Dial 1343, fight human trafficking November 22, 2014 By FREDA MAE SORSANO ILOILO City — Western Visayans were urged to help combat human trafficking. The Commission of Filipino Overseas reminded the public of the official hotline through which human trafficking cases may be reported: 1343. “Not a lot of people know that there is an official hotline for human trafficking reports,” the commission said. Twenty-four cases of human trafficking have been reported to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6 so far this year, revealed Social Welfare Officer I Ruth Sibolinao. Sibolinao said they believe more cases remain unreported. Most of the victims were women aged 16 years old and above, she said. Negros Occidental recorded a total of 12 cases, said Sibolinao. Of the number, five were undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), three were illegally recruited minors, one was kidnapped, one was a deported OFW, one was an abused OFW, and one was an entertainer rescued in Boracay. Five of these cases had been given proper action, and while the rest were still being processed, said Sibolinao. Iloilo province, on the other hand, had eight cases. Three of the victims were OFWs while the other five were entertainers in Boracay. Three of the cases had already been acted upon while five were still being processed. Capiz, meanwhile, posted three human trafficking cases. All victims were OFWs. Sibolinao claimed that the number of cases this year increased but was unable to cite last year’s statistics. Human trafficking exists if a person is taken and used for an exploitative purpose, according to Romina Sta. Clara, national gender focal person for the International Organization for Migration. Sta. Clara also warned against illegal recruitment, which is commonly characterized by informal or irregular employment arrangements, deceptive promises of well-paying jobs and threats of violence. Once rescued, a human trafficking victim may file charges within 10 years from the day she was delivered or released, said Sta. Clara. The time allowance is extended to 20 years if the trafficking activity is large-scale or committed by a syndicate. Charges may be filed by anyone with personal knowledge about the incident, the trafficked person herself or the victim’s family.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 23:12:42 +0000
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