US cites steep increase in human trafficking cases near POGOs

The number of foreigners who fell victims to human trafficking increased in the Philippines particularly in areas where Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) are located, a US government report has said.

The US State Department's 2020 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report said that from zero reported in 2018, the number reached 185 the following year.

"The government reported a sharp increase in foreign national victims of sex trafficking identified during law enforcement operations, primarily in spas and hotels near offshore gaming operations," the report said.

"Traffickers increasingly exploit Chinese and other Asian women in commercial sex in locations near offshore gaming operations that cater to Chinese nationals," it added.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development assisted these foreign national victims of trafficking by providing temporary shelter and psycho-social intervention, as well as repatriation through coordination with respective foreign embassies in the country, according to the report.

In a Senate inquiry last January, Senator Risa Hontiveros bared that women were being sold like food in restaurants in alleged prostitution dens catering to Chinese citizens.

The National Bureau of Investigation said the illegal activity surfaced with the rise of POGOs in the country.

Senator Leila De Lima recently sought a Senate investigation on arrests and cases filed related to the offshore gaming industry to determine if these firms should be allowed to continue operations in the country.

Despite retaining its Tier 1 status for the fifth straight year, the TIP report said that the Philippines needed to improve on timely prosecution of individuals involved in human trafficking. -NB, GMA News