The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday, July 3, vowed to continue its fight against human trafficking as the Philippines continues to be considered a “Tier 1” country in the United States government’s 2020 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.
According to the US State Department, “Tier 1 is the highest ranking, indicating that a government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking, made efforts to address the problem, and complies with the TVPA's minimum standards.”
TVPA refers to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, “the first comprehensive US federal law to address trafficking in persons.”
“For the NBI, this will serve both as an inspiration and reward in our relentless fight against Human Trafficking. Despite challenging times remains steadfast and committed to our mandate of protecting our citizens, especially the most vulnerable ones, against human trafficking (in all its) forms,” according to its Anti Human Trafficking Division.
The NBI called on the public “to help us in our fight against human trafficking by reporting suspected trafficking activities.”
The NBI said the TIP Report is an annual report issued by the US State Department’s Office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons.
“It ranks various governments based on their perceived efforts to acknowledge the existence of, and fight human trafficking,” the NBI explained.
The agency noted that this is the fifth year the Philippines has been at Tier 1.
“The Tier rankings are based on a country’s compliance with standards outlined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000,” the NBI said.
“The law provides a three-pronged approach that includes prevention, protection and prosecution,” it added.