Trafficking of Pinoys to UAE alarms RP officials

Philippine officials in the United Arab Emirates are alarmed over a marked rise in trafficking of Filipinos to the UAE in the last two years. Consul-General in Dubai Benito Valeriano said he has relayed this to the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs in Manila. “Even the diplomatic missions in Beirut, Amman, Damascus and Tel Aviv have the same problem of Filipino women being trafficked everyday," Valeriano said in an interview posted Sunday on UAE-based news site Khaleej Times. He said that actual cases will be conveyed to the UAE authorities after Manila completes its investigation and the human traffickers are identified. Valeriano said there is close coordination among task forces from the Departments of Justice, Foreign Affairs, and Labor and Employment. Also, he noted a high number of victims and the frequency of reports from the Philippine diplomatic missions in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. “Coordinated efforts of all these task forces from the three government departments have to (understand) the modus operandi of the human traffickers and go for preventive measures by instituting more rigid measure from the source in Manila and then in the areas where they are brought," he said. Valeriano said once trafficked people are rescued by the diplomatic missions with the help of the local authorities in the host countries and the victims themselves, the task forces must act swiftly to get them as witnesses. Without witnesses, he said it would be difficult to prosecute the culprits and those identified by the victims. The task forces would then enforce restrictions aimed not at preventing people from traveling, but stricter screening of travelers, he said. Valeriano said that in the case of human trafficking to Dubai and in other cities around the world, 99 per cent were bound for the flesh trade. He said this is a vicious cycle that needs vigilance in both the home and overseas offices of the task forces. Philippine Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera had coordinated with Valeriano to assist women prosecutors in their task to know first-hand from the victims. The information to be asked of the victims include how they were brought to the UAE and other relevant information needed in filing cases against erring agencies and human traffickers. Col. Abdul Rehim bin Shafi, Director of Anti-Organized Crimes of the Dubai Police, said two senior officials have been assigned to deal with diplomatic and consular affairs. He added the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a circular to all the diplomatic missions in the UAE to deal with them if they have any issues or cases. Shafi urged the missions concerned to cooperate with the police in bringing criminals to justice. Keeping authorities in the dark would not benefit anti-human trafficking efforts, he said. He said that when diplomatic missions take the decision to help a human trafficking victim to travel without informing the local authorities, they are dealing with the case emotionally without thinking logically. “We have legislation, police and experts who can investigate and we can provide all help and support to the victims," he said. He added the Philippine consulate had referred many cases to the police and some of them were found to be genuine. One Filipino suspect involved in human trafficking was even sentenced to five years. Shafi added many cases were referred to courts and some of the human traffickers were sentenced to 10 years in jail. Captain Ahmad Obaid bin Hadibah of the Anti-Human Trafficking Section of CID said that from January to October this year, only 20 cases of human trafficking were recorded in Dubai, and only three victims were from the Philippines. He said the Philippine consulate is usually in touch with the police and refers cases if they have any. - LBG, GMANews.TV