Philippines: Legal system falls short on human trafficking

Like many Filipinos, 20-year-old Analyn dreamed of a brighter future for her family abroad, but instead of a well-paying job, she was forced to marry a man more than twice her age from South Korea to get an entry visa to that country. Yet Analyn, whose nightmare began in December 2007, was also luckier than most. Before joining her new "husband", she had to secure a clearance certificate from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), a legal requirement for all those wishing to work abroad, and took the opportunity to report her case. "It is always better if we can prevent them from leaving the country. But sometimes the victims don't know they are victims," Janet Ramos of the CFO Task Force Against Human Trafficking told IRIN in Manila. Such cases are not unusual in the Philippines, which remains a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking, say specialists. Although many Filipinos are voluntary labour migrants, many like Analyn are later coerced into exploitative conditions, including forced marriages.