MANILA (11 June 2013)- The
campaign against human trafficking has remained strong in the Philippines with
government support and more non-government groups, despite a setback with the
investigation of a well-known anti-human trafficking group for the alleged
misuse of funds given by the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID). Vice President Jejomar Binay identified the major causes of human
trafficking saying, “Poverty, ignorance, and crime provide the mix that breeds
the modern plague. So long as these three things exist, the problem (of human
trafficking) will remain (in the Philippines).” Although the country has been
removed from the Tier 2 Watchlist in the Report of the Global Trafficking 2012,
the Philippines still remains a large source, destination and transit country
for human trafficking. Despite the growing number of non-government
organizations engaged in anti-human trafficking campaigns, these organizations
have been encountering “alarming levels” of human trafficking cases.
