The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is now monitoring reports of human trafficking of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Europe wherein Filipino workers are allegedly being subjected to long hours of works but with low wages.
DMW Secretary Susan Ople particularly mentioned Poland where OFWs are reportedly being deployed to work in unsafe working conditions, citing the incident involving 39 OFWs who are victims of human trafficking.
“The DMW continues to provide food and other forms of assistance to 39 Filipino workers who were brought to Belgium by a manpower company based in Poland. These workers were recently granted temporary work permits by the Belgian government pending the resolution of their case,” Ople said.
The reported human trafficking of OFWs in Poland was one of the issues discussed during the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) that was presided by President Marcos Jr. in Malacanang.
Another pressing issue discussed was the victims of crypto-currency syndicates operating in Southeast Asia where over a hundred Filipinos were already rescued while several others were barred from leaving the country.
“Eleven cases of trafficking-in-persons have already been filed with four more cases set for filing in the next two weeks,” Ople, adding that one of the accused in the crypto-currency scam that victimized OFWs in Cambodia was arrested on March 7 in San Fernando, Pampanga.
During the meeting Ople disclosed that the Department of Justice has committed to assist victims of human trafficking from abroad who are determined to pursue criminal cases through the Witness Protection Program.
President Marcos Jr. has earlier directed the DMW to intensify its awareness campaign to prevent more aspiring OFWs from becoming victims of crypto-currency scam syndicates in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
“The illegal recruitment is done online and so we need to use social media more effectively to expose these syndicates,” Ople said.
“The DMW will be working closely with the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and other government offices such as the DoJ and IACAT for a more intensified education and awareness campaign,” she added.