The government has successfully repatriated 120 distressed overseas Filipino workers believed to be victims of human trafficking in Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
This was announced by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Monday morning.
IACAT said 77 Filipinos were rescued from Laos, 38 from Myanmar, and five from Cambodia, and one who escaped. Among the Myanmar cases were accounts of severe abuse, including a woman forced to undergo an abortion to keep her job and another who was raped by her Chinese team leader.
Most of the victims were deceived by fraudulent online job offers, particularly in the cyber-scam industry, and were later subjected to abusive and exploitative working conditions, authorities said.
The repatriation was made possible through coordinated efforts of the Department of Justice, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Migrant Workers, Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, and other IACAT member-agencies, along with private sector partners.
Upcoming arrivals include two Filipinos from Baghdad on August 17, and 41 more from Nigeria and Kurdistan on August 18.
This story is developing.