THE creation of Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will not immediately solve prevailing issues of human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and maltreatment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), a Davao-based migrant group said.
Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions, Inc. (MMCEAI) executive director Inorisa Elento said the department is not a silver bullet to the problems hounding the OFWs.
“Human trafficking and illegal recruitment still persist,” she said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Monday, December 12.
On November 23, DMW reported about the 12 rescued victims of a Chinese call center based in a remote area in Myanmar near the border of Thailand involved in illegal recruitment activities that offer “customer service relations” or “technical support.”
Following the incident, DMW issued an advisory last month against online offers for temporary work in Myanmar for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators-run establishments “which in reality, are forced labor and human trafficking hubs in disguise.”
However, Elento noted positive changes in the processing of applications and handling of complaints from OFWs after the establishment of the said agency.
"There are really differences when the DMW was established. Before, OFWs go to different agencies to lobby for their complaints. Now that we have a department, all the operations are centralized," she added.
She also mentioned that the department has specific programs for the children of OFWs.
“Although it was present before, it only focused on giving scholarships. Now, it has a multidisciplinary dimension," Elento added.
Based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority released on December 2, there are approximately 1.83 million registered OFWs worldwide.
Elento emphasized the importance of recognizing human rights as a vital component of the protection of OFWs.
"I want to emphasize the importance of human rights because this is where the Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions, Inc. grounds its mission to protect migrant workers by respecting human dignity and providing dignified work," she said.
The MMCEAI is a rights-based service organization for migrants - active and returning OFWs and their immediate families and communities. (JDC)