Philippines rescues more than 1,000 victims in human trafficking ring

The victims found when police raided buildings in the capital Manila on Monday night included people from China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.

Police cordon off buildings used by human traffickers in Manila on June 27, 2023. Photo: AFP

In addition, people from Indonesia, Pakistan, Cameroon, Sudan and Myanmar were also found inside the compound. In total, more than 2,700 people were detained in the raids, including more than 1,500 Filipinos.

Philippine authorities are interviewing those detained to determine whether they are victims or suspects, said Captain Michelle Sabino, spokeswoman for the Philippine cybercrime unit.

Online scams have proliferated in the Asia- Pacific region in recent years, many of them involving human trafficking victims themselves being tricked or forced into doing illegal work, often involving online gambling or cryptocurrency.

Captain Sabino said the victims of this human trafficking accepted jobs posted on Facebook to work in the Philippines to “find players” for online games.

According to the victims, many of them were forced to work 12-hour shifts a day for just 24,000 pesos (about 10 million VND) a month and were forbidden from leaving the compound.

Captain Sabino described it as the biggest anti-trafficking raid in the Philippines, adding that “everything will be investigated,” including whether the workers were involved in online scams.

In May, authorities rescued more than a thousand people from several Asian countries who had been trafficked to the Philippines, held captive and forced to carry out online scams.

A policeman stands guard inside a raided house in Manila on June 27, 2023. Photo: AFP

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said victims were often lured by traffickers with the prospect of "better jobs with high salaries and attractive benefits".

“One very notable aspect of these online scams, which is different from other forms of human trafficking, is that… even well-educated, well-trained people are falling victim,” said Itayi Viriri, senior spokesperson for IOM Asia- Pacific .

Victims are often “trapped in a world of exploitation where they endure abuse, confiscation of travel documents and isolation from colleagues,” Viriri said.

“We therefore welcome the intervention of the Philippine authorities because it is clear that the victims are essentially hostages of the traffickers and therefore rely on external intervention to free them,” Viriri said.

Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros recently warned that “scam call centers” are operating in the Philippines and often use foreigners trafficked into the country to carry out operations across countries in the region.

Huy Hoang (according to AFP, CNA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/canh-sat-philippines-giai-cuu-hon-1000-nan-nhan-trong-duong-day-buon-nguoi-post253479.html