Anti Mail-Order Bride Law Philippines Doesn’t Limit Human Trafficking

Trafficking remains a source of concern for activists. Thousands of women fall victim every year. Image: International Justice Mission

But in doing so, the disincentive for traffickers will also be diminished.

Added to that, judges often have a poor understanding of the anti-trafficking law, the US State Department said.

While the maximum sentence for traffickers under RA 9208 can be life imprisonment, under RA 6955 it is eight years.

Inefficient judicial system

“Trials often take years to conclude because of a lack of judges and courtrooms, high turnover [of judges], and non-continuous trials, which cause some victims to withdraw their testimony,” the OMCTP report charged.

Of particular concern is the need to step up the number of convictions for labour trafficking cases, it said. To date, there have been only 12 convictions under the 2003 Anti-trafficking in Persons Act – all sex trafficking offenses.

However, the government says it is making headway.

According to Ferdinand Lavin, chief of the National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Human Trafficking Division, there were 168 alleged cases of trafficking in 2008, a 60 percent increase over the previous year, with four convictions.

“It’s not a setback. It’s a warning. It’s more of a challenge,” Lavin told IRIN. “We will have to talk separately with law enforcement. We have to talk to courts. Courts take a long [time]. We cannot intervene.”

What the government fears most is a Tier 3 assessment next year, which could trigger the withholding of non-humanitarian, non-trade-related assistance from Washington.

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[YouTube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHVR7u698nE?rel=0"]

Human trafficking is a major problem facing the Philippines affecting up to 100,000 children across the country. This is a 1:41 min NDTV, Asia Brief, Sept 2008 report.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WOMEN & GIRL TRAFFICKING PHILIPPINES SEE THESE REPORTS:

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – Coalitions Against Trafficking in Human Beings in the Philippines, Feb 2004
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report for Congress (US Embassy, Italy) – Trafficking in Persons: The U.S. and International Response, July 2006
The United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI) – The Philippine Experience in the Investigation and Prosecution of Trafficking in Persons, April 2008
Youth Advocate Program International (YAPI) - Global Child Sex Tourism, Susan Song, Dec 2004

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