Monday, March 24, 2014

Hong Kong fails to protect human trafficking victims: report

“Hong Kong is failing to protect victims of human trafficking for forced labour, a report said Monday, calling for new legislation to prevent "modern-day slavery" in a city which relies heavily on migrant workers.” The report comes at a time of growing anger over the abuse of foreign domestic workers, and a day before the trial of a Hong Kong employer accused of torturing her Indonesian maid is set to resume. Current legislation in the southern Chinese city only prohibits human trafficking “for the purpose of prostitution” but not for the purpose of forced labor or other forms of trafficking, the joint report by Justice Centre Hong Kong and Liberty Asia said. The report also said that new legislation that expands the definition of human trafficking would help in tackling forced labor abuse by perpetrators including placement agencies, loan companies and employers. Hong Kong is home to nearly 300,000 domestic helpers, many of who are from Indonesia and the Philippines, and criticism from rights groups over their treatment is growing. In January, a 44-year old housewife was charged with assault relating to her treatment of her maid, who was reportedly unable to walk after eight months of abuse. She was also charged with abusing two previous Indonesian maids. The problem of forced labor only deepens as Hong Kong widens its search for cheap labor, the report said. “The main reason for trafficking is simple: Hong Kong has a high demand for cheap labor and there is a proximate abundance of supply from neighboring countries in the Asia-Pacific region” it said. The city received its first official group of maids from Myanmar in February, as it tries to plug a shortage in domestic workers, and more are expected to arrive in the following months. Activists have expressed fears that women from Myanmar will be one of the groups most vulnerable to abuse due to language barriers. Amnesty International has condemned the “slavery-like” conditions faced by thousands of domestic workers in Hong Kong and accused authorities of inexcusable action.

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PH, Indonesia to step up drive vs human trafficking

The Philippines and Indonesia have agreed to strengthen efforts to crack down on human trafficking, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has announced. Immigration Commissioner Siegfried Mison said in a statement that a delegation from Indonesia had visited the Philippines recently and met with him. The two countries agreed that stronger cooperation was needed to address the serious plight of refugees and asylum seekers of other nationalities entering their borders. During the meeting, Mison also emphasized the need for tighter measures since detecting human trafficking victims can pose to be a challenge, taking into consideration the large volume of those who pass through the ports each year. Authorities from Indonesia noted that most victims of human trafficking are Filipinos who desperately want to work abroad and will use tourist visas falsified by syndicates. In a number of cases, women and children become vulnerable to human trafficking and end up prostituted in other countries, a problem intended to be eliminated by Republic Act No. 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2003) and RA 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

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Thursday, March 20, 2014

Sex trafficking raps filed vs. Japanese, Pinoys caught in cybersex raid

Three Japanese nationals and four Filipinos are facing sex trafficking complaints for allegedly running a cybersex den in Pangasinan under the guise of a tutorial school. The Philippine National Police accused the seven individuals of violating Republic Act 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012. The individuals were arrested on the evening of March 17 (Philippine time) after authorities had conducted a search of their residences. The seven failed to produce documents that would prove their business operation was legitimate. A report from GMA News Dagupan said that 80 women who identified themselves as English tutors were found in the premises. The filing of the complaint came as the Philippines continues to intensify its campaign against cybersex operations in the country. A group of international agencies that combat child porn, known as Virtual Global Task Force, included the Philippines on its list of top 10 countries with rampant cyber pornographic activities in January of this year.

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