CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Cases of human trafficking have continued to increase, this was announced by Cebu City Councilor Lea Japson, the Vice Chairperson of the Cebu City Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (CCIACAT) during the launch of the movie “Halaw,” one of the activities marking International Women’s Month. Said movie, which was adjudged Best Film during the 2010 Cinemalaya Independent Philippine Film Festival, depicts the burden of dirt-poor islanders willing to illegally cross the border to Malaysia to find work just to feed their families.

Japson, who authored city local ordinance 2163 which compliments Republic Act 9208 otherwise known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2002 bared that reported cases of human trafficking have continued to increase here.

“Since the creation of CCIACAT, we have been doing lectures, forums and orientations to raise public awareness of the law,” she said, adding that this move has, in fact, has already resulted in the “filing of several cases against illegal recruiters and pimps.”

Still, the lady councilor underlined that based on her assessment, cases of human trafficking in Cebu has grown to alarming levels, “which is why we are implementing proactive and coordinated responses at all levels.”

Statistics sourced from the International Justice Mission (IJM), an active partner of the CCIACAT, shows that from 2004 to 2010, some 303 victims of sex trafficking were rescued by law enforcement forces in Metro Cebu even as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that there is an estimated 100,000 prostituted children in the country, 10 percent of whom are males.

Japson in her speech during the said film showing, lamented that trafficking is the biggest violation of human rights and the third largest fastest growing criminal activity in the world.

“No country is immune from human trafficking,” she stressed. “Victims are forced into prostitution or to work in quarries and sweatshop, in farms, as domestics, as child soldiers and in many other forms imaginable.”

The Cebu City council member cited that children and young women as prime targets tricked by traffickers who dangle as bait good employment promises and educational opportunities for a better life.

Also present during the film launch were Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane; Regional State Prosecutor Atty. Sam Inocencio Jr.; Deputy IJM Field Office Director; and Sheron Dayoc, director of the movie
“Halaw,” which, as aforementioned, allows film audiences a glimpse of the human trafficking going on between Mindanao and Malaysia of poor people desperate to escape poverty.

On behalf of the Justice Department, Gubalane informed that the agency already has established three anti-trafficking taskforces – one each for airports, seaports and transport terminals.

“The department is also closely monitoring cases against violence among women and children, human trafficking, rape and illegal recruitment,” he said.

For his part, Inocencio stressed that his organization is currently closely coordinating with the public justice system aiming to reduce cases of human trafficking as well as violence inflicted on women and children.