United States to the Philippines: Convict more labor traffickers

On Friday, June 20, 2014, the United States challenged the Philippines to convict more labor traffickers and curb corruption, among other things, as the country failed to meet minimum standards to end the phenomenon. These recommendations came after the country has retained its Tier 2 rating in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for the fourth straight year. The TIP 2014 Report, a basis for granting aid, is given to countries whose governments “do not fully comply” with the Trafficking Victim Protection Act’s minimum standards, “but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.” According to the report, “The government of the Philippines does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so.” In giving the Tier 2 rating the report cited a number of gains, including the increase in funding for the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking to around $2.4 million in 2013 as well as the 31 trafficking convictions. In spite of this, the country did not make “significant progress in ensuring victims could access specialized services.” The report also took note of the “severely limited” protection for male victims. Corruption at all levels of government, including in Philippine diplomatic missions abroad, has been cited as enabling traffickers and undermining the government’s overall efforts to combat trafficking. A key finding is that the country “did not obtain any convictions for labor trafficking” from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014, while in contrast the government “convicted 31 sex trafficking offenders, compared with 25 during the previous year.” The report also said, “The government continued to prosecute sex and labor trafficking offenses and to impose stringent sentences on convicted sex traffickers, but it did not make progress in convicting labor traffickers and its overall number of convictions remained low compared to the size of the problem.” While the Philippines retained its rating, Thailand, Malaysia and Venezuela were dumped at the bottom of a list of countries accused of failing to tackle human trafficking. This lower tier of designation could trigger US sanctions. “The scale of human trafficking is staggering. The International Labor Organization estimates some $150 billion in profits are generated annually for private businesses from trafficking, of which $99 billion goes to the sex industry.”

Full account available at

http://www.rappler.com/nation/61173-us-philippines-trafficking-persons-report-2014

Teens “fed once a day” rescued from recruiters

Police rescued 70 women, 30 of whom were minors as young as 16, from an human trafficking lair that only gave them one cup of rice daily, among other abuses. The Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said that on Tuesday, June 17, it raided the Happy World Human Resources Recruitment Agency located along Suerte Street, Pasay City, after receiving a complaint from one of the victims. The 16-year-old victim ran to the CIDG after she managed to escape fro the company. The director of the CIDG, Benjamin Magalong, said the girl was recruited to work as a domestic helper in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She had come all the way from Cotabato, and was picked up at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by a woman she refers to as “Ms. Ellen”. Magalong said she “was given a phony birth certificate bearing the name of a fictitious person and was told to change her age from 16 to 23.” Magalong also said that around 70 others were “not allowed to use their cellphones, had to sleep on the floor, and were being fed with a cup of rice a day.” Those who recruited them will be charged for violation of the Migrant Workers’ Act of 1995 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003. The Migrant Workers’ Act penalizes illegal recruitment, which includes, among other things, using false information to secure a license under the Philippines’ Labor Code. On the other hand, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act defines trafficking as an act, among others, “to recruit…under pretext of domestic or overseas employment or training or apprenticeship, for the purpose of prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage.” Human trafficking continues to be a problem in the country, and as a result the United States had retained its Tier 2 rating in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which is a basis for granting aid. Although convictions for human trafficking have increased over the years, these cases remain concentrated in certain areas in the Philippines.

Full account available at

http://www.rappler.com/nation/60915-teens-rescued-trafficking

Eight Filipinas die in a fire in Manila, exposing a case of internal human trafficking

A fire in Manila claimed the lives of eight Filipino women working in an electronics warehouse in suburban Pasay City, revealing an instance of internal trafficking in the Philippines. Arson investigators said that several of the workers were able to escape but eight had died because the only door that could be used as a safe exit was padlocked by the owner of the apparent “sweatshop.” The chair of the village reported that “Survivors said that they were not allowed to venture outside the factory and that they were always locked in their rooms. They were only allowed days off from work three times a year.” According to humantrafficking.org, trafficking of Filipinos within the Philippines remains a significant problem. They are trafficked from rural areas to urban centers like Manila, Cebu, and other cities.

Full account available at

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/philippines/sweatshop-operator-face-human-trafficking-charge-for-death-of-eight-workers-from-fire-1.1341332

Stop sex tourism, urges bishop

A Catholic bishop has called on the Philippine government to act on the rising “sex tourism” in Palawan, which has become a popular destination for both local and foreign tourists. Puerto Princesa Bishop Pedro Argio said that Palawan faced an increasingly serious child exploitation and sex tourism problem despite the positive impact of the thriving tourism industry on the province and its people. The proper authorities were urged to show their determination in cracking down on sex tourism, which has grown in the province. He called on the government agencies concerned to be more vigilant and address the growing problem, as this is not a problem isolated to Palawan, but across the country.

Full account available at

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/599612/stop-sex-tourism-urges-bishop

3 minors rescued from human trafficking in Bohol May 3, 2014

Three minors from Butuan City, Mindanao were rescued from a human trafficking ring in the island of Bohol on May 2, according to a radio report. The minors were rescued in a house in Barangay Sta. Fe in Albuquerque town. The police trams had raided the house on the strength of a search warrant from the Loay, Bohol regional trial court. Investigation showed that the three were forced to work in a bar in Tagbilaran City. The minors are currently under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which is looking for their relatives.

Full account available at

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/359480/news/regions/3-minors-rescued-from-human-trafficking-in-bohol

Africa and Middle East report highest number of trafficked Pinoys in 2013

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Foreign Service Posts in the Middle East and Africa reported the highest number of trafficked and smuggled Filipino nationals in 2013. During a regional workshop for FSP’s in Ankara, Turkey, each Embassy and Consulate General presented their host country’s problems with human trafficking, which tackled the basics of Philippine and international anti-human trafficking laws. No figures were reported by the DFA, but the country has a Tier 2 ranking in the U.S. Department of State’s 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report. “According to the State Department, a Tier 2 ranking is for "[c]ountries whose governments do not fully comply with the [US Trafficking Victims Protection Act's] minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards."” The report says that the Philippines continues to be a source of forced labor and a site of commercial sexual exploitation. Though convictions of both labor and sex trafficking of offenders has increased, “inefficiencies in the judicial system” have significantly bogged down the persecution of offenders.

Full account available at

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/359161/pinoyabroad/news/africa-and-middle-east-report-highest-number-of-trafficked-pinoys-in-2013