Trafficking victims rescued, recruited arrested

THE Sea-Based Anti-Trafficking Task Force (SBATTF) has scored anew and rescued 20 human trafficking victims in the island province of Basilan.

The Basilan police reported that the victims, some of whom are women, were rescued around 12 noon Saturday in the municipality of Maluso, Basilan.

The victims were rescued while boarding M/L Nur Ena, a wooden-hulled ferry, that would transport them to Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi, the police said.

They will board another ferry that will take them to Malaysia via Sandakan, Sabah, from Taganak Island, the police further learned.

The victims were rescued following intensified surveillance after the SBATTF received information that a ferry would transport workers to Sabah, Malaysia from Basilan province, the police said.

The task force has arrested M/L Nur Ena’s skipper, who is reportedly the one who recruited the rescued victims, the police said.

The rescued victims were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Appropriate charges are set to be filed against the ferry’s skipper, whose identity was withheld by the task force.

The rescue on Saturday came two days after the task force has rescued a group of human trafficking victims at a private wharf in Zamboanga City.

Like the ones rescued Saturday, those rescued on Thursday were also recruited to work in Sabah, Malaysia.

However, their recruiter was not with them when they were intercepted and rescued by SBATTF operatives. (Bong Garcia)