Over 100 Filipino trafficking victims repatriated from Southeast Asia

MANILA, Philippines — The government has successfully repatriated more than 100 distressed overseas Filipinos, who are believed to be victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia. 

In a press conference on Monday, August 18, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) said the repatriated individuals arrived in the country on flights between July 31 and August 9. 

Of the group, 77 were rescued from Laos, 38 from Myanmar and five from Cambodia.

According to IACAT, the victims were lured abroad with fake online job offers and were later forced to work as scammers in "love scam" hubs. 

They were reportedly subjected to abusive and exploitative conditions, including isolation and physical abuse if they failed to meet their daily quotas. 

Some cases, according to IACAT, say that the group from Myanmar included a woman who was forced to undergo an abortion by her employer and another who her Chinese team leader raped.

Migrant Workers Assistant Secretary Jerome Alcantara acknowledged the challenge of tracing the online identities of the perpetrators. 

"It’s challenging to trace their identities. We’re also investing heavily in information dissemination to warn the public," Alcantara said. 

Upon their return, the repatriated Filipinos received financial, medical and psychosocial assistance. They were also provided with temporary accommodation before returning to their home provinces.

IACAT expects more distressed overseas Filipinos to be repatriated in the coming days, including two from Baghdad and 41 from Nigeria and Kurdistan. — with reports from the STAR/ Daphne Galvez.