"Trafficking in human beings is nothing less than a modern form of slavery."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Human trafficking, sexual servitude, beating, starvation, kidnapping, rape and unpaid wage are some of the sad stories found at:
http://www.trafficking.org.ph/index.htm

Human trafficking in Gulf is a byproduct of economic boom

The Manila Times, June 7, 2005

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: While soaring economies lure millions of workers to the Gulf, authorities say they are struggling to deal with an unwanted byproduct: human traffickers who bring in prostitutes and child camel riders, along with unscrupulous companies that refuse to pay their imported workers. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar—among the top US allies in the Middle East—were among 14 countries warned by the US State Department this week that they face sanctions if they don’t adequately address human trafficking. The US report also slammed the four countries for exploiting the low-wage foreign laborers who underpin the construction booms under way in the Gulf. It said governments allowed companies to exploit low-paid foreign workers, while withholding passports and sometimes pay. Arab Gulf countries are packed with more than 10 million expatriate residents who form the backbone of the work force, especially in the booming construction and service sectors. In the Emirates, foreigners make up 80 percent of the population. Gulf countries, especially the Emirates, also lure thousands of foreign women who are eventually deported as prostitutes, the State Department said, a large number, it said, are forced into sexual servitude by criminals from their own countries. Rights groups have also condemned camel racing on the Arabian Peninsula, saying boys as young as four who work as jockeys are kept as virtual slaves. Officials and analysts said the problems are genuine, but most are being addressed though police training, laws, women’s shelters and other means. Some analysts questioned the United States’ moral authority, saying Washington’s credibility had been diluted by its own violations of prisoners’ rights in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guántanamo Bay, Cuba. For Gulf countries that cherish close relations with the United States, the black marks from Washington are a worrying sign that the US government is meddling in sensitive local affairs, said Abdul Khaleq Abdulla, who heads the Gulf Research Center, a Dubai-based think-tank. A Saudi human rights activist agreed with the American allegations, saying the government doesn’t enforce—or even publicize—the relatively lax laws in place to protect millions of foreign workers. But embassies also neglect the rights of their own citizens, perhaps because countries like India, Pakistan and the Philippines depend heavily on expatriates’ remittances. “They don’t follow up on their cases and simply don’t care,” said Ibrahim al-Mughaiteeb, a member of the unofficial Saudi rights group Human Rights First. --AP

14 Nations Fail to Stop Human Trafficking

Yahoo! News, June 4, 2005

by Anne Gearan, AP Diplomatic Writer

Washington - The United States accused 14 nations Friday of failing to do enough to stop the modern-day slave trade in prostitutes, child sex workers and forced laborers. The countries include Saudi Arabia, Washington's closest Arab ally in the war on terrorism.
Three other U.S. allies in the Middle East — Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — were newly listed this year as nations that are failing to adequately address trafficking problems. The State Department said the 14 countries could be subject to sanctions if they do not crack down.
As many as 800,000 people are bought and sold across national borders annually or lured to other countries with false promises of work or other benefits, the State Department said in its annual survey of international human trafficking. Most are women and children.
"Trafficking in human beings is nothing less than a modern form of slavery," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said. "The United States has a particular duty to fight this scourge because trafficking in persons is an affront to the principles of human dignity and liberty upon which this nation was founded."
The other countries listed as poor performers in stopping trafficking are: Bolivia, Cambodia, Cuba, Ecuador, Jamaica, Myanmar, North Korea, Sudan, Togo and Venezuela.
Venezuela, which has had a tense relationship with the United States in recent months, said it has taken several steps to combat trafficking. In a written statement by its embassy, it called Venezuela's inclusion in the list "a sad demonstration of how the administration has politicized its work on human rights."
The department placed China, South Africa and 25 other countries on a watch list. Those nations have trafficking problems, but their governments are making what the State Department calls significant efforts to combat them.
Saudi Arabia has turned a blind eye to the problem of poor or low-skilled workers brought into the country and exploited or who go there voluntarily but find themselves in "involuntary servitude," the report said.
Saudi employers physically and sexually abuse migrants from South Asia, Africa and other places, withhold pay and travel documents or use migrant children as forced beggars, the report said. Some of the migrants work as domestics in the homes of wealthy Saudis.
"The government of Saudi Arabia does not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so," the 2005 Trafficking in Persons report said.
The report said the Saudis apparently prosecuted only one employer during the period covered by the report, from March 2004 to March 2005.
"We have domestic workers being brought in from many countries into domestic servitude, child beggars, a lot of beatings, reports of beatings and rape," said John R. Miller, the special ambassador for human trafficking.
The Saudi Embassy in Washington had no immediate comment on the report.
Despite periodic differences, Saudi Arabia and the United States have a tight alliance built on economic and military cooperation. Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, the kingdom's de facto ruler since his half brother King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995, visited President Bush at his Texas ranch in April.
The United States spends $96 million to help other countries combat trafficking, Rice said.
The United States is not included on the list, although Miller said the country is far from immune.
"Modern-day slavery plagues every country, including the United States," Miller said.
The Justice Department is due to issue a separate report on trafficking in the United States later this month.
Congress began requiring the international ranking reports in 2000. This is the fifth report, and it covers trafficking to and from 150 countries.
Miller said the goal "is not to punish, but to stimulate government action to eliminate" human trafficking.
Countries that fail to crack down can be subject to a variety of sanctions, including the withholding of some kinds of U.S. foreign aid. The United States will not cut off trade and humanitarian aid, the report said.
Countries that receive no such assistance can be declared ineligible to take part in cultural and educational exchange programs.
Two countries have been sanctioned since the reports began — Equatorial Guinea and Venezuela.

