Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003
Federal laws on human trafficking are enforced by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section.
These areas include the Samar-Leyte region, Negros, Bicol, Cebu Province, and Mindanao, where unscrupulous recruitment agencies operate by using a combination of deception, false promises and cash incentives to win over the parents or the children directly.
Groups are "subverting" the Internet to traffic women and children, and ease of travel has enabled pedophiles to move from one country to another.
The children are used to sell souvenirs and trinkets along the beaches to the tourists, who then invite them to show them child porn videos and give them money to repeat the acts on them.
[7] Human trafficking and the prostitution of children are significant legal and moral issues in the Philippines, due to control and power of organized crime syndicates.
603 (The Child and Youth Welfare Code) permits the employment of children aged 16 years and below only if they perform light work, which is not harmful to their safety, health or normal development, and which is not prejudicial to their studies.
Republic Act 7160 (The Local Government Code of 1991) includes provisions for the proper development and welfare of children at the basic political level, the Barangay.
Recently, around 300,000 prostitutes were found in a range of entertainment establishments, such as karaoke bars, dirt poor cabarets, beach resorts, and health clubs.
There was a high incidence of child prostitution in tourist areas, where undetermined number of children are forced into exploitative labor operations.
The punished overt acts include trafficking under the guise of arranged marriage, adoption, sex tourism, prostitution, pornography, or the recruitment of children into armed conflict.
As complementary legislation, slavery and forced labor are also punished under Articles 272 and 274, Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, and Republic Act No.
A Zamboanga City RTC sentenced a member of a trafficking syndicate to life imprisonment in March 2007 for having recruited 6 victims and peddled them to a brothel in Sandakan, Malaysia.
[23] In Northern Mindanao, however, the report of the Sub-Committee on Human Trafficking (SCHT) submitted to the Executive Committee of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Council (RLECC), Region 10 states that lack of access to legal information, aid or protection tops the list of issues and problems in the implementation of Republic Act No.
[23] The US report, said that: "The Philippines is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor.
A significant number of Filipino men and women who migrate abroad for work are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Africa, North America, and Europe.
18 dated April 12, 2005, directing all Regional Prosecutors, Provincial and City Prosecutors and Their Assistants, State Prosecutors and Prosecution Attorneys to: 1) give preferential attention to trafficking cases and resolve such cases within the periods prescribed under the revised Rules on Criminal Procedure; 2) not to dismiss trafficking cases on the mere account of an Affidavit of Desistance executed by the victim/s or their parent or legal guardians; and 3) vigorously oppose and/or manifest strong objection to motions for dismissal despite the desistance of the victim/s or their parents or legal guardians.
The NBI Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTRAD) reported that it was able to apprehend and charge 63 persons for violation of RA 9208 and currently investigating 22 other cases.
Twenty (20) of those arrested were foreign nationals: Australian (2); French (1); Japanese (7); Korean (3); Arab (2); Malaysian (1); Papua New Guinea (2); Singaporean (1); and Swiss (1).
Other government agencies, non-government organizations and other partners continuously undertake public information campaigns and capacity building activities for frontline service providers.
The international community praised the Philippines for its success in reducing the number of cases involving human rights violations (including the trafficking of women and children).
To date, we’re still awaiting the DBM response.... A big part of the little success that IACAT achieved was due to the funds provided by the different non-government organizations (NGOs).
9208 (the Anti-Trafficking Law) provides for confidentiality of proceedings at any stage of the investigation, like similar enacted legislation, to wit: RA No.
The government assisted victims by providing temporary residency status, relief from deportation, shelter, and access to legal, medical, and psychological services.
[3] The Department of Social Welfare and Development established 42 temporary shelters for victims and 13 of these were supported by a non-profit charity organization.
In March 2007, the Department of Labor and Employment opened the first reintegration center where returning overseas Filipino workers may seek services such as skills training, psycho-social counseling, and business development assistance.
This law saves and protects many women and children from and against prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage, both domestic and overseas.
4b of 9208 supplements the Anti Mail-order bride law which only prohibits matching of Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail-order bride formula, for this law punishes "introducing or matching any Filipino woman to a foreign national for marriage for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling, or trading her to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage is also considered an act of trafficking."
[28] Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral, Co-Chair of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking Forum stated on October 19, 2008, that "while Republic Act No.
[35] Senator Bong Revilla, on July 26, 2006, called for coordination with the Philippine National Police vis-a-vis the public, the whistleblowers and anti-prostitution Internet online petitioner initiators, to shed light and solve the alleged prostitution in the Philippines, sexual slavery or trafficking in human beings dens in Angeles City.
But he confirmed that "Angeles intelligence policemen, in coordination with other counterparts, were directed to look into the veracity of the report and file necessary charges against the operators of the illegal activities if these really exist.
