Trafficking remains a problem in PH

HUMAN trafficking remains a huge problem in the country despite the progress in government efforts to eradicate it, France-based human rights advocate Zita Cabais said Saturday. During a roundtable discussion with The Manila Times, Cabais said Filipino workers are vulnerable to labor trafficking because of poverty and a lack of education. Cabais, a recipient of the 2024 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO), is a trafficking survivor who has transformed her life of hardship into a powerful advocacy for workers' rights in France. She was among the 13 honorees of the 2024 PAFIOO recognized by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for bringing pride to the Philippines and Filipinos overseas. "I always say this recognition is not recognizing my work but recognizing the crime that I am fighting... Many innocents are victims, especially the women coming from the rural areas, so they are all vulnerable," Cabais told The Times. "My fight today is to bring those people back to a normal life and that we, survivors, will be included in a roundtable to improve policies, to protect our country [and] all the people who are already impacted by this kind of crime," she added. Cabais, a former Filipino domestic worker from Bani, Pangasinan, said she found her voice and ignited a passion for helping others after enduring exploitation from her abusive employer. Now a key figure in the fight against labor exploitation and human trafficking, Cabais has championed the rights of migrant workers by helping many secure legal status, advocating for the ratification of essential labor conventions, and providing crucial support to victims of trafficking and abuse. She said her own experience pushed her to such advocacy to transform lives and advance the cause of Filipino domestic workers across Europe. "Who drove me to my advocacy? I was a victim before, and I feel what the victim feels when they are victimized. This experience drove me to [this] advocacy because I'm looking for justice. I was really eager to ... learn about the law and... obtain justice against my previous employer," she said. "In my own experience, I've realized that how can I claim my rights if I'm undocumented, how can I claim my rights if I have a language barrier in the country where I am? I said I need to learn for justice," she added. The problem of human trafficking, a long-standing problem worldwide, became prominent here when victims were rescued from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has repeatedly promised to address the problems of illegal recruitment and human trafficking. During his meeting with International Labor Organization (ILO) officials in Malacañang, Marcos lamented that human trafficking was plaguing Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. The President said he was working with the Department of Migrant Workers to maintain the Philippines' "Tier 1" status against human trafficking. The Philippines has maintained this ranking for the ninth straight year, according to the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the United States State Department in June. In its report, the State Department cited Philippine efforts to monitor trafficking-related corruption cases and its campaign to go after traffickers, implement laws that punish it and mechanisms to protect victims. "While Tier 1 is the highest ranking, it does not mean that a country has no human trafficking problem or that it is doing enough to address the crime," the State Department said. "Rather, a Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has made efforts to address the problem that meet the Trafficking Victims Protection Act minimum standards," it added. Countries and territories under Tier 1 fully comply with the minimum standards; those under Tier 2 do not but are making significant efforts to comply with the standards, while Tier 3 countries are not making significant efforts to comply with them. The US State Department also urged Manila to punish government officials and law enforcers who help suspected sex traffickers. Citing government data last year, it said 103 immigration officers were investigated over links to trafficking, 63 of whom were dismissed over the crimes. This was still fewer than the 232 immigration personnel the government probed in 2022. "Traffickers sometimes take advantage of the absence of adequate immigration personnel at smaller airports in the Philippines," the US agency said.