Legarda Vows Continued Support to Anti-Trafficking Efforts

Senator Loren Legarda today said she will continue to support efforts to fight human trafficking as she lauded improved government performance in curbing the crime.

Legarda made the statement in reaction to the result of the 2014 Global Slavery Index that showed the Philippines is no. 1 in Asia, no. 3 in Asia-Pacific, and no. 29 worldwide out of 166 countries in terms of government response against human trafficking.

The report was released by Walk Free Foundation, an Australia-based global human rights organization dedicated to ending modern day slavery.

“We are now seeing the benefits of an expanded anti-trafficking law and the strengthened efforts of law enforcement agencies to stop human trafficking. But we still have more work to do because the challenges are also getting tougher, especially with the emergence of cyber sex crimes,” said Legarda, principal sponsor of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (R.A. 10364).

The Senator said that the proliferation of cyber sex trafficking is alarming especially that there are cases wherein the perpetrators are the parents of the victims.

“These cases of cyber sex trafficking tell us that with advancements in the Internet, allowing communication to cross national borders in a matter of seconds, everything is now within reach. We need to strengthen cooperation and improve coordination with international police groups for continuous successful operations against cyber pornography,” Legarda said.

“I will continue to give my full support to the Department of Justice (DOJ), as head of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for the full and effective implementation of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, as well as in carrying out a massive information and education campaign against all forms of human trafficking, including cyber pornography,” Legarda concluded.