IOM, PNG delegates exchange anti-trafficking notes with Cebu vice gov

Members of an international group and a delegation from Papua New Guinea met with Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale to exchange notes in fighting human trafficking.

Representatives from the International Organization for Migration and Papua New Guinea discussed ways to curb the problem, the provincial government said Friday.

“Basically, it was more of an exchange of information and ideas, our best practices, the programs and services that we have and they were amazed (at) our setup,” Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) consultant Rose Jao said.

The discussion involved the efforts of the Cebu Provincial Women’s Commission (PWC) and Provincial Council for the Welfare of Children (PCWC) to fight human trafficking.

The provincial government noted Papua New Guinea is considered as a source, destination, and transit country for people mostly from Asia.

It said these people, including children, are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor.

"Women and children are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude while men are trafficked to logging and mining camps for the purpose of forced labor," the provincial government said.

The US State Department's 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report described Papua New Guinea as "a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor."

"Foreign and Papua New Guinean women and children are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic servitude, and foreign and Papua New Guinean men are subjected to forced labor in logging and mining camps," it said.

By comparison, the 2014 Trafficking in Persons report noted the Philippines is a "source country and, to a much lesser extent, a destination and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor."

The State Department report placed Papua New Guinea at Tier 3 (Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so) and the Philippines at Tier 2 (Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards). —Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News

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