THE Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) yesterday said it successfully repatriated 120 Filipinos believed to be victims of human trafficking and related crimes in Southeast Asia.
Of those rescued, IACAT said 77 were rescued from Laos, 37 from Myanmar, and five from Cambodia.
Yesterday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said that 40 distressed OFWs staying in an immigration facility in Lagos, Nigeria, have been cleared for release and are now waiting for repatriation.
The assurance came after Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac recently visited them at the immigration facility in Nigeria.
“We are here to ensure that no Filipino is forgotten, especially in their most vulnerable moments,” Cacdac said.
Upon their return to the Philippines, the DMW said all of them are set to receive immediate and comprehensive support from the government that includes welfare assistance and reintegration services for repatriated OFWs.
DMW records show that there are over 6,000 OFWs currently based in Nigeria.
DOJ Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano said the Filipinos rescued in Southeast Asia were lured abroad by fake online job offers and later forced to work under abusive and exploitative conditions in the online scamming and cyber fraud industry.
One of the repatriates from Myanmar included a woman who was forced by her employer to abort her child to continue working. Another was raped by her employer.
More distressed Filipinos are expected to be repatriated this week from Iraq, Nigeria, and Kurdistan.
