Illegal recruitment is just among the acts that leads to human trafficking. With 59 cases served recently, the DSWD provided psychosocial interventions, livelihood/financial assistance and repatriation.

 Thus, was revealed by Focal Person Tess Emock  of DSWD Field Office 1.

 Human trafficking happens in the locality and even across borders. In Region 1, most of the cases served by DSWD are individuals recruited or transported from across regions or even across countries who ended up in forced labor or prostitution. The victims were  promised with a decent job but ended up exploited, Emock further said.

 Means of human trafficking include force, threat, abduction, fraud, abuse of power or position to engage the victims to exploitation, prostitution, slavery, sale of organ and children in armed conflict as stipulated in Republic Act 9208.

 With the intensified program for victims of human trafficking,  such as the Recovery  and Reintegration  Program for  Trafficked Persons (RRPTP), tangible services were provided and more victims were encouraged to come to the open/ report.

 Management of cases of trafficking starts from the rescue to repatriation and provision of financial assistance. For CY 2013, DSWD assisted 14 children-victims from various regions and 45 cases served came from other countries, wherein highest number was trafficked in Malaysia (14).

 Further, qualified trafficking where penalty is higher (imprisonment and maximum of Php 5M penalty), it includes when children are the victims, when the victim dies, or when the perpetrator is a government official or member of the law enforcement.

 Relatively, the established Regional Inter-Agency Committee Against Trafficking (RIACAT) helps address effectively the concerns of trafficking  victims  particularly on their recovery and holistic services.  (by: Iryn D. Cubangbang, Regl. Information Officer)