Photo: Ambassador Constancio R. Vingno, Jr. giving his advice to the runaways shortly before heading to the Abu Dhabi International Airport. In recent interviews with The Filipino Times, Vingno has suggested that victims of human traffickers should inform their local elected officials who brought them to the UAE do that arrests could be made.
ABU DHABI: With the cooperation of the UAE government, the Philippine Embassy has successfully recently repatriated 105 victims of human trafficking, bringing them back to their own families and homes.
“They (distressed OFWs) fell into this trap of false promises. They were promised high paying jobs and were offered positions such as teachers, tutors, waiters, workers in a hotel, as bakers etc. They were given fake contracts that were made to look genuine,” said Ambassador Constancio R. Vingno, Jr.
He added: “The unfortunate part here, at nakakalungkot, is that these are coming from their friends, neighbors or even their own relatives, offering them. But the truth is they (OFWs contact) are already in connivance with bad elements here – different nationalities, even Filipinos.”
“They (distressed OFWs) will then be deployed to different families, sometimes to a big family with a big house. How can one OFW even do all the chores in that house? All the cleaning, cooking, washing clothes, taking care of the children, and sometimes the same family lends the household help to their extended family like the husband’s or wife’s parents. This is the same story of every household worker that we’ve came across with many, many times.” Vingno said.
Vingno thanked the UAE government for assisting in the repatriation. “Without the help of the UAE authorities, we would not have been able to send as many workers.” said Vingno.
Some 105 OFWs mostly runaway domestic helpers were repatriated on Feb. 13, 2018. In January 2018, around 189 were repatriated and by end of February – the Embassy said it expects the number to reach close or even exceed 500. Over 3,000 distressed OFWS were repatriated by the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Philippine Consulate General in Dubai last year – all victims of human traffickers.
