ILOILO CITY – Seventy-one persons were rescued from human trafficking across Western Visayas region by a council under the auspices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in 2022.
“Majority of them were women,” said Xzyrabelle M. Servento, secretariat of the Regional Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, Child Pornography, and Violence Against Women and Children (Regional CAT-CP-VAWC).
Fifty-seven females were rescued, including nine minor girls. Fourteen males were also rescued, including seven minors.
Majority were victims of illegal recruitment with 24 cases. Twenty-two were victims of labor exploitation and six of sexual exploitation.
The city and province of Iloilo had the highest number of cases with 62. There were five cases in Negros Occidental province, three in Capiz province, and one in Guimaras.
Twenty-nine victims were rescued in the first half 2023.
The Regional CAT-CP-VAWC surmised that the actual number of human trafficking cases in Western Visayas region are higher because some were unreported.
To curb the number of victims, the Regional CAT-CP-VAWC, including the Iloilo Provincial CAT-CP-VAWC, urged the public to report them to proper authorities.
This is part of the Blue Heart Campaign as the Regional CAT-CP-VAWC is pushing for a stronger implementation of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.