Human trafficking victims lodge over 750 calls to PHL hotline

Three weeks after the Philippine government launched a 24-hour anti-human trafficking hotline, more than 750 emergency calls from victims and their families have already been received, according to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. The 1343 hotline — which may be accessed in any parts of the Philippines — is designed to address emergency and crisis calls from trafficking victims. It was launched last March 15 by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking-Advocacy and Communications Committee. In a statement issued Thursday, the CFO reiterated its position that syndicates involved in human trafficking “are watched and will be prosecuted." The CFO pointed out that the 1343 hotline will serve as a database to document trafficking cases involving Filipinos. “We need to document cases and fill in the gaps of services and programs needed to eliminate trafficking," said Imelda Nicolas, CFO secretary. Malacañang had earlier said it would prioritize efforts to remove the Philippines from the United States watch list on human trafficking. The Philippines is one of the 58 countries under the “Tier 2 Watch List" of a US report on human trafficking, according to the Washington DC-based US Department of State. Those under the "Tier 2 Watch List" are countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards but are making significant efforts to comply with those standards. It is on par with Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Mozambique, Algeria, Lebanon, Yemen, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Kazahkstan, Niger, Tunisia, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, China, and Russia, among others. According to the State Department, the Philippines is a “source country and to a much lesser extent, a destination and transit country for men, women, and children who are subjected to trafficking, especially forced prostitution and labor." — Bea Cupin/JE, GMA News