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Greater effort still needed
USING information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Philippine law enforcers recently recovered two boys, ages five and 11, and a two-year-old girl from a location being used to house a website-based service. Authorities arrested five adults who ran a web-streaming service for individuals who would pay for access to livestreaming sexual abuse, as well as access to the children for the purpose of illegal sexual acts. The investigation continues to identify additional suspects.
Actually, in the US’ 2016 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, the Philippines upgraded from Tier 2 to Tier 1, which means the government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking, made efforts to address the problem, and complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of international human trafficking.
The improved ranking is proof of the significant efforts being undertaken by the Philippine government to curb human trafficking and exploitation from and within the country. But greater effort is still needed to address human trafficking. Our improved ranking must not lull us into a false sense of complacency. We should continue our fight against human trafficking through public awareness campaigns, capacity-building, and continuous coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders.
The governor must continue to strengthen anti-human trafficking efforts and champion the rights of many Filipino workers trapped in modern-day slavery.
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