Trafficked woman rescued in Marawi

THE Interagency Council against Human Trafficking (Iacat) in Davao Region rescued a 19-year-old woman believed to be trafficked in Marawi City.

Regional prosecutor Antonio Arellano said the woman, a native of Davao City, was brought back last Sunday to the city after the Davao City Police Office-Women and Children's Desk rescued her.

He said the victim was recruited to work in Cagayan de Oro, but ended up working as house helper in Marawi City.

"She was not paid. It's a clear case of human trafficking by way of labor exploitation," Arellano said.

Under Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, trafficking in persons "refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring, or receipt of persons with or without the victim's consent or knowledge, within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the person, or, the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation which includes at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or the removal or sale of organs."

Recruitment, transferring and transporting, and harboring for trafficking has a penalty of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of not less than P1 million, but not more than P2 million.

Anyone found knowingly promoting trafficking in persons, including leasing out a property for the use of such, can be meted with imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of not less than P500,000 but not more than P1 million.

For trafficking in children or qualified trafficking in person, penalty is life imprisonment and a fine of not less than P2 million but not more than P5 million.

"The task force is preparing for the legal documentation for possible cases against those who appeared to be the violators of the law," Arellano said, referring to the present case on hand.

He said the victim has been given psychosocial intervention and medical checkup.