Human Trafficking in the Philippines: How the Trafficked Became Perpetrators of Employment, Romance, and Financial Scams

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Growing concerns regarding the proliferation of scam call centers in the Philippines and reports of trafficked victims have led to successful raids by the Philippine National Police (“PNP”) in recent years. Notable examples include the detention of Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Malaysian, Pakistani, Cameroonian, Sudanese, Myanmar and Philippine nationalities during a raid on several buildings in Manila where alleged trafficking victims were coerced to perpetrate romance and investment scams. The 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report on the Philippines, produced by the U.S. State Department recommended the creation of a central database for information on illegal recruiters and human trafficking cases to facilitate interagency coordination in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting traffickers. The apprehension and prosecution of traffickers, as well as the rescue of trafficked individuals in the Philippines create a unique opportunity to conduct research on their lived experiences. This research aims to acquire a comprehensive picture of the trafficking operation through testing the application of criminological theories to the trifarious criminal enterprise (employment, romance, and financial scam) by creating an empirical quantitative and qualitative profile of perpetrators and victims through multiple sources and methods, including interviews, official documents (e.g., police reports and affidavits) submitted to government authorities, and court documents.

Authors

• Claire Nolasco Braaten, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

• Daniel Braaten, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

• Young Lee, Texas A&M University-San Antonio