Rappler's latest stories on human trafficking
Prince Andrew 'bewildered' after Maxwell arrest
Prince Andrew is claimed to be stonewalling a US investigation into alleged sex trafficking of minors by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell
Korean, girlfriend arrested for human trafficking in Zambales
Law enforcers are also looking at complaints that the couple may also have victimized over 200 people from Capiz
As surrogacy booms, fears Ukraine becoming 'online baby store'
In some cases parents discover they have no genetic link with children born to surrogates
Virus pandemic has led to rise in human trafficking – U.S.
'Traffickers did not shut down. They continue to harm people, finding ways to innovate and even capitalize on the chaos,' US ambassador-at-large on human trafficking John Richmond
Child sex offender gets life imprisonment for human trafficking
David Timothy Deakin is the first foreigner to be convicted for trafficking offenses through online proceedings, according to the International Justice Mission
U.N. warns of risks for trafficking victims due to pandemic
The UN warns traffickers 'may become more active and prey on people who are even more vulnerable than before because they have lost their source of income due to measures to control the virus'
Tip from Australian police lead to arrest of sex trafficker in Caloocan
(UPDATED) Police rescue 3 minors, all children of the suspect
U.K. police say 39 Vietnamese died from lack of oxygen, overheating
The victims were found dead in a refrigeration trailer on October 23 last year
Cebu court convicts 22-year-old Filipina for trafficking children
The defendant pleads guilty to 4 cases involving the trafficking of children for online sexual exploitation
Saving child sex workers
An estimated 60,000 children are currently trapped in sexual exploitation in the Philippines. From Manila, a group of foreign and local operatives are working to save them.
Online sex trafficker arrested in Antipolo
Police rescue 5 children from the scene during the operation
Vietnam 'strongly condemns' human trafficking after UK truck tragedy
Officials are now working to identify the victims after DNA samples were collected from families in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces in central Vietnam
Vietnam arrests 2 in UK truck death investigation
Vietnam says two people were arrested for alleged involvement in the case, which has exposed the dangers of illegal people-smuggling from Vietnam to Europe
5 suspected online sex traffickers arrested in Biliran
Aside from 5 teenage victims, police have also rescued a 10-month-old, an 11-month-old, and two 2-year-old children who were possibly exploited by the traffickers
Saved at the last minute: SC allows Mary Jane Veloso to testify in local case
(3rd UPDATE) The OFW's lawyers hope this can play a significant role in removing her from death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking charges
Duterte wants tougher sanctions for child traffickers
Amending the Expanded Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act is among the 'top legislative priorities' of President Duterte, says Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles
Philippines, UAE sign pact vs human trafficking
The agreement seeks to combat human trafficking and ensure the protection, rescue, and rehabilitation of victims
SC asked to rule as clock ticks on Mary Jane Veloso local trial
If the SC does not hand down a ruling before October 28, the prosecution would be forced to wrap up its case against Veloso's recruiters without presenting her as witness
Eritrean wins asylum in Italy after mistaken trafficking charges
Carpenter Medhanie Tesfamariam Berhe is arrested in Sudan in 2016 on suspicion of being at the heart of one of the world's largest migrant trafficking networks
2 U.S. Marines arrested for migrant trafficking
They are charged with having transported 3 undocumented migrants about 6 miles over the border
Lumad rescued from 'slavery' in Pangasinan back home
The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples will file human trafficking cases against the recruiters of the Lumad, and unfair labor practices against the 'abusive' employer
Operation Nemesis: Investigating the exploitation of Filipinas in Czech Republic
According to the investigation, once the Filipinas reached the Czech Republic, the conditions they were promised suddenly changed
Apps, social media fuel 'booming' online prostitution – study
The organization calls on authorities to 'mobilize social networks' and hold accountable websites which profit from online prostitution
Money for drugs, human trafficking coursed through PH banks – AMLC
The Anti-Money Laundering Council finds 161,650 suspicious transactions totaling P17.9 trillion from 2013 to 2017. The amount was used to fund crimes like illegal drugs, human trafficking, and terrorism.
