm in Tanzania itself, and nobody is really doing anything. Kudos UK legal system!
ReplyDeleteUsiwe na wasiwasi ndugu yangu, bora jela la ughaibuni kuliko jirani zako wa Temeke. Utaona TV, kula yako ni kuliko ya mikahawa ya bongo. Na baada miezi miwili watakuachia. Pia utaweza kuendelea na utafiti wako jela kuna broadband na utapewa komputa.
ReplyDeletehuyu Rebecca ndo ashajiharibia CV manake akitaka kwenda nchi nyingine kwa utafiti zaidi hawezi kuruhusiwa kuingia na Criminal history yake.
ReplyDeletendo wengine mjifunze ku-behave nchi za watu.
Na kwani alihitaji housegirl wa nini UK kama sio uvivu na ubosi tu? kila kitu mashine,kuanzia kufua,kuosha vyombo,kusafisha nyumba.wacha akapumzike segerea la Ukerewe japo hatanyea kidebe kama ambavyo angekua bongo!
Huyu dada atakuwa amepewa maneno na wanaharakati ili amkomoe mdada wa watu. Hili liwe fundisho lakini kwa wabongo; ukija nchi za nje jua either uwaache watoto Tz au uwe tayari kujipanga kuwapeleka day care. Kutumia h/girl kwa uwezo gani? Hao unavyokaa na H/girl kibongo bongo wao wanaita ni u slave. Pole dada Rebecca.
ReplyDeleteSikiliza wapendwa wetu, sio uvivu wala nini kwani ni wangapi hapa bongo tuna mahousegirl?? suala ni kuangalia jinsi unavyoishi naye tu basi. Pili kuna watu huko wako kazini kudanganya wafanyakazi wa ndani waseme uhongo ili wapate ulaji. Hata ukiangalia majina ya hao waliomsaidi huyo dada ni Wanaigeria, Je hamna watanzania ambao ni rafiki wa Rebecca ambao kama angeishi naye vibaya wangemshauri kumrudisha??
ReplyDeletePia i think hata huyo dada atalipwa na Mungu coz hata yeye kwenda huko hata kama ni kwa njia za panya alisaidiwa tu, elimu yake kama kubwa ni form iv tena ya dv. 4 so what?? Naongea hivyo coz najua alikuwa analipwa vizuri kulingana na elimu yake.
Limedanganywa na watu likajiona la maana miezi sita kitu gani bwana?? Dada Rebecca usijari Tupo pamoja nawe na Tutakuombea Mungu akusaidie thats life hata sie ambao hatujaenda huko hatujui unaweza kugonga kwa bahati mbaya ikala kwako so wacheni kuponda wandugu hujafa hujaumbika.
Hao wanaomsupport Rebecca hawana Iman kwani kama huyo Bint Methodia angekuwa ndugu yenu mgelaani kitendo,,,,Kama hukuadhibiwa hapa Duniani kwa kumyanyasa Mwenzako basi usubiri kipogo kwa Mwenyezi Mungu,,,,Manyanyaso mara mia yake!Rebecca Shame on You!
ReplyDeleteUna Laanna utafiti huwo wa nini,HIV isiendelee kuuwa watu na wakati wewe unauwa
Unaroho ya kinyama wewe!Kama wasamalia wema wasingeligundua hilo ungeendelea kumtesa mtoto wa watu na kunywa jasho lake kila kukicha bila malipo,,,hata hiyo jail ni chai tu Adhabu ya kwa Mungu iko pale pale!Balira!jina linasound kama la kihaya Ee Muhaya wa wapi wewe mbona wahaya wanaroho nzuri
Ahlam UK!!!