Anti-Human Trafficking Drive Gaining Ground In Mindanao

Zamboanga City (Darwin Wee) The government's anti-human trafficking drive is gaining momentum in Western Mindanao.

In an interview, Zamboanga City prosecutor Ricardo C. Cabaron said the recent conviction of three persons involved in trafficking a Filipino woman in Sabah, Malaysia was the first in recent years.

"To maintain the law's effectivity in addressing the complex and multifaceted issue of trafficking, the solutions should adopt a holistic and integrated approach by promoting action at different levels and in four key areas - prevention, prosecution, coordination, assistance and rehabilitation of the victims," he said.

Mr. Cabaron said the human trafficking problem is as serious as terrorism.

"The problem in human trafficking is as heavy as in terrorism. This is a big problem, especially in Zamboanga City, which is known as the transit point for illegal traffickers," he pointed out.

The success behind the speedy conviction of the traffickers, which only lasted for four months, was the result of cooperation among the different sectors in the city.

Mr. Cabaron said coordination between law enforcers and the public, the victims particularly, would go a long way in curbing the trafficking menace.

"Human trafficking is more than just a serious violation of the law. It is an affront to human dignity. Losing one's dignity is equivalent to losing one's life," he said.

Mr. Cabaron said an increasingly common method of recruitment in the country is the use of a network involving immediate or extended family members, not via newspaper or internet ads promising opportunities abroad.

The young are more at risk because of their desire to seek greener pastures.

The law defines human trafficking as the recruitment and transport of persons with or without their consent or knowledge within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, including abduction, fraud, deception, and abuse of power.

Human trafficking also involves giving or receiving payments and benefits in the exploitation of people, usually through prostitution, forced labor and slavery.

In a research study done by the End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes Philippines, illegal recruitment is a very profitable activity.

While some recruiters may feel guilty about what have become of their recruits, others feel they have helped these to earn and survive.

Since trafficking for recruiters is considered a well-paying venture, most stay in the business for more than 10 years.

Some learn the trade from their kins, others have been in the sex trade in their younger years, and still others befriend club owners and managers. Traffickers in Bicol and Dumaguete were found to be husband and wife teams.

A recruiter in Cebu may earn from P500 to P4,000 for every recruited girl. This means that if he can recruit 40 in three years, he would have earned P20,000 to P160,000.

One recruiter interviewed by the research team claimed to have recruited 35 girls in five months, which could have earned him up to P30,000 a month.

"The problems happen, especially when the victim is poor and it will be very difficult for the victim to fight her case penniless, compared with the illegal recruiter or human trafficker, who has the money," Mr. Cabaron said.

A number of cases end up in settlement, a source of frustration for lawyers and prosecutors, he pointed out.

He said lawyers and prosecutors' work is limited to suing the trafficker and making sure the case is won.

To encourage the victim not to be intimidated into dropping the charges, Mr. Cabaron said the victims may be placed under the government's witness protection program.

He said another method they used to win the case, is by using a lady prosecutor who can easily relate with women and children, who are most often the victims of trafficking.

Mr. Cabaron said his office now has 10 prosecutors, four of whom are women handling human trafficking cases.

Following the successful conviction of the traffickers in Zamboanga, American officials said this was a sign that the government was doing more to combat trafficking of humans, giving it more chances of being removed from a blacklist of countries that are perceived to be not doing enough to fight modern day slavery.

Last June, the Philippines received a Tier 2 placement - a ranking based on countries' efforts to combat trafficking - after it failed to comply with minimum standards to eliminate trafficking. A Tier 3 ranking will mean financial sanctions for the blacklisted nation.

Mr. Cabaron noted that with the latest development here, the Philippines would likely be removed from next year's watch list.

Justice department records showed that 65 human trafficking-related complaints had been filed from June 2003 to January 2005. Of these, 24 had been filed in court while 31 were still undergoing preliminary investigation. The complaints involved 98 alleged traffickers.

Mr. Cabaron noted that in Zamboanga City, there are still nine cases of human trafficking pending in the trial court but these are expected to be resolved by early next year.

Majority of human trafficking cases handled by the prosecutor's office involve illegal recruitment of minors.

"Good laws, hand in hand with efficient law enforcement, are very important to protect women and children from human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

"We are all partners in ensuring the success of the mission we have set ourselves: to end the human trafficking of women and children especially in the context of commercial sexual exploitation," Mr. Cabaron said.

"As partners, we can all take some pride in what has been achieved and, at the same time, resolve to make next year an even better one for the children. The battle has just begun." (Zamboanga reporter Darween Wee writes for the BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation)