11 women rescued from trafficking in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Combined government security and anti-trafficking forces rescued 11 women from human trafficking during an operation on Sunday in a coastal village here.

 

Police said a team composed of the Regional Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Trafficking (RIACAT), police and social welfare authorities raided a safe house at Barangay Lower Calarian 5 p.m. Sunday.

 

Superintendent Rogelio Alabata, acting spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO-9), said recruiters of the victims managed to escape after they sensed the raid.

 

The raiding team recovered the victims who were promised to work abroad passing via the southern backdoor to Malaysia.

 

The victims were brought to the women and children protection desk and social welfare office for a debriefing. They came from as far as Palawan, La Union, Kalinga, Nueva Ecija, Lucena City, Tagaytay, Taytay in Rizal Province, Taguig City, Las Piñas, Davao del Sur, Butuan City and Zamboanga City.

 

The RIACAT is closely monitoring this city which has been used by recruiters as a transit point for their human trafficking.