Halfway House for Trafficking Victims to Open at NAIA

       It has been reported that the Philippines is a primary source of human trafficking, with 300,000 to 500,000 reported and unreported cases of women and children trafficked to destinations in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei, Japan, Korea, the Middle East, Europe and the United States annually.  Most recently, news of the trafficking of Filipinas even to Africa shocked and angered human rights activists and feminist groups.  The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that a total of 224 Filipino trafficking victims overseas have been repatriated between 2003 and 2005.

       Visayan Forum and MIAA have forged an agreement whereby MIAA will build a halfway house for trafficked women and children at the NAIA, the most significant point of departure of trafficked victims, which Visayan Forum will operate.  MIAA has earmarked its gender and development funds for the construction of the shelter which will be built at a 510-square meter lot at the NAIA complex.  Mr. Alfonso Cusi, MIAA General Manager, expressed his acknowledgment of the airport authority’s crucial role in the protection of women and children from being transited into exploitation such as prostitution and household slavery, thus entering into partnership with the Visayan Forum and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).

       U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney is giving the keynote address at the event.  The is a staunch supporter of anti-trafficking initiatives in the .  Development assistance from the American people contributed more than U.S. $1 million to support anti-trafficking activities in the last year, including training for law enforcement officials on evidence-gathering techniques for human trafficking cases, and partnerships with prosecutors on creating models for handling these sensitive cases.  Portions were also given to Visayan Forum to operate halfway houses in ports, which is Visayan Forum’s pioneering work against trafficking.

       “(Victims) deserve our support, our counsel, and our aid,” said Ambassador Kenney last year.  “I’ve had the privilege of visiting the Visayan Forum, a truly shining star in this effort. With support from many of the organizations here, including the American people, they provide halfway houses through partnerships with ports and the private sector for people to recover their lives, for victims to recover their dignity, and for them to have a chance to restore themselves to society as productive members.”

       Visayan Forum will work closely with airport authorities and the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NTFATIP) headed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to tighten the noose against traffickers who profit hefty sums by slipping victims into the international foreign destinations.  According to Ms. Cecil Flores-Oebanda, President and Executive Director of Visayan Forum, trafficking is alive and well at airports throughout the country and is pervasive at the Manila airport, and they recognize the potential of the Bahay Silungan sa Paliparan to become a nerve center for advocacy and training of airport personnel to effectively counter trafficking activities at the airport.

       The Halfway House will also become the base of operations for the Visayan Forum’s anti-trafficking activities at the Manila International Airport .  Once construction is completed in November 2007, Visayan Forum will provide immediate services such as temporary shelter, counseling, legal services, and other psychosocial interventions to victims and potential victims of trafficking at the NAIA.

       Visayan Forum has more than fifteen years of experience working against forced labor and trafficking, and is recognized worldwide.  Ms. Oebanda is a recipient of the 2005 anti-Slavery Award given by Anti-Slavery International, the world’s oldest human rights organization.  She was also recognized by the government as one of the Modern-Day Abolitionist in this year’s celebration of the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.

       Visayan Forum’s operations for this important project are supported by The Asia Foundation with funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of State.  Dr. Steven Rood, Country Representative of the Foundation, said “The Asia Foundation is proud to support this cutting-edge project of the Visayan Forum and MIAA, and are excited to work once again with Visayan Forum in what is sure to be a successful partnership with the Manila International Airport Authority.”

       This event is held in the wake of the misfortune that befell 26 Filipino women, who were trafficked to in Africa and rescued on February 22, 2007.  This and other cross country trafficking cases have highlighted the importance of effective counter-trafficking efforts.

About the Manila International Airport Authority

 Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), is the agency vested with the power to administer and operate the Ninoy Aquino International Airrport (NAIA).  It has the power to formulate and adopt for application in the airport internationally acceptable standards of airport accommodation service; upgrade and provide safe, efficient and reliable airport facilities for international and domestic air travel; and help encourage and promote international and domestic air traffic in the country as a means of making the Philippines as a center of international and domestic air travel.

It has partnered with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to create the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NTFATIP), an inter-agency task force composed of members from different law-enforcement agencies of the government, operating at the NAIA Complex under the guidance of the IACAT.  This group is mandated to prevent and suppress trafficking at the NAIA Complex through a more systematic, coordinated and synchronized approach in law enforcement.

The MIAA has also committed itself with Visayan Forum and other social partners in enforcing international agreements and domestic laws and regulations for the protection women and children passing through this international and domestic hub.  The agreement made with the Visayan Forum seeks to strengthen the MIAA’s role in helping implement Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

For more details about the Manila International Airport Authority please visit www.miaa.gov.ph

About the Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc. 

Visayan Forum Foundation is a non-profit, non-stock, and tax exempt non-government organization in the , established in 1991. Visayan Forum works for the welfare of marginalized migrants, especially those working in the invisible and informal sectors, like domestic workers and trafficked women and children.  It is licensed and accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide “residential care and community based programs and services for women and children in especially difficult circumstances.”

It is most known for its pioneering and documented work on domestic workers in the , especially in pushing for the Domestic Workers’ Bill or the Batas Kasambahay. It is also in the forefront of providing services to trafficking victims through its Halfway Houses in major Philippine Ports.

So far, it manages four port halfway houses built by the Philippine Ports Authority, which have reached out to at least 11,000 persons for the past 5 years, operates 6 regional offices plus 14 project areas with 90 full-time staff and volunteers, set up a specialized safe houses for 57 survivors who filed 17 legal cases, and has intensive national and local campaigns.  In 2005, its halfway program, which was initially supported by The Asia Foundation, was cited as an international best practice by the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report because it was able to mobilize public and private sector partnerships in attacking trafficking in Philippine ports.

For more details about the Visayan Forum Foundation please call (63) (2) 709-0573.