328 DH from Kuwait reveal litany woes

The Manila Standard, August 28, 2004

by Lolit Rivera Acosta

Starved, beaten or scalded with hot water, most of the 328 overseas Filipino workers who came home from Kuwait late Thursday night were awash with sob stories, not dollars. And unlike Sarah Balabagan, their stories do not have happy endings yet.
A woman who was jailed for a year said Filipino domestic helpers were molested and raped by Kuwaiti prison guards. “We were abused!” she said, in between sobs.
Arnelia Malisko (not her real name), who lived and worked in Kuwait since 2001 but did not receive her pay, said some Filipino women became sex slaves of Kuwaiti policemen. “They are all evil. I hate all of them because they all looked like devils.”
Malisko said she escaped from her employer, who would beat her without provocation. She showed bruises inflicted by the Kuwaiti all over her body.
Another woman, who went to Kuwait to earn money for the schooling of her two children, showed reporters a big scar on her left thigh. “My employer would pour hot water over me.”
The 328 OFW, most of them employed as domestic helpers, were stranded for months at the Filipino Workers Resource Center in Kuwait. They were repatriated in two batches via Kuwait Airlines — courtesy of the Kuwaiti government.
Their repatriation came about after months of negotiations for the settlement of their cases, ranging from unpaid wage and other labor disputes to immigration-related violations, said Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Virgilio Angelo.
“We have been negotiating for the repatriation of other OFW stranded not only in Kuwait but also in other countries in the Middle East where there are many cases of unpaid salaries and other labor disputes. We will continue to do everything to facilitate their return,” Angelo added.
The workers were taken directly to the OWWA office where they were given assistance. Those who needed medical attention were brought to hospitals. Residents of Metro Manila were ferried to their homes while those who reside in the provinces will be given money so they can go home and be reunited with their families, said Angelo.

