The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has partnered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other government agencies to intensify its efforts against human trafficking that victimizes overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a meeting with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) presided by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said the DMW has been assisting victims of crypto-currency syndicates in filing human trafficking cases.
“Eleven cases of trafficking-in-persons have already been filed with four more cases set for filing in the next two weeks,” Ople said.
She added that one of the accused in the crypto-currency scam that victimized OFWs in Cambodia was arrested last March 7 in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Moreover, Ople assured the President that the DMW is closely monitoring reports of human trafficking of OFWs in Poland and in other parts of Europe wherein workers are being subjected to long hours of work, low wages, and unsafe work conditions.
During the 5th Meeting of the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group, Ople told foreign and local delegates that Marcos has directed the DMW to intensify its awareness campaign to prevent more aspiring OFWs from becoming victims of crypto-currency scam syndicates in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
According to Ople, the DMW will be working closely with the Presidential Communications Office, the Department of Information and Communications Technology and other government offices such as the DOJ and IACAT for a more intensified education and awareness campaign.
The Philippines has existing bilateral labor agreements with provisions against trafficking in persons with the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and Jordan.
