MANILA: The Philippines has retained its Tier 1 status in the United States’ annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for the ninth year, which deems that the country’s anti-TIP efforts are up to the US standards.
The initial report was released by the State Department on June 24, listing the Philippines among 33 governments with Tier 1 ranking, the highest in the report’s three-tier placement, and indicates that local authorities are making efforts to address human trafficking.
To maintain a Tier 1 status, governments need to demonstrate progress each year in combating trafficking.
They must also meet the minimum standards in eliminating TIP based on the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).
The State Department’s report excludes the country narratives, including recommendations for specific states.
Filipino TIP hero
Meanwhile, the State Department named Samson Inocencio Jr., vice president of the International Justice Mission Philippines (IJM) Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Ch
ildren, as one of this year’s TIP Report Heroes.
Inocencio has spent more than 20 years combating trafficking in persons through his work with IJM Philippines and has contributed to 147 convictions for commercial sexual exploitation and 220 for online sexual exploitation crimes (OSEC) since 2005.
After becoming National Director of IJM in 2016, he assisted in the removal of 544 children from situations of commercial sexual exploitation and 1,237 children who were at risk of OSEC.
The State Department said Inocencio’s collaboration in 2016 was also instrumental in the Philippines’ development of a ‘roadmap to Tier 1’ in the TIP Report.
‘The Philippines has been ranked Tier 1 for eight years due to the merits of its efforts. Sam’s leadership and dedicated service have strengthened the government and civil society’s response to trafficking and protected thousands, especially children, from exploitation,’ the State Department said.
Source: Philippines News Agency