Bangladesh rescues 23 Rohingya girls from traffickers
Police says human traffickers promise jobs in Malaysia for the 23 teenage Rohingya girls
Computer technician gets life term for online trafficking in Pampanga
Judge Katrina Nora Buan-Factora does not give merit to the defense of Christian Chaneco that he just did his job as a computer technician and acted upon the order of his clients
Indonesian police arrests 7 in 'record' human trafficking bust
The alleged traffickers are suspected to have sent some 500 victims to work as domestic helpers in Morocco, 220 to Turkey, 300 more to Syria and another 200 to Saudi Arabia between 2018 and this year
4 arrested for human trafficking in Cagayan de Oro
NBI Region 10 Director Patricio Bernales says 10 people – 7 of them minors – were rescued in an operation at a Cagayan de Oro hotel
In Italy, arrests aplenty but top people smugglers remain elusive
Although dozens of people smugglers have been jailed, most are like Cheikhaya Dieng, a Senegalese man forced to steer the rubber dinghy that brought him to Italy
Taiwan arrests 7 over Vietnam group disappearances
Prosecutors are investigating those arrested – including 3 Taiwan-based Vietnamese suspected of being the ring masterminds – for violating immigration, human trafficking and other laws
'Vast areas of impunity' for people trafficking – U.N. report
The report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says people traffickers are getting away with a range of crimes, from sexual exploitation to organ removal
Satur Ocampo, France Castro face kidnapping, human trafficking charges
(5th UPDATE) Police base the charges on the presence of 14 minors in the vehicles of the National Solidarity Mission, which had among its delegates former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo and ACT Teachers Representative France Castro
Spain set for verdict in first 'stolen babies' trial
Eduardo Vela, an 85-year-old former gynecologist who used to run a clinic, is the first to stand trial for alleged involvement in the baby trafficking
5 Filipinas escape alleged human trafficking operation in Sabah
The women are smuggled into Sabah and forced to work as waitresses, domestic workers or as bar girls. They eventually flee on a speedboat and are rescued by the police and Philippine Coast Guard near the border of Sandakan and Taganak.
PH meets U.S. standards vs human trafficking for 3rd consecutive year
The Philippines retains its Tier 1 status in the US State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report
STOLEN: Pretty Girls
They were groomed, abused, and sold online. Now the children tell their story.
Cagayan de Oro court convicts Australian pedophile Peter Scully
(UPDATED) Peter Gerard Scully is found guilty of human trafficking and rape for using children below 12 years old – including a one-year-old – in his cybersex operations
CA again blocks Mary Jane Veloso's testimony from jail in case vs recruiter
(UPDATED) The Court Of Appeals says the government must request Indonesia to allow the incarcerated Veloso to go to the Philippines and testify in courts here
Malaysia halts people-smuggling ship bound for Australia, New Zealand
(UPDATED) Authorities find 127 Sri Lankans aboard the ship, and arrest 16 people allegedly involved in an international human trafficking network
Backpage co-founders, executives indicted on prostitution charges
The website, known as the world's biggest website for prostitution, 'will no longer serve as a platform for human traffickers to thrive,' FBI Director Christopher Wray says
FBI shuts down sex classifieds giant Backpage
Critics accuse Backpage.com of being the biggest website for prostitution in the world
Hawaii NGO accuses Quiboloy foundation of fraud
In an email to Rappler, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy's lawyer responds by saying 'jealousy' can often lead groups to make 'disparaging comments about others'
SC on drug war documentation, FBI probe on Quiboloy church, Grindr on HIV data | Evening wRap
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Spain arrests 155 over Chinese human trafficking ring
The arrests, which included 4 alleged ringleaders detained in Barcelona, came after a 3-year investigation, police say in a statement
U.S. bill holds websites liable for online sex trade
But critics say the bill would undermine a basic underpinning of the internet, which enables websites to host information from third parties without liability
Injustice in Court of Appeals: Failing Mary Jane Veloso
Philippine legal procedure is horribly ill-equipped for 21st century transnational issues like human trafficking and modern slavery, the drug trade, terrorism, regional environmental degradation, money laundering, and the legal needs of the Filipino diaspora, all of which cross state borders
'Trafficked' OFW sues for forced labor and abuse in U.S.
The Velonzas allegedly confiscated Bergado's passport and forced her to work '14 hours a day and 7 days a week, for virtually no pay, for almost 3 years'
Veloso family unable to visit Mary Jane on 33rd birthday
The Veloso couple says they were not permitted by the Department of Foreign Affairs
Mary Jane Veloso's birthday wish: 'Hear my testimony in court'
January 10 marks trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso’s 33rd birthday - the 8th time she’s celebrating it behind bars
Philippines top global source of child pornography – Unicef
8 out of 10 Filipino children at risk of online sexual abuse or bullying
