Around 71K online illegal recruitment sites shut down in 2024 — DMW

Around 71,000 online illegal recruitment sites were taken down last year as part of the government’s efforts against human trafficking, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Monday.

The DMW added that 15 establishments involved in illegal recruitment were also closed in 2024.

“Bilang regulatory agency, we also fought illegal recruitment and human trafficking. Fifteen establishments closed, it used to be single digit on a yearly basis. Pero na-doble natin yung output…Maraming online illegal recruitment take downs sa TikTok and Facebook, 71,000 illegal recruitment sites ang na-take down natin,” said DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon forum.

(As a regulatory agency, we also fought illegal recruitment and human trafficking. Fifteen establishments were closed, it used to be a single digit on a yearly basis. But we doubled the output…We also took down 71,000 illegal recruitment sites on TikTok and on Facebook.)

“We prosecuted around 71 illegal recruitment cases, ongoing yung karamihan dito, and about 15 convictions ng illegal recruitment,” he added.

(We prosecuted around 71 illegal recruitment cases, most of these are still ongoing, and there were about 15 convictions on illegal recruitment.)

The DMW also said that it will boost its partnership with the Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

“We take care of the victims, so the victims can come up with their different statements that can implicate the various syndicates or perpetrators of human trafficking,” said Cacdac. “We will shelter them, we will provide them assistance, while the case goes on para ma-prosecute successfully itong mga ( these) human traffickers and illegal recruiters.”

It added that it is mulling to regulate accommodation facilities by recruitment agencies in the country

“Yung mga accommodation facilities ng mga overseas workers, lalo na ng kasambahay dito, we plan to further regulate them. Yung mga recruitment agencies kasi operate accommodation facilities, so we plan to further regulate para dapat makatao, above standard ang accommodations,” said Cacdac.

(The accommodation facilities for overseas workers, especially for househelpers, we plan to further regulate them. Because the recruitment agencies operate accommodation facilities, so we plan to further regulate them and make sure that they are humanely established and the accommodations are above the standard.)

Repatriation

The DMW, meanwhile, said that over 20,000 OFWs were repatriated last year, with 3,000 of them coming from conflict zones in the Middle East such as Lebanon, Gaza, and West Bank.

Cacdac added that there were 131 repatriates last week from Lebanon.

“Just last Monday and Tuesday, we had 131 repatriates from Lebanon. This effectively clears the shelters, because we are still running shelters in Beirut…So sa ngayon, zero ang tao natin sa shelter…There are about 19 or so with pending cases, so our lawyers on the ground are helping them out,” he said.

(Just last Monday and Tuesday, we had 131 repatriates from Lebanon. This effectively clears the shelters, because we are still running shelters in Beirut…So right now, there were no more people in our shelters…But there are about 19 or so with pending cases, so our lawyers on the ground are helping them out.)

Further, the DMW official said that 135,000 OFWs were provided with various assistance through the AKSYON Fund.

“Yung AKSYON Fund natin, we had around 135,000 beneficiaries nung ating P2.2 billion AKSYON Fund, which provides legal, medical, and financial assistance, sa ating mga OFWs,” said Cacdac.

(Through the AKSYON Fund, we had around 135,000 beneficiaries of the P2.2 billion funding, which provides legal, medical, and financial assistance to our OFWs.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News