THE Netherlands Embassy in the Philippines and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) recently chaired the third International Dialogue on Human Trafficking in Manila.
Three technical working groups were organized to tackle specific issues, namely, seafarers and fishermen, domestic workers and online child exploitation. The outcomes of these discussions were presented during the international dialogue.
One of the working groups expressed its concerns for Filipino fishermen, pointing out that a lot of the sea-based workers are vulnerable to exploitation while others are profiting from them. It recommended that more regulations should be established to protect the sector.
Moreover, the fishermen should be given more opportunities in education and capacity building, and that continued cooperation between governments should continue to protect them.
The technical working group on seafarers stressed that those from the Philippines must also be given the same protection to lessen the impact of the risks they are facing in their work.
During the dialogue, the participants said standard contracts and excellent working conditions must be put in the workplace to ensure the health and safety of the Filipino seafarers.
The Philippines is a major provider of seafarers in the global market. According to the Commission on Filipino Overseas, a total of 358,898 Filipino seafarers were deployed abroad.
Meanwhile, the plight of many domestic workers in country and abroad was raised as a significant concern during the dialogue. With the advent of the Kasambahay Law, the participants expressed hope in the full implementation of laws and regulations for the protection of household-service workers.
Cyberpornography emerged as a foremost topic as the increasing trend of Filipino children being offered online for commercial sex purposes.
The Philippines, the dialogue members said, has become a hotspot for this offense, as many foreigners find it easy to execute their acts with the invisibility of the Internet.
It was reported that children 7 years old, or even younger, are offered by their own families to perform sexual acts online for a meager P500.
With the third International Dialogue on Human Trafficking, the Philippine government called on its partners to work together in fighting human trafficking. The signatories to the 2015 Manila Declaration to Combat Human Trafficking also renewed their commitment to this call, with new partners now onboard.
The Philippines, led by the Department of Justice, international organizations, foreign missions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, vowed to continue fighting human trafficking.