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THE CONFLICT in Marawi City has forced 41 people to seek better, more peaceful lives in Bacolod City. They ended up becoming exploited factory workers there.
Thankfully, police rescued them this Friday. Fourteen of these Maranaos were minors. They said they were underpaid and their movements restricted. According to the Bacolod City police, these Maranaos are victims of human trafficking.
This case shows that much more needs to be done even with the improved global ranking of the Philippines in the human trafficking index. The Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) is at the forefront of the fight against trafficking in persons. It reported – during a recent congressional hearing for the proposed 2018 budget of the department – a rise in convictions since the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (Republic Act 10364) was enacted in 2012. In 2012 and 2013, there were 27 and 26 case convictions, respectively. In 2014, there were 59 case convictions, 49 in 2015 and 44 in 2016.
But as can be gleaned from the Bacolod case, efforts against human trafficking must be sustained and intensified. Also, statistics from the International Justice Mission (IJM), which has been partnering with the government in rescuing victims of violence, showed that online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) – another form of human trafficking – is growing at an alarming rate. Sadly, more poor families are turning to this easy means of income.
Through IJM-assisted operations, 200 victims of OSEC were rescued. Of the 200 victims, 87 percent of survivors were minors, 52 percent of which were 12 years or younger; 83 percent of survivors were female; 42 percent of the cases included sibling groups; and 72 percent of the cases involved parents or relatives as perpetrators themselves!
Clearly, there’s much more work to be done to save Filipinos, especially children, from human trafficking syndicates. We should continue our fight against modern slavery through public awareness campaigns, capacity-building, and continuous coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders.
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