1343 Actionline Against Human Trafficking

A. Background                                                                                                 

In the US State Department's Trafficking Report of 2010, the Philippines was classified as a Tier 2 Watch list country in terms of efforts to combat human trafficking. The country is identified as a source, and to a much lesser extent, a destination and transit country for men, women who are subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution and forced labor.

Among the recommendations made were to, among others, (1) demonstrate greater progress on efficiently investigating, prosecuting and convicting both labor and sex trafficking offenders, (2) increase efforts to vigorously investigate and prosecute government officials complicit in trafficking, (3) devote increased resources to victim and witness protection; and to (4) continue disseminating information on the 2003 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act throughout the country.

In response to said recommendations, the CFO is establishing a 24/7 Action Hotline having been appointed as chair of the Advocacy and Communications Committee of the Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking (IACAT). Based on CFO's past experience in handling trafficking cases, victims are not adamant in pursuing cases not just for fear of retaliation by traffickers, but more often because of lack of access to government and non-government operated protection services. The goal of the 24/7 action hotline is to address the gap in services of the different government agencies and non-government organizations in assisting victims of human trafficking.

B. Objectives

The 1343 Actionline will be established to:

1. Receive and respond to requests for assistance, inquiries and referrals from victims including their families and the public on matters related to cases of human trafficking regardless if the crime was committed locally or internationally; and

2. Systematize the referral of cases to appropriate government agencies or non-government organizations as immediately as possible.

The hotline service will enable the IACAT and the CFO in particular to:

• Monitor the actions taken on cases referred to government agencies or NGOs;

• Ensure that victims' and witnesses' rights are properly protected by avoiding repetitive investigations by different agencies/offices;

• Increase trust among the public by encouraging vigilance in reporting cases of human trafficking;

• Develop an expansive network of public and private institutions in the Philippines that can provide assistance to victims of human trafficking including related concerns of migrant Filipinos;

• Enhance the country's module on human trafficking including the formulation of training materials and manuals to improve the capacities and competencies of law enforcement agencies and front-line service providers;

• Advise the President and the Congress on possible legislations that will improve the government's preventive mechanisms and responses to trafficking incidents and trafficked victims; and

• Improve information dissemination on the 2003 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act throughout the country.

C. Stakeholders / Partners

To effectively implement the 1343 Actionline service, the various members of the Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking shall develop, or otherwise improve, its respective mechanisms to receive and respond to trafficking cases that will be referred to their agency/office.

Stakeholders and partners for the 1343 Actionline shall include, but will not be limited to the following:

• Bureau of Immigration

• Commission on Filipinos Overseas

• Commission on Higher Education

• Commission on Human Rights

• Department of Education

• Department of Foreign Affairs

• Department of Health

• Department of Interior and Local Government

• Department of Justice

• Department of Labor and Employment

• Department of Social Welfare and Development

• Department of Tourism

• Department of Transportation and Communication

• Department of Trade and Industry

• National Bureau of Investigation

• Overseas Workers Welfare Administration

• Philippine Information Agency

• Philippine Overseas Employment Administration

• Philippine Center for Transnational Crime

• Philippine National Police

• Philippine Commission on Women

• Council for Welfare of Children

• Local government units

Per CFO's records, the various government agencies cited above provide different kinds of assistance and intervention for trafficking victims and witnesses. They are as follows:

Source: Primer on RA9208 by CFO (*list is currently being updated)

Apart from the IACAT members, the CFO shall partner with the Dynamic Outsource Solutions Inc. (DOS1), a business process outsourcing company established by Mr. Alberto D. Lina in 2003. DOS 1 is an ISO 900:2001 certified company that has agreed to provide resources in establishing, operating and monitoring a hotline for the objectives of the IACAT.

D. Requirements

• Dedicated hotline

A dedicated number shall be purchased by the Committee that can be accessed by the public whether they are in the Philippines or abroad. A toll-free number may eventually be included in the services offered after its necessity has been established based on the number of calls received from abroad. The proposed number for the 24/7 hotline is 1343.

• Database

For purposes of the 1343 Actionline, the CFO will develop a uniform database to be used by DOS1 and all stakeholders where cases shall be referred for action. The system shall contain the information provided by the caller and shall be capable of being integrated in existing databases of the CFO such as the Case Monitoring System (CMS) and the Philippine Information System on Trafficking (PHILIST).

The 1343 Actionline will contain the following minimum fields:

1. name of caller

2. exact location of caller

3. contact number of caller

4. data on specific assistance requested

Stakeholders shall be provided with individual e-mails where data collected from the database will be sent for gathering.

• Computer with internet connection

Each referral agency shall be asked to designate a computer unit within their action centers where the database for the 1343 Actionline shall be installed.

• Team of Case Officers

An integral requirement for the success of the 1343 Actionline is the backroom support from the stakeholders. As such, all stakeholders will be required to designate a team of case officers through whom follow-ups will be made by the CFO, on behalf of the callers.

• Training of Case officers

Case officers assigned to respond to the cases referred by the 1343 Actionline shall undergo technical training in managing the database system, protocol in handling trafficking cases, paralegal and counseling.

• Memorandum Order/Circular from Chair of IACAT

It is recommended that the head of IACAT issue a directive to its member agencies and institutions to extend the support necessary and allocate resources for the operations of the 1343 Actionline, including the submission of the module for use of the identified call center provider on the specific services of the different stakeholders.

• Marketing Campaign

The Advocacy and Communications Committee shall develop a comprehensive marketing campaign to promote the 1343 Actionline and bring to the public's consciousness the relevance of said service. The campaign shall include all forms of media under an approved communications plan.

E. Process Flow (see attached diagram)

Step 1: Caller accesses 1343 action hotline

Step 2: Receipt and Recording. DOS1 receives the call and requests the following information from caller to be inputted in the prescribed database:

a. name (full name if possible)

b. exact location

c. contact number (for verification of information)

d. assistance requested

Step 3: DOS1 shall initially identify the type of call received, which may be classified as follows:

3.1 crisis calls: cases involving rescue, provision of shelter, and counseling

3.2 intel calls: cases that intend to provide verifiable information/tips on trafficking activities, suspected victims and suspected traffickers and referrals on other possible assistance for trafficking victims that may not yet be identified by the IACAT or its partners

3.3 general inquiries: cases that ask for assistance in:

3.3.1 verification of activities that are suspected to be related to trafficking activities (ex. recruitment agencies, job offers, immigration consultancies, travel documents, visa and passport, etc.);

3.3.2 case monitoring/ follow-up of trafficking case referred to IACAT or in the local courts;

3.3.3 process inquiries (ex. filing of case, directory of available services, directory of IACAT, witness protection, etc.);

3.3.4 reintegration program for trafficking victims; and

3.3.5 education materials and capacity-building of institutions including local government units and law enforcers

3.4 others: cases that may be received but are not related to human trafficking such as, but not limited to:

3.4.1 illegal recruitment

3.4.2 mail-order bride/groom scheme

3.4.3 domestic violence

3.4.4 government processes (POEA, OWWA, DFA, CFO, TESDA, etc.)

3.4.5 PESO services

3.4.6 Other Assistance-to-Nationals cases

3.4.7 Travel documents

Step 4: Calls that are classified as crisis calls will be immediately referred after the transaction/call by DOS1 to the following agencies/institutions for action:

4.1 Philippine National Police

4.2 National Bureau of Investigation

4.3 Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force)

4.4. Department of Social Welfare and Development (Clark Airport)

4.5 BATIS Forum

4.6 Visayan Forum Foundation

4.7 Philippine Embassies and Consulates

Calls that fall under the other three (3) categories shall be recorded in the database. Depending on the nature of information provided or assistance required, said cases shall be referred by DOS1 to the following for action:

Intel Calls

• Commission on Filipinos Overseas
• Bureau of Immigration
• National Bureau of Investigation
• Philippine Embassies and Consulates
• Philippine National Police – PCTC
• Philippine National Police – WACO
• Philippine National Police – CIDG

General Inquiries

• Commission on Filipinos Overseas
• Bureau of Immigration
• National Bureau of Investigation
• Philippine Embassies and Consulates
• Philippine National Police
• Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
• Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
• DOLE-National Reintegration Center Office
• Department of Social Welfare and Development
• Department of Foreign Affairs
• Department of Justice
• DOJ-Public Assistance Office
• BATIS Forum
• Visayan Forum Foundation
• Blas Ople Policy Center

Others

• Various government agencies concerned
• Non-Government agencies concerned

Step 5: Verification and Action. The government agency or institution to which the case was referred will retrieve the information sent by the 24/7 hotline on a regular basis. It shall review the information gathered from the referral and utilize all means to verify the details of the case. A turn-around time of 24 hours shall be observed for crisis calls and requests for general information and at least 48 hours for cases that require specialized intervention (i.e., repatriation, reintegration, assistance, verification, etc.)

Step 6: Monitoring and Databanking. The CFO shall help monitor the case and provide feedback to the caller. The CFO shall develop individual case profiles and input the same in its Case Monitoring System (if not a trafficking case) and the PHILIST System (if a verified trafficking case). Regular case conferences between the various government agencies shall be held to monitor the agencies' response to the cases.

PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM FOR 24/7 ACTION HOTLINE

 Link to 1343 Actionline Against Human Trafficking website: http://1343actionline.ph/