PH calls on SE Asian neighbors to do more to address online scam trafficking
Traffickers in the past few years have exploited Filipinos and other nationals in forced labor in so-called online scam operations that have expanded mainly in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
But to respond to the emerging trends and issues, Manila's neighbors must also 'take corresponding action on their end too.'
'Let's be honest here. We cannot reach that point unless each of the ASEAN member nations have fully equipped themselves at the national level,' said Hannah Lizette Manalili, executive director of the Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking, at a forum hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
ASEAN groups include the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
The Philippines has been identified as a source country for gambling and crime-related human trafficking in Southeast Asia, according to Manalili, but assured that government efforts are underway to curb the problem.
'Initially the Philippines has been identified as a source country. This meant that our Filipino nationals are looking for opportunities outside the Philippines and they fall prey to become victims of these scam hubs located outside the Philippines,' she said.
The United Nations has expressed alarm over the rise of thousands of trafficked individuals in the region, saying the situation has 'reached the level of a humanitarian and human rights crisis.'
UN human rights rapporteurs Tomoya Obokata, Siobhán Mullally and Vitit Muntarbhorn in their report released in May found that thousands of released victims remain stranded in inhumane conditions at the Myanmar-Thailand border.
On the same month, Philippine officials were able to safely bring home over 200 Filipino alleged human trafficking victims from illegal scam centers in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Many victims of scam farm operations, who were initially promised legal jobs, are kidnapped and sold to do other fraudulent operations, the UN rapporteurs said.
'When we are exchanging information, we become more aware of the circumstances that are dealt with and faced with not only by our own country but by our neighboring countries. And that's where real cooperation begins,' Manalili said.
Limited resources and technology to track the movement of trafficked persons have constrained efforts by the Philippines and other ASEAN nations to curb trafficking, she admitted.
But such challenges further highlight the need to sustain networks and partnerships across the region, said Manalili.
'Our strength lies in the capability of our human resources, our resilience and strong will, and our strong sense of community and partnership and networking,' she said.
However, the burden to deal with this issue 'should not only be carried by the source country or the destination country,' but 'has to work from end to end for us to combat it.'
The Philippines, for example, has been holding country-to-country specific dialogues, knowledge exchange, and enhancing the capability of its diplomatic posts in the region to expand awareness and capacity across frontliners and its key partners.
'If the perpetrators are cutting across borders, then so must we. We must not fight this alone as just Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, we have to fight this as a region,' she said. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
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