Human trafficking mostly victimizes women - DSWD exec

TACLOBAN CITY, March 13 (PNA) -– Victims of human trafficking are mostly women, with the crime also mostly committed by women, an official from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Eastern Visayas said in view of a report released Monday.

“Women victimizing women sounds unbelievable, but this is the reality in the world of human trafficking,” said Tiffany Jane Go, DSWD regional focal person on programs against human trafficking. 

More often than not, women who are relatives and family friends of the victims are the main suspects in human trafficking cases, she added.

“There is always a notion that women "are not capable of doing something bad" that is why victims easily trust them,” Go said.

Last year, the DSWD regional office recorded 29 human trafficking complaints. Of the number, 13 were from Leyte, nine from Samar, five from Northern Samar, and two other victims from other regions. All victims were women.

The youngest victim was a seven-year-old girl while the eldest was a 40-year-old woman. Most of the victims of human trafficking end up in prostitution dens, according to Go. 

The official cited poverty, lack of education, and joblessness as main reasons why women are vulnerable to human trafficking.

The DSWD provides livelihood opportunities to victims aside from extending legal assistance in the filing and resolution of cases. 

The department released the data as part of the 2017 National Women’s Month Celebration themed “We Make Change Work for Women."(PNA)
LAP/BS/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR