17 Filipinos arrested in UAE for human trafficking

Seventeen Filipinos were arrested in Abu Dhabi for victimizing fellow Filipinos in their human trafficking operations. Nine of those arrested were alleged victims of the syndicate who are forced into prostitution, according to a statement posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website. The arrests occurred earlier this month. Of the 17, four — three women and a man — were believed to be the operators of the syndicate. The nine victims are currently sheltered at the Abu Dhabi Human Trafficking Center, the DFA said. Four other women were detained after they were suspected of voluntarily engaging in prostitution. Nine other Filipino women are currently under the Philippine Embassy's custody after they sought shelter last July 13 after escaping the same syndicate. The arrests came after a Filipino victim managed to escape the syndicate and immediately informed the Abu Dhabi Police. Philippine Ambassador Grace R. Princesa met with Colonel Rashid M. Bursheed of the Abu Dhabi Criminal and Investigation Division (CID) last July 18 to discuss the case. The CID operatives also confiscated US$18,000 and UAE Dirham (AED) 12,128 (around US$3,314) in cash from the suspects. An additional AED 54,000 (about US$14,754) was also discovered under the accounts of one of the suspects. Bursheed said the defendants confessed to the charges and admitted that they forced the victims into prostitution after promising them jobs in the United Arab Emirates. The CID is now investigating the sponsors who issued the tourist visas for the victims. A court hearing has yet to be scheduled. Ambassador Princesa is visiting the Trafficking Center and the Al Wathba Central Prison to meet the victims and the alleged operators, and provide assistance to them. The statement said the DFA is recommending the blacklisting of the Filipino traffickers and referring this case to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). “The DFA is issuing a severe warning to those Filipinos who are engaging in trafficking their fellow countrymen that they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law," it said. The DFA is coordinating with the IACAT to assist the victims and prosecute the traffickers. The United States has recently retained the Philippines in its tier two watch-list of countries that do not comply with international anti-human trafficking laws for the second straight year, citing the government’s inability to effectively prosecute trafficking crimes due to an inefficient judicial system and endemic corruption. - Jerrie M. Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV