A
total of 58 trafficking cases in Region XI have been filed in court since
Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking Law was enacted in 2003 and it has
yielded only six convictions.
“A
total of 13 trafficking cases have been dismissed because the victim has desisted
and is no longer interested in pursuing the case,” Assistant Regional
Prosecutor Barbara Mae Flores said during yesterday’s Club 888 held at Marco
Polo Hotel.
She
said trafficking means to exploit, transport, recruit, hire or harbor the
victim using threat and force or take advantage of the victim’s vulnerability.
The purpose of trafficking is for sexual exploitation, forced labor or sale of
human organs, she added.
Said
12 of these cases have been archived which usually happens when the accused has
not been arrested, while 26 are still active or pending in court. One suspect
was acquitted from the trafficking case, she added, although convicted in a
child prostitution case.
Department
of Social Welfare and Development Social Welfare Officer Pedrita Dimakiling
said they have served 129 trafficking cases at their office but not all of them
prospered. Most cases do not proceed to prosecution,
she added, because the victim-survivor tends to prioritize the other needs of
the family.
However,
she said, DSWD provides for the victim’s rehabilitation and reintegration in
case the local government could not provide for these requirements.
Flores
said the victim or witness in a trafficking case can always seek for protection
under the Witness Protection Program of the Department of Justice (DOJ) if they
are harassed or threatened. She said there are more or less six victims who are
enjoying protection under the program.
Dimakiling
said that while the anti-trafficking law has been enacted in 2003, it only
became more defined in 2011 after the formation of the Inter-Agency Council
against Trafficking or IACAT network which further resulted to the formation of
three units.
Among
these, she said, are the law enforcement unit chaired by the DOJ, the
psycho-social unit chaired by DSWD and the Advocacy Council chaired by the
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Flores
said IACAT has to rely on tips when it comes to trafficking cases. However, she
added, they cannot go to the area where trafficking is being committed unless
they receive a verified report about the crime.
