A report of the United States (US) State Department has placed the Philippines under the "Tier 2 Watch List" category in the Trafficking in Persons.
Those under the "Tier 2 Watch List" are countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards but are making significant efforts to comply with those standards.
The Philippines is on par with Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Mozambique, Algeria, Lebanon, Yemen, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Kazahkstan, Niger, Tunisia, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, China, and Russia, among others.
What is Human Trafficking?
Human Trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery.
| Why does sex-trafficking happen? | |
Particular to the Philippines, policies such as the labor export policy, tourism program and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) has clearly become a mode and a vehicle for sex-trafficking within and outside the country. Marriage burueas where Filipino women leave the country as fiancée or wives of foreigners or "mail-order bride" is also a channel of trafficking in women. | |
Headline Facts:
1.4 million – 56% - are in Asia and the Pacific
250,000 – 10% - are in Latin America and the Caribbean
230,000 – 9.2% - are in the Middle East and Northern Africa
130,000 – 5.2% - are in sub-Saharan countries
270,000 – 10.8% - are in industrialized countries
200,000 – 8% - are in countries in transition
The Traffickers
-52% of those recruiting victims are men, 42% are women and 6% are both men and women.
-In 54% of cases the recruiter was a stranger to the victim, 46% of cases the recruiter was known to
victim.
-The majority of suspects involved in the trafficking process are nationals of the country where the trafficking process is occurring.
Top Asia Countries:
The most common countries of origin of trafficked persons in Southeast Asia are the poorer ones like Cambodia, Yunnan province in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, China and Cambodia are the most popular destinations.
Human Trafficking figures Worldwide:
Some 12.3 Million people are involved in forced and bonded labor, child labor, and sexual servitude. 50% of the victims come from Asia and the Pacific. People are trafficked from 127 countries and exploited in 137 countries. Human Trafficking is a $31.6 Million Industry. Half of the victims are aged 18 to 24 years old. Some of 1.2 Million children are trafficked every year. More than 300,000 children under 18 are currently exploited in more than 30 armed conflicts nationwide. Majority of the children are aged 15 to 18 years old, but some are young as 7 to 8 years old.
(Source: Inter-Agency Committee Against Trafficking)
The Profit
Estimated global annual profits made from the exploitation of all trafficked forced labour are
US$ 31.6 billion
o US$ 15.5 billion – 49% - is generated in industrialized economies
o US$ 9.7 billion – 30.6% is generated in Asia and the Pacific
o US$ 1.3 billion – 4.1% is generated in Latin America and the Caribbean
o US$ 1.6 billion – 5% is generated in sub-Saharan Africa
o US$ 1.5 billion – 4.7% is generated in the Middle East and North Africa
Penalties of Human Trafficking:
The law said trafficking cases may be filed in places where the offense or any of its elements was committed. The unlawful activity’s elements include “acts, means, purpose, and venue."
