Human trafficking problem worsening – DSWD

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said public support and participation is needed to solve the worsening human trafficking problem, which is growing rampant in many towns.

Secretary Corazon Soliman said human trafficking usually comes with promises of better jobs and better lives in Manila or abroad, and the victim usually ends up doing jobs other than what was originally offered.

She urged the public to report any human trafficking case to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) using the hotline 1343.

“Don’t be a victim.  The most common modus operandi of human traffickers is to entice parents to allow their young daughters to leave the province and work in Manila as domestic helpers with promises of huge salaries but end up doing jobs other than what was promised,” Soliman said.

Another scheme, she added, is the offer of high-paying jobs abroad and the use of fake visas, marriage certificates and other spurious travel documents to facilitate exit.

“To differentiate between legal and illegal recruiters, always check the validity of the documents being presented,” Soliman said.

Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer or receipt of persons with or without the victim’s consent or knowledge within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception and abuse of power.

It may also involve taking advantage of the vulnerability of the victim; giving of payments to achieve the consent of a parent or guardian; and the exploitation, prostitution, inclusion in forced labor or slavery and the removal or sale of organs.

“The deception, illegal transfer and abuse of Filipinos who are simply looking for better opportunities in the city and abroad are realities that we cannot ignore. We have to find more ways to combat and prevent it from recurring,” Soliman said.

The DSWD helps victims through its Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons (RRPTP), a multi-sector approach to enhance the psychosocial, social and economic needs of the victims. 

As of November 2015, at least 1,870 victims went through the RRPTP. The DSWD spent P17.11 million to help them in the process of rehabilitation and reintegration to their families and communities.

At least 224 of 247 accused were convicted for human trafficking since cases were filed in 2010.