The Philippines has retained its Tier 1 ranking in the State Department’s 2018 Trafficking in Persons or TIP report after meeting “fully” the US minimum standards against trafficking.
From 2011 to 2015, Manila was in Tier 2 of the TIP report, meaning the government was making significant efforts to comply with America’s TIP protection act but did not fully meet America’s standards on the victims’ protection.
The country was upgraded to Tier 1 ranking, the highest of tier placements, in 2016 and has since retained the status for three consecutive years.
“The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period; therefore the Philippines remained on Tier 1,” the report says.
“The government demonstrated serious and sustained efforts by convicting and punishing more traffickers.”
The report, released on Thursday Washington time, says the government has “effectively” coordinated identification, referral, and provision of services to more victims and has increased efforts to help Filipino migrant workers that are victims of trafficking abroad.
Among others, the Philippines has also exerted efforts to reduce the backlog of trafficking cases in the courts.
But despite meeting the standards, Washington underscored Manila’s need to improve the availability and quality of protection for male victims.
“[The Philippines should] increase the availability of specialized shelter and mental health services for victims of trafficking, including child and male victims of online sexual exploitation; [and] increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict perpetrators of trafficking, particularly complicit officials, and labor traffickers.”
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, who was present during the report’s launching with State Secretary Mike Pompeo, said the report validated the country’s commitment against TIP.
“Being in Tier 1 for three consecutive years validates the effectiveness of the Philippines’ victim-centered and multi-agency approach to address human trafficking,” Romualdez said in a statement.
“It also speaks of the determination of the Philippine government to uphold and protect human rights. The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, remains committed to engaging and cooperating with US stakeholders in advancing the international anti-TIP agenda.”
The report, released annually by the State Department since 2001, is mandated by the US Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act or TVPA of 2000.
The four tier placements signifying the level of compliance with TVPA standards are Tier 1 or full compliance, Tier 2 or no full compliance but making significant efforts to comply with standards, Tier 2 Watchlist or no full compliance and absolute number of victims increasing, and Tier 3 or no full compliance and no significant efforts to comply.