10 trafficked Filipinas rescued in Iraqi Kurdistan

Police Capt. Flamina Wahid Fakhri of the Directorate for Combating Violence Against Women shows Director General Sami Jalan Hussein of the Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq the passport of one of 10 Filipina trafficking victims who were rescued recently from an establishment operated by a Lebanese national in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous northern region.  CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

ERBIL, Kurdistan—Ten Filipina trafficking victims are now en route to Manila after they were rescued a few days ago by officials from the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad and authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

According to statements given to the Philippine Embassy and Kurdish authorities, the 10 worked 12 hours seven days a week with only three hours off once a week.

They were paid only $300 monthly of the $500 that was promised them and get deductions ranging from $100 to $500 for infractions such as smoking, taking naps or even failing to clean the toilet properly.

The women were also subjected to virtual debt bondage. “For the small amount they were making, there was no way these women would have been able to raise the $10,000 their employer wanted them to pay if they return to the Philippines before the end of their two-year employment contract,” the Embassy said.

In a statement, the Embassy thanked the Kurdistan Regional Government for the successful rescue of the 10 Filipinas, the arrest of their employer and the closure of his establishment.

Philippine Chargé d’Affaires Elmer Cato and Vice Consul Andrei Bauzon of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad discuss with Barbara Rijks and Jacopo Carbonari of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Erbil the trafficking case involving 10 Filipino nationals who were rescued by authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan autonomous region. The IOM helped repatriate the 10 victims to Manila

“Our 10 kababayans are now on their way home because of the strong support and cooperation extended to us by the Kurdistan Regional Government of the Republic of Iraq,” Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Elmer G. Cato said.

At the same time, the Embassy thanked the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the crucial role it played in the repatriation of the victims who were subjected to exploitative and abusive conditions at a spa in Erbil owned by a Lebanese national.

The Embassy said it had been monitoring the establishment as early as June this year when two Filipinas ran away and reported the exploitation and abuse they suffered from their employer.

The two were eventually repatriated after the Embassy sought the assistance of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

In the latest case, the Embassy approached the Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government which immediately brought the 10 Filipinas to a shelter, closed the establishment, arrested the employer and filed a case against him in court.

“We want to send a strong signal to everyone that here in Kurdistan, we follow the law and will not tolerate the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers,” said Dr. Sami Jalal Hussein, director general of the Ministry of Interior, who was personally directed by Interior Minister Karim Sinjari to resolve the case.

Cato said Hussein and his team from the Directorate for Combatting Violence Against Women played a crucial role in the swift resolution of the case. “They showed great concern for our nationals and we are very grateful for their help,” he  said.

“We very much appreciate the assistance that IOM extended to our kababayans,” Cato said. “The IOM was instrumental in ensuring that the 10 trafficking victims would be repatriated smoothly to the Philippines.”

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