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22 human trafficking victims rescued in Tawi-Tawi

Philippines | Mindanao

22 human trafficking victims rescued in Tawi-Tawi

By Liza Jocson

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities rescued 17 adults and five minors during an anti-human trafficking operation in Tawi-Tawi province on Thursday, Aug. 28.

TWENTY-TWO suspected human trafficking victims were rescued in Tawi-Tawi on Thursday. (Photo via Liza Jocson)

TWENTY-TWO suspected human trafficking victims were rescued in Tawi-Tawi on Thursday. (Photo via Liza Jocson)

The Tawi-Tawi Maritime Police Station conducted a verification and profiling operation on passengers aboard the passenger vessel MV Trisha Kerstin II after it docked at the Port of Bongao from Zamboanga City following information that passengers were attempting to travel to Sabah, Malaysia via the southern backdoor.

Authorities noticed a group of passengers who appeared nervous and unable to answer queries properly, raising suspicions that they might be the group referred to in the information.

The operating team invited them to the MARPSTA station for further investigation.

Rosabella D. Sulani, head of the Municipal Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (MIACAT) in Bongao, interviewed the passengers and confirmed that these individuals lacked legal documentation and were at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking.

They admitted that they were on their way to various places in Malaysia after they were recruited by undocumented Filipinos in that country. The recruiters were only identified by their aliases such as “Usman," “Riza Balucan," “Jomar Tabon," "Naning," and “Talib."

Following initial interviews and verification by MIACAT, they were transferred to the Ministry of Social Services and Development Office (MSSDO) in Bongao for appropriate care, counseling, and stress debriefing.

Related Tags

Human trafficking Tawi-Tawi

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