OFFBEAT MAIL

Human trafficking is a lucrative industry that is controlled by crime syndicates who are in cahoots with corrupt politicians and law enforcement authorities.  In fact, it is the world's fastest growing organized crime that has remained unsolved for many generations. As a result, this criminal act has destroyed the lives of millions of innocent victims, including children, who were either duped, forced or sold,  by reason of poverty, to work as prostitutes in brothels, child laborers or slaves in big farms. Statistics shows that at least 20.9 million people are trafficked each year.  Sexual abuses account 22 percent of this total. In America alone, an estimated 100,000 innocent girls, aged 12 to 14, have become victims of human trafficking. This illegal trade has generated about US$22 million in online sex transactions annually. This figure doesn't include the revenues that may have been generated  from street sex solicitation using these young girls. ...

Time and again, it is frustrating to hear that some unscrupulous people were reaping huge profits at the expense of innocent women, whose only intention was to land a job for them to improve their lives and that of their families. Instead, they ended up as prostitutes in some brothels in some parts of Asia, which is against their will. How do these unscrupulous people perpetrate their modus operandi? First, they pick a newspaper where they would advertise their phony vacancies abroad. When the applicants start pouring in, applicants would then be screened and then require them to submit some pertinent papers for the processing of their visas. After the selection process, each successful applicant is asked to cough up money as placement fees, and those who do not have cash are forced to pawn their properties or make some loans from friends and relatives just to come up with the agency's placement fees. The Philippines, along with