2 Pinay OFWs on Kuwaiti rapists: 'They're not our boyfriends'

People's Journal, July 1, 2004
by Bernadette E. Tamayo

The two Filipino domestic helpers who were kidnapped and raped by eight Kuwaiti men last June 20 described the suspects as being in their late teens.The victims also denied reports that the suspects were their boyfriends. Julia and Mariana, the victims, narrated their ordeal to People's Journal by calling from the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait to correct earlier reports that came out in some papers.In fact, the 29-year-old Julia, who has three kids, thought of committing suicide by jumping out of the kidnappers' car but she decided against it because she was worried about Mariana, a 32-year-old mother of two, who would be left behind."Wala ho kaming mga nobyo dito. Bakit ganoon pinalabas nila? Kinidnap ho nila kami nang tumakas kami sa amo namin dahil hindi kami sinuswelduhan ng apat na buwan na. Hindi ko akalain na mangyayari sa akin ito," said Julia who, together with Mariana, are now staying at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration center within the Philippine Embassy compound in Kuwait.Both asked this reporter not to reveal their true identities so as not to alarm their relatives in the Philippines. Both of them are married. Julia said after she and Mariana escaped from their employers, they walked along Faheel district at about 3 a.m. on June 20, looking for a taxi cab to take them to the Philippine embassy.Julia said that a car stopped and one of the three men on board asked them where they were headed. The two women ignored the men and continued walking but one of the men grabbed Mariana and hit her with a baseball bat in the head and hip. Julia, on the other hand, managed to hide behind a pile of tires in a gasoline station. But she too was threatened by the suspects if she would not come out from her hiding place.They eventually told the men that they were looking for the RP Embassy and the men offered to bring them there. Julia engaged the three men in small talk while travelling wherein she asked them about their age."Iyung isa 18 (years old), yung isa naman 21. Iyung driver ay 20. Mga mukhang bata pa talaga sila," Julia said. However, after almost four hours of travelling, the women became worried when they noticed that they were headed toward the desert. Julia asked them where they were going but the men just told her to "shut up." Julia was able to read sign boards that indicated they were entering Wafra City.They reached a resthouse in the middle of a desert where the three men raped Julia. It was about 7 a.m., Julia recalled. She said that the men ordered them to take off their clothes. She tried to dissuade them by telling them, "Hindi ba ang Muslim mababait?" But the suspects were bent on executing their evil desire.The suspects did not rape Mariana because she had her period that day but they subjected her to oral sex, Julia said.She said that during the incident, a caretaker of the resthouse peeped through the window, prompting the suspects to order the two women to hide but warned them not to make any noise. Julia said that she wanted to scream to get the attention of the caretaker but was afraid to do so. "Iyung isa kasi may suot na singsing na pambugbog na may mga tusok," she told People's Journal.When one of the suspects, who did not look like a Kuwaiti national, went away, the two suspects dragged the two women back to the car. After a few minutes, the victims were taken to another place still in the middle of the desert. Julia then noticed that the suspects were placing several calls on their cellphone. She said the suspects were even laughing while talking on the phone.A few minutes later, two cars arrived with five men on board. They too raped Julia despite her repeated pleas for them to stop. "Nagkasayahan sila. Parang nawalan na ako ng malay. Sabi ko ayaw ko na pero pinalo nila ako. Akala ko, patay na ako," she told this reporter.After two hours, the suspects dumped them somewhere in the desert.
The victims were not able to get the plate number of the cars. "Wise sila eh," Julia said. They walked toward the highway and tried to hitchhike. "Pero walang pumara sa amin," Julia said.Then, a car stopped. The man asked them where they were going but they were too afraid to respond. But the man who introduced himself as a certain Baba Mausu, a Saudi national working in Kuwait, had told them not to be afraid and offered them help. The man called up the Faheel police to pick them up. The police arrived five minutes later and asked the victims to show the place where they were brought. However, the women could no longer remember the exact place.Upon learning of the victims' plight, Amb. Bayani Mangibin instructed one of his assistants to go to the police station in Faheel District to take custody of Julia and Mariana. He also directed his staff to track down the victims' employer to explain about his alleged maltreatment of and non-payment of salary to Julia and Mariana.Meanwhile, Mangibin also created a team that would handle the case of Julia and Mariano. "We were going to go back to the scene of the crime to get evidence against the suspects," Mangibin told People's Journal.

48 abused OFWs home

People's Journal, June 20, 2004
by Willy Balasa

Forty-eight distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returned home Friday penniless and hurting from the abuses they experienced in the hands of their employers.
The office of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Virgilio Angelo said the abused workers arrived from Kuwait Friday afternoon.
The OFWs included Estrella Pabiling, Corazon Reyes, Rosemari Carable, Zorayda Francisco, Rosalie David, Marie Laptu, Anabella Abina, Nida Teves, Irish Dalagit, Myrna Abaceno, Lorenza Bigornia, Marie Joy Cervante, Interia Misante, Sambrina Abeden, Mary Jane Aban, Maricel Lobera, Tarhata Samid, and Mariel Cargalle.
The workers were stranded at the Philippine Consulate in Kuwait after they ran away from their employers. The OFWs said they were maltreated, sexually and physically abused and forced to work long hours without sufficient food. Some were not even paid their salaries.
The migrant workers also complained that an official at the Philippine Consulate there added to their misery when he demanded money from them.
"Napakawalanghiya po ng opisyal na iyon at kahit na walang pambili ng tiket ang ilan sa amin ay pinipiga pa niya na mag-produce ng salapi para ipambigay sa kaniya. Kinawawa na nga kami ng Kuwaiti, pati pa rin ng inaakala naming kababayan na opisyal ng Philippine Consulate ay pagsasamantalahan pa rin kami," one of the workers said.

