Sex traffickers prey on 'Yolanda' children

Story originally published on November 10, 2014

A regional focal person for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Eastern Visayas reported that more minors are being trafficked in Tacloban and neighboring areas that were affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. Many are being recruited to work in bars and subjected to forced labor and prostitution. DSWD has rescued 50 victims, mostly minors, since last November. In some cases, the children’s mothers have acted as their pimps. Prostitution is a growing business in the area, where people are desperate for money to rebuild after the typhoon. Local government leaders are working to implement various measures to curb trafficking and prostitution in the area.  

Full account available at:

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-inbox/sex-traffickers-prey-on-yolanda-children-002750951.html

Sex Trafficking Isn't An 'Over There' Issue: 100,000 U.S. Kids Are Sold Into It Every Year

Story originally published on November 2, 2014

ECPAT-USA, an NGO that works to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the US, has released a new campaign highlighting the large number of American minors forced into the sex trade. The campaign reveals that more than 100,000 children are victims of sex trafficking in the US.  Carol Smolenski, the executive director of ECPAT-USA said that the primary targets of sexual exploitation are children in abusive families or situations, runaways, homeless children and foster children. ECPAT has developed a training program to help the hospitality industry identify and respond to child sexual exploitation.

Full account available at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/02/sex-trafficking-kids-us_n_6083890.html

UK: Fix Bill to Protect Migrant Domestic Workers

Story originally published on November 17, 2014

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the UK's House of Lords to amend the Modern Slavery Bill to protect migrant domestic workers from abuse by their employers. In order to curb immigration, the British government removed the right of domestic workers to leave their employer and seek alternative work in April 2012. Since then, domestic workers have had only two choices, to return home or stay with employers even if they are being abused. The charity Kalayaan said that many domestic workers are being physically abused, paid below their agreed salary and have had their passports confiscated. Several Philippine domestic workers have been the victims of abuse, and when they finally leave their abusive employer, they are unable to stay in the UK legally. Many others opt to stay with their employer and do not complain to the authorities because they need any salary they were paid to send back home to their families.

A parliament committee report completed in April 2014 concluded that “tying domestic workers to their employer institutionalizes their abuse.” A representative of the HRW added that “by amending the Modern Slavery Bill, the House of Lords can help give abused workers the confidence to go to the police.”

Full account available at:

http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/11/17/uk-fix-bill-protect-migrant-domestic-workers

Trafficked Filipino teachers urged to step forward

Story originally published on October 24, 2014

The Philippine embassy in the US urges undocumented Filipino teachers who were victmized by illegal recruiters to come forward so the embassy could help them secure immigration relief.  . The embassy is trying to assist victims in obtaining paperwork to stay in the US. Around 300 teachers have already been given visas and can work legally in the US. The main recruiter, Isidro Rodriguez, a Philippine national who is being charged with illegal recruitment, alien smuggling, visa fraud and human trafficking by the Philippine and US Governments, is currently at large.  Many victims were told they would be paid between $10,000 and $15,000 for non-existent jobs. Upon arriving in the US and finding out there were no such positions, some returned home while others stayed in the US and worked illegally.

Full account available at:

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/113387/trafficked-filipino-teachers-urged-to-step-forward/

Six minors rescued from human trafficking

Story originally published on October 22, 2014

Philippine police have rescued six victims of human trafficking from a karaoke bar in Zamboanga del Sur. All victims were female, and five of them were under 18. The police added that the victims were recruited to the bar without the knowledge of their parents and they have since been returned to their families. The owners of the karaoke bar are now under police investigation.

Sources:

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/10/22/1383187/6-rescued-human-trafficking

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/384598/news/regions/6-minors-rescued-from-human-trafficking-in-zambo-sur

More minors in human trafficking cases in Region 11– DSWD

Story originally published on November 11, 2014

There has been an increase of human trafficking cases, particularly of minors, in the Davao region in the Philippines according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).   DSWD handled at least 98 reported cases of human trafficking from January to October 2014, and at least 37 of the victims are between the ages of 13-17. The Philippines continues to be a tier 2 country under the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

Full account available at:

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/11/11/more-minors-in-human-trafficking-cases-in-region-11-dswd-2/

De Lima calls for campaign to beat human traffickers of OFWs to Syria

Story originally published on November 12, 2014

Philippine Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima is calling for a campaign to discourage Philippine migrant workers from traveling to Syria in light of reports that household service workers continue to be smuggled or trafficked to Syria despite a deployment ban imposed by the Philippines. De Lima urged the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to come up with the plan and implement the advocacy campaign.

Full account available at:

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/114240/de-lima-calls-for-campaign-to-beat-human-traffickers-of-ofws-to-syria/

Here's How Easy It Is For Human Traffickers To Transport Victims Into The US

Story originally published on October 23, 2014

A recent study conducted by the Urban Institute and Northeastern University   reveals how poor training and lack of resources hinders US government efforts to prevent labor trafficking. According to the International Labor Organization, at least 21 million people worldwide are subjected to forced labor.  Victims of forced labor are typically lured with false promises of a lucrative job in the United States in exchange for high recruitment fees.  They are then subjected to hazardous working conditions, inadequate compensation, assault and threats of deportation.  The study showed that US embassies have been unsuccessful in preventing labor trafficking because consulate staff members either fail to interview the victims during the visa application process or are unequipped to respond to signs of labor trafficking. 

