DMW hopes for strong ASEAN declaration for safe recruitment amid scam hubs

Résumé détaillé

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac expressed optimism that ASEAN leaders would adopt a proposed regional declaration aimed at strengthening fair, ethical, and safe recruitment practices.

Human trafficking remains one of Southeast Asia’s most pressing challenges, with criminal syndicates continuing to lure workers into illegal scam operations through deceptive overseas job offers, often leaving victims trapped in dangerous and abusive conditions.

Among the most widespread schemes are cryptocurrency investment and online romance scams, commonly known as “love scams,” where trafficked individuals is forced to defraud people online under threats, intimidation, and other forms of abuse.

The Philippines remains particularly vulnerable, with Filipino workers recruited into scam compounds in neighboring countries, including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.

Recently, former Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Director Winston Casio estimated that 900 to 1,500 Filipinos remain trapped in scam hubs in Myanmar alone, excluding possible victims in Cambodia and Laos.

However, the Philippines is not merely a source of trafficking victims. It have also become a destination for foreign nationals recruited into illegal scam operations.

In a recent operation in Pasay City on November 3, Philippine authorities rescued and profiled 166 foreign nationals, including 138 Indonesians, 16 Vietnamese, 10 Chinese, and two Malaysians, who were reportedly coerced into cyber-fraud activities.

These cases underscore the increasingly complex nature of human trafficking in Southeast Asia, where individuals of different nationalities can be exploited as victims of forced labor while criminal networks operate across borders.

Against this backdrop, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac expressed optimism that ASEAN leaders will adopt a proposed regional declaration aimed at strengthening fair, ethical, and safe recruitment practices.

In an interview with GMA News, Cacdac said the proposed ASEAN Declaration on Fair, Ethical, and Sustainable Recruitment for Empowered Migrant Workers has already passed several levels of review within ASEAN, including…

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