Not 1, but 4 Pinays gang-raped in Kuwait

Manila Standard, November 22, 2003
by Joyce Pangco Pañares

The Philippines is ascending a high-ranking foreign affairs official to Kuwait today to verify reports that not one, but four Filipinas were raped separately in that Middle Eastern country this month.Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis promised that the government will do everything to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted."These cases are detestable. We will bring these suspects to justice," he told reporters yesterday.It was earlier reported that a Filipina maid was gang-raped by nine Kuwaiti teenagers early this week. The Philippine embassy, however, confirmed yesterday that three other Filipinas suffered the same fate in Kuwait recently.On Nov. 14, a Filipina was allegedly raped by three Kuwaiti policemen. She is now under the custody of the Filipino Women's Resource Center, an attached agency of the embassy.Two other Filipina helpers were allegedly abducted and sexually abused by Kuwaiti men armed with knives.Seguis admitted that the latest victim could have a problem prosecuting her nine attackers, all of whom are minors."We are assessing our options. Under Shariah law, rape is punishable by beheading, but we have yet to see with this case which deals with minors," he said.For his part, Foreign Affairs Secretary Bias Ople gave assurance that the government will allow no whitewash in the four cases."Cases have already been filed in court against the perpetrators of these sexual crimes. The Philippine government is fully committed to the pursuit of justice on behalf of the victims of these heinous crimes," he said.Ople summoned Kuwaiti charge d'affaires Nayef Al-Otaibi last Wednesday to convey the Filipino people’s outrage over the incidents.

Pregnant Pinays in Kuwait prison

Sunday Tonight, January 5, 2003
by Conrado Ching

Several Filipina maids who have been jailed for running away from their employers - who reportedly raped them - are now languishing in Kuwait prison. Many of them are due to give birth soon.
Four Filipina workers returning from Kuwait told airport reporters upon their arrival yesterday that they had spent time in the same Kuwaiti prison for breach of employment contract after they escaped from their employers.
Sali Arban, Teresita San Juan, Janette Anapin and Mary Grace (last name withheld) said their pregnant compatriots had run away from their Arab employers after they were raped.
Some of the prisoners are now five to six months pregnant, while others are due to give birth, the returning workers told the reporters.
They cited the case of a certain Noraya, 25, the daughter of a colonel in the Philippine military. Noraya was reportedly sent to prison upon the complaint of her employer that she failed to complete the one-year term of her employment contract as a domestic helper.
"Malaki na ang kanyang tiyan. Nakakaawa naman siya at nasa deportation cell sa Kuwait. Hindi lang siya and buntis na nakita naming doon kundi marami pa sa ating kababayan," the four repatriated Filipino women subsequently reported to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
They also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to do something for the pregnant Filipinas. They said it id the employers who should be sent to jail instead of them, who had committed only minor offenses and were only forced to do so.
Noraya, they said, ran away from her employer after she was repeatedly raped by him. The Arab complained to the police and files trumped-up charges against her.
Her stay in prison is made difficult by her pregnancy, the balikbayan workers said. Noraya is not receiving any medical attention, the four lamented.

Raped, enslaved, jailed, unpaid- 28 Pinays tell horror stories

The Manila Standard, January 5, 2003

by Lolit Rivera-Acosta and Mariecar Jara-Puyod

At least 28 female overseas Filipino workers - four from Kuwait and 24 from Ivory Coast in West Africa - are complaining of white slavery, rape, torture and other abuses at the hands of their former employers.

Rape, torture in Kuwait
Four other OFWs who arrived from Kuwait also on Friday night revealed that they and many other OFWs were victims of rape, torture and other abuses.
Many OFWs remain imprisoned in Kuwaiti jails on trumped-up charges, the four added.
The OFWs, aged 24, 25, 34 and 40, were penniless, apparently shaken and bore signs of torture. They are all from Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat.
The 25-year-old, reportedly the daughter of a military officer in South Cotabato, is six months pregnant.
She accused her Arab employer of repeatedly raping her. When she became pregnant, her employer reported her to the Kuwaiti police for allegedly stealing his jewelry and money.
The OFW admitted that she and her companions had run away from home and tried their luck in Kuwait, where they were hired as domestic helpers but ended up becoming slave laborers, working more than 12 hours a day with little food and no salaries.
The other OFWs said they ran away from their employers to escape harsh treatment but were caught and kept in a deportation cell.
"There are many other OFWs there (at the cell). We urge authorities to investigate before it is too late," the 25-year-old said. "There are OFWs who became pregnant after they were raped behind bars by the Kuwaiti police."