Probe sex trade of Filipino women in Ivory Coast - Gordon

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today sought an immediate Senate investigation into reports that some Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were forced to work as prostitutes in the Ivory Coast in West Africa .

Gordon made the call after the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) which he heads learned about the illegal operations of Filipino-owned restaurants in the Ivory Coast where three of the victims escaped from the sex den.

"We have heard about these incidents several times where our poor OFWs whom we called our modern heroes are assured of decent and moral-paying jobs abroad only to find out they will be forced to join illegal activities," he said.

"It is important that we look into these serious cases that our fellow Filipinos overseas face. The Senate should take a look into this matter and see what we can do to help stop illegal recruiters from their devious schemes," he added.

The three Filipina workers who managed to escape from their employers arrived in the country last April 20 with the help of the Philippine embassy and PNRC officials in Ivory Coast.

They also claimed that there are other Filipino women who were forced to work as prostitutes have been wanting to return to the country but were afraid to escape for fear of their own security.

One of the victims told Sen. Gordon that she was recruited by a certain "Arnold" to work as a cashier in a restaurant with a monthly pay of P150,000. She and her two companions left the country first week of April with assistance from immigration personnel at the NAIA using tourist visas.

However, upon their arrival in the Ivory Coast, they were taken to a restaurant used as a front for prostitution, their passports were confiscated and they were not given food for refusing to be prostitutes.

"The NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) should conduct a probe on the matter and arrest the illegal recruiter. Charges must also be filed against the people behind these illegal activities, including the immigration officers," Gordon said.

He also called on the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking to beef its efforts not only to monitor but also, most importantly, to run after and file charges against those who violate Republic Act 9208, also known as Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

Last Jan. 6, Gordon also helped bring home four Filipina-Muslim workers who were promised a job at Bahrain but were stranded in Bangkok, Thailand because the plane tickets given by their recruiter were not paid.

On Jan. 15, he extended help to Filipino seafarers who were detained in Nigeria for allegedly conducting illegal oil transport operations on the behest of their Greek ship owner.

"It is really disheartening, and even very, very frustrating, to hear that our fellow Filipinos suffer in foreign lands in order to provide for the needs of their families here," Gordon said.

"The government must seriously address this problem. We should be able to provide employment for our citizens so that they would find their future here in our native Filipinas and not in foreign shores," he added.