Visayan Forum Foundation Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 6 / 14 / 2005

Public-Private Sector Partnership hailed amongst ‘Best Practices’ in US Trafficking Report

The latest US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report released this June 3, 2005 by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice hailed the unique partnership between the Philippine government, non-government organizations and private shipping companies as one of the “best practices” in combating trafficking in the world. This despite the alarming possibility of a future decline in the country’s rating from Tier 2-watchlist to Tier 3, leading to diplomatic sanctions in the release of financial aid.

The 2005 TIP Report acknowledged the Anti-Trafficking Task Force at the Port, composed of the Visayan Forum Foundation, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, Maritime Police and private shipping companies like Aboitiz Transport System, as among the international best practices, citing its work of identifying, intercepting and providing direct services to trafficking victims in major ports across the country.

The Visayan Forum Foundation (VF) operates halfway houses in Manila, Davao, Batangas and Sorsogon that provide center-based services to victims of trafficking and coordinates with the Department of Social Welfare and Development. VF also coordinates with The Department of Labor and Employment in order to verify legal documents of possible trafficking victims.

Since 2001, VF has provided center-based services to more than 4,000 possible victims of trafficking . Based on the profile of victims intercepted at the ports, Manila continues to be the major local destination of trafficking victims while Japan continues to be the major international destination. Victims are mostly women and children, predominantly coming from far-flung provinces in Visayas and Mindanao.

Although the TIP report recognized these unique efforts, the Philippine rating remained at “Tier 2-watchlist”. Every year, the US State Department classifies each country depending on the concrete actions taken by the government to combat the trafficking problem. The “Tier 2-watchlist” rating is reported to have been due to the Philippine government’s failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to convict traffickers.

For more information about the US Trafficking in Persons Report 2005, visit the website: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2005