The 32 individuals rescued by Region 1 authorities returned home on Monday after three weeks of working in Chinese-run milkfish farms.
Of the 32 human trafficking victims, 24 are from Tacloban City,
five from Dagami town, one from Mahaplag, one from Palo and one from Calubian,
all in Leyte province. Six of the victims are minors.
The victims were promised comfortable working environment, a
monthly salary of PHP5,000, PHP200 weekly allowance, and free meals, an offer
that is hard to resist considering that most of them have no stable jobs.
The recruiters transported them in a van, bearing logos of a
television network and humanitarian organization Philippine Red Cross to
prevent authorities from flagging them down.
“I thought that the job they offered to me could help my family
especially my parents,” said 18-years old Gelo (not his real name).
Gelo said his parents were worried when they learned of his
situation. He constantly informed them through text messaging about his work
condition.
He recalled that at night, they have to squeeze their body to fit
six to seven people in room that looks like a cage and were being watched by
armed men.
Another victim, Rey, who used to work as barker at the city’s
shopping area, said they were promised that their task is just to feed the
milkfish in fish pens, but the actual work was like hell. “We have to stay at
the fish pen rain or shine.”
“I really want the recruiter to be put to jail because he fooled
us. I thought I would never see my children again. I prayed hard to God for
help so we could go home,” Rey added.
The victims narrated that they were made to work in a milkfish
production site in the middle of the sea as early as 4 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.
They also have to pay for their meals.
The raid stemmed from a plea for help by a victim’s mother, who
went to the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), to report about
their working condition.
The CSWDO immediately informed the DSWD regional office in
Tacloban which, in turn, contacted officials in Pangasinan on July 13. The NBI
and DSWD rescued the victims on the night of July 19.
Government agencies promised to help them by providing livelihood
assistance and to facilitate the filing of charges against their recruiters.
A representative from the Department of Justice informed the
victims that they are entitled to PHP10,000 cash assistance from the agency if
they will file cases against the recruiters.
DSWD Regional Director Restituto Macuto said awareness is still
the best defense to prevent human trafficking.
“People should know how to identify human trafficking, when to
report and to whom it should be reported,” Macuto said.
“Although government agencies are determined to file charges
against illegal recruiters, sometimes we are having hard time due to political
interventions,” he added.
This year alone, the region has already recorded 60 human
trafficking cases, higher than the 35 individuals who fell into the hands of
illegal recruiters last year. Of the total cases in the region, 71 were
documented from 2015 to 2017.
Most of the victims, including minors, were forced to engage in
hard labor and sexual exploitation, pornography, and prostitution.
“The government is doing all it can to address this problem with
the help from the non-government organization. I hope that all sectors in the
community will help, including the media to disseminate information to prevent
cases of human trafficking,” Macuto said.
Trafficking in persons, according to the United Nations, is a
serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of
men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own
countries and abroad. (RTA/PNA)
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