DOJ: Retention of Tier 1 status a challenge to do more in fight vs. human trafficking



By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Friday welcomed the retention of the Philippines' Tier 1 ranking in the United States Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, taking it as a challenge for the government to do more in the fight against modern day slavery.
"Here is to more Tier 1 rankings in the coming years.?Together, we can do more to end this evil," Aguirre said in a statement.
He said the retention of the Tier 1 status is proof of the country’s continuing "commitment to ending this heinous crime."
Being under Tier 1 status means that a government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking, made efforts to address the problem, and complied with the minimum requirements set by the United States Trafficking Victims Prevention Act of 2000.
Data from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) show that from July 2016 to June 2017, a total of 1,567 victims were served and 44 traffickers were put behind bars following their conviction in court.
"The government demonstrated serious and sustained efforts by convicting and punishing more traffickers, identifying more victims through proactive screening procedures, and expanding its efforts to prevent trafficking of Filipino migrant workers," the TIP Report said, which was released by the US State Department this month.
Still, the report disclosed that the Philippine government has failed to improve the quality of protection for trafficking victims, particularly the mental health care and services for male victims.
The government also allegedly failed to "vigorously investigate and prosecute officials allegedly involved in trafficking crimes or expand its pilot program to address the backlog of trafficking cases in the courts."
"We acknowledge that the Philippines, even in Tier 1, should do more to combat human trafficking and continue its intensified efforts. I always say, nobody has the right to profit from the deprivation of the freedom of others. When we dehumanize others, we dehumanize ourselves," Aguirre said.
The country first achieved Tier 1 status in 2016, after remaining in Tier 2 for five years from 2011-2015, and in the Tier 2 Watchlist before that.  
The Philippines was the first and the only Southeast Asian country to have achieved the status, sealing a regional leadership position in combating trafficking in persons. — RSJ/KVD, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more