120 distressed OFWs repatriated from Southeast Asia

Around 120 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), victims of human trafficking, have been repatriated to the Philippines from Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

Of the repatriated group, 77 individuals arrived from Laos, 38 from Myanmar, and five from Cambodia.

The group, comprising 61 women and 53 men, were lured by fraudulent online job offers in the cyber-scam industry and subjected to exploitative working conditions.

Among the Myanmar cases, there were reports of grave abuse, including a woman allegedly forced to undergo an abortion to keep her job and another raped by her Chinese supervisor.

Upcoming repatriations include two Filipinos from Baghdad and another 41 from Nigeria and Kurdistan, Iraq.

The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) is committed to identifying and apprehending traffickers and increasing public awareness campaigns.