Abstract
An estimated three million Filipinos are at high-risk of being trafficked at any given time, representing 3.1% of the total Philippine population. The paper illustrates that corruption is a central issue in facilitating and continuing human trafficking in the Philippines. It demonstrates that if human trafficking is to be significantly reduced, then corruption must be curbed. The paper consists of three main sections. The first section is an overview of the trafficking problem in the Philippines. It discusses the scope of the problem such as the recruiters and traffickers, tactics used by the recruiters, and current transport routes and methods. The second section discusses current tactics being implemented by the government, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the international community to restrict human trafficking in the Philippines. It also illustrates that government corruption prevents the current tactics from being implemented well and in order to combat government corruption one must begin at the municipal level. The third section presents the inner workings of government and corruption at the municipal level, shows how the corruption reduces economic opportunities and legal equality for the citizenry, and how the loss of those opportunities and equality encourages migration from home municipalities—thereby encouraging human trafficking.
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Notes
These numbers emerge as the most accepted estimates available. However, they appear to be rough estimates, dated, and with unclear research methods.
The number of OFWs migrating for work was taken from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) instead of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) due to the IOM’s most recent numbers being 3 years older (2005) than those from the POEA (2008).
Makati is the wealthiest business section in the Manila, often referred to as the ‘Wall Street’ of the Philippines.
R.A. 9208 definition of human trafficking is in accordance with the United Nations’ definition.
Insight gained through first-hand experience during a 2 year period of living in the Philippines while working on the issue of human trafficking.
In October 2007, the overall labor force of the Philippines was 35.9 million (National Statistics Office 2008b).
Insight gained through two years of living in the Philippines.
Ibid
Insight gained through discussions with parties directly involved in the incident.
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Guth, A.P. Human trafficking in the Philippines: the need for an effective anti-corruption program. Trends Organ Crim 13, 147–166 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-009-9082-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-009-9082-0