Full account available at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/23/trafficking-victims-us_n_6023536.html

How to Spot a Trafficking Victim at an Airport

Story originally published on September 30, 2014

Time Magazine has written an article on how ordinary people can assess whether a person may be a victim of human trafficking. People often envisage trafficking victims being bound in a blacked-out van, but in reality victims of human trafficking are often hidden in plain sight. Law enforcement agents are now working more closely with hotels and airlines to detect victims. For example, staff at Delta Airlines are being trained to ask specific questions during check-in, and notice if a person is carrying documents in someone else’s name or shows signs of bruising or wounds. Despite a common misconception that victims tend to be foreigners, 83% of victims of forced prostitution in the U.S. are American. 

Full account available at

http://time.com/3445807/how-to-spot-a-trafficking-victim-at-an-airport/

IOM to launch anti-human trafficking initiative with US State Department

Story originally published on October 16, 2014

A joint initiative by the International Organization for Migration, the Inter Agency Council Against Human Trafficking and the U.S. State Department hopes to counter human trafficking in Tacloban City, Philippines. The initiative, called ‘Victim Centered Counter-Trafficking Awareness in Typhoon Haiyan Affected Areas in the Visayas’, will operate for two years from October 2014 to September 2016. The goal is to raise awareness of the problem of human trafficking, as well as how to identify its victims.

Full account available at

http://www.rappler.com/bulletin-board/72198-iom-anti-human-trafficking-united-states

ICE expands reach of smartphone app designed to locate child predators and rescue their victims

Story originally published on October 7, 2014

The U.S. government has designed a smartphone application for the use of the public in the event that they spot fugitive child predators or their potential victims. Last year, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency launched an application called 'Operation Predator app'. Within hours, government agents were able to locate a suspect. Users of the new app can receive news about wanted sex offenders, arrests and prosecutions. Members of the public can also submit tips and share information with family and friends. Since 2003, more than 10,000 people have been arrested for various crimes against children including sex trafficking, distribution of child pornography and traveling overseas for sex with a child.

Full account available at

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-expands-reach-smartphone-app-designed-locate-child-predators-and-rescue-their

Network of nuns helping fight human trafficking in PHL

Story originally published on August 2, 2014

Associations of nuns across the Philippines have pledged to help law enforcement agencies and NGOs in the fight against human trafficking in the country. The nuns are part of an international organization called Talitha Kum formed in 2009 to raise awareness of human trafficking worldwide. In the Philippines, Talitha Kum’s members include local law enforcement, congregations of religious women and the Philippine Interfaith Movement Against Human Trafficking (PIMAHT). Talitha Kum has already helped to rescue several trafficked women in Southeast Asia. Recently, a priest on board a ship going to Jakarta, Indonesia noticed that five women seemed troubled and decided to speak to them. Upon hearing of their situation, he called the nuns at Talitha Kum who subsequently called the police. The women were returned home shortly afterward. A Drugs and Crime Global TIP Report published in 2012 by the United Nations states that between 800,000 and two million people are trafficked yearly around the world.

Full account available at:

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/373060/news/nation/network-of-nuns-helping-fight-human-trafficking-in-phl

Baldoz thanks EU for P6.8 million support for PH's anti-human trafficking and illegal recruitment drive

Story originally published on August 12, 2014

The European Union (EU) has provided financial support worth P6.8 million to promote initiatives against human trafficking and illegal recruiting in the Philippines. The grant will go to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), a DOLE agency. Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz thanked the EU for its assistance and added that she "will ensure that the grant will be used as intended: to strengthen the POEA's capabilities and enhance cooperation between national and local authorities in combating illegal recruitment and trafficking". The grant comes a month after the Philippines and Australia signed the Australia Asia Program to Combat Trafficking In Persons (AAPTIP) agreement. Australia provided funding of AUS$5 million to the Philippines and other ASEAN countries under the agreement. Trafficking and illegal recruiting have remained prevalent in the Philippines; the POEA said that, in 2011, there were 224 victims of trafficking and 135 cases of illegal recruitment.

Full account available at:

http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=2131407741640#sthash.7gqlFjTv.dpuf

FBI Sting Spotlights Human Trafficking

Story originally published on July 17, 2014

The FBI recently arrested four men in Arizona following a sting operation that uncovered a human trafficking scheme. The FBI began preparing the sting after it learned last summer about an attempt by several persons to buy sex slaves from Malaysia. Though that offer turned out to be a scam, the FBI was able to gain the contact details of the suspected traffickers. They lured one, Edward Kandl, to a fake sex slave auction after he attempted to buy a mail-order bride for $5,000 from the same website in December 2013. Kandl expressed interest in attending the auction and he arrived at the auction venue with $10,000, where he was subsequently arrested. A search of his home revealed a bed with chains, locks and a room with blacked-out windows. George Steuer of the Phoenix FBI field office stated that "We realized that there was this group of individuals in the U.S who were interested in owning a human slave both for sexual exploitation and domestic labor". According to the annual State Department report, there has been a rise in the prosecution of human traffickers in the U.S. with the Justice Department winning 174 convictions for sex and labor trafficking in 2013.

Full account available at:

http://online.wsj.com/articles/fbi-sting-spotlights-human-trafficking-1405625023