by Janvic Mateo (The Philippine Star), May 19, 2019
MANILA, Philippines — A recruitment syndicate operating in Pasay and Pampanga is illegally trafficking Filipinos to Iraq, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
In an advisory yesterday, the DFA warned the public of illegal recruiters who offer household service jobs in Dubai, Turkey or other places in Europe, but would then abandon their victims in Iraq.
The agency said eight more trafficking victims were secured by the Philippine embassy in Bagdad last month and will soon be deported to the Philippines.
Citing official statements gathered from the trafficking victims, the DFA said the recruiters promised to have the visas to their supposed destination available while in transit in Iraq.
The victims, however, failed to receive their visas and were left to fend off for themselves in the conflict-torn country where a deployment ban is in place.
Earlier this year, a trafficking victim was released for deportation after three months of detention for visa violations.
She came to Iraq using a Kurdistan visit visa, which was not valid for her stay in Basra, which has its own visa rules.
The DFA reminded Filipinos who are residing, working or vacationing in Iraq to take note that their Kurdistan visas will not be valid in Baghdad, Basra or other provinces in Iraq outside of the Kurdistan provinces of Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah.
The agency also warned that Iraq imposes imprisonment and hefty penalties for persons without the proper visas or with expired visas.
It noted that early warning signs of fraud include failure of recruiter to provide applicants with visas to the intended destination; vague information regarding the nature and conditions of the work offered by the recruitment agency; and applicants having no control of their identification documents.
The DFA also warned against recruiters who advise applicants to claim that they are tourists or go to a specific immigration lane, as well as those who have no permanent address or did not reveal their full names and contact details.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
“Safety and health at work every day!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations against serious violations of Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government
(NUG) of Myanmar.
Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideos
Monthly Observances:
March – Women’s Role in History Month
April – Month of Planet Earth
Weekly Observances:
Last Week of March: Protection and Gender Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week
Last Week of April – World Immunization Week
Daily Observances:
Mar 25 – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transallantic Slave Trade
Mar 27– Earth Hour
Apr 21 – Civil Service Day
Apr 22 – World Earth Day
Apr 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work
