Embassy secures 13 Pinoy trafficking victims in Iraq

Department of Foreign Affairs. (Photo from the DFA Facebook account)

MANILA, Philippines — Thirteen Filipinos who are victims of human trafficking in Iraq are now under the custody of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

The DFA said a trafficking victim detained at Basra Prison in Iraq was released on April 3, 2019, while two others were secured by the embassy, the DFA said in a statement.

Ten other Filipino victims have also been secured by the Embassy since January 2019.

The DFA advised all Filipinos to be “cautious of persons, manpower agencies or recruitment agencies that carry out their operations using social media such as Facebook, Viber or WhatsApp, offering jobs in Dubai or in any other place.”

The embassy also warned Filipinos that they might face penalties if they would be caught entering Iraq without visas.

Filipinos who want to work abroad, it added, should consult with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on job offers that they would find online or social media. /atm