Laban kontra human trafficking

More than 100 years have passed since the transatlantic slave trade was abolished. And yet human trafficking continues to this day.

In the Philippines, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) documented some 268 trafficking cases from 2007-2010. These involved a total of 452 victims, 79.51% of whom were women.
According to a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) report, many of them were trafficked to Singapore and Malaysia, and were recruited as hotel receptionists, waitresses or domestic helpers. Human traffickers use various channels to trap their victims including mail-order bride schemes and illegal recruitment.

Human trafficking goes hand-in-hand with modern-day slavery, which is affecting 10-30 million people worldwide, said CNN. Victims, especially women and children, are suffering from sexual exploitation, forced labor, even organ trafficking.

Several groups and individuals are doing their part to put a stop to these crimes against humanity.

In the United States (US), for example, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and its Goodwill Ambassador, Hollywood actress Mira Sorvino, launched this month the Small Grants Facility that will fund groups assisting human trafficking victims. Meanwhile, CNN has committed to “shine a spotlight against the horrors of modern-day slavery” and help put an end to this heinous crime through it’s The CNN Freedom Project.

In the Philippines, government recently launched the 1343 Actionline—a 24/7 hotline that will respond to emergency or crisis calls from victims of human trafficking in Metro Manila and in other provinces (when dialed with area code 02).

A DFA report said the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking-Advocacy and Communications Committee (IACAT-ADVOCOM) launched the 1343 Actionline “Laban Kontra Human Trafficking” campaign, which became fully operational last March 15.

The 1343 Actionline is set to become toll-free all over the nation and even globally in the near future.

“We need this hotline because a lot of trafficking victims and their families need immediate response or aid. We are equipped to respond to their needs and, if necessary, refer their cases to specific government agencies or our non-government organization (NGO) partners,” CFO Secretary and IACAT-ADVOCOM chairperson Imelda M Nicolas said.

“The 1343 Actionline will also serve as a database for the documentation of trafficking cases that victimize Filipinos. We need to document cases and fill in the gaps of services and programs needed to eliminate trafficking,” Nicolas stated.

“Laban Kontra Human Trafficking” is the core message of an active campaign that IACAT-ADVOCOM carries out with various stakeholders from NGOs, women’s groups, government agencies and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The IACAT-ADVOCOM partnered with the Dynamic Outsource Solutions (DOS1) to implement this new program aimed to reach out to victims of trafficking using new technologies.

Aside from the 1343 Actionline for trafficking victims, education and information drives on the pros and cons of migration are also available through CFO’s Community Education Program (CEP).

The CEP is offered in the barangay level, providing trainings on how would-be migrants could avoid illegal recruitment and human trafficking, as well as to prepare them for life overseas.

IACAT-ADVOCOM is under IACAT, chaired by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Its other members include the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as co-Chair, the DFA, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Bureau of Immigration, the PNP and the Philippine Commission on Women.

Human trafficking may be defined as the act of recruiting, transporting, harboring or selling persons within or across national borders for the purpose of exploiting their labor.

With the Aquino administration’s intensified efforts against trafficking, a total of 20 convictions involving 20 traffickers were listed.

As of February 2011, there are some 976 cases filed before the DOJ. Some 930 cases involved trafficking for sexual exploitation, one involved organ trafficking and some 45 involved labor trafficking.

Image from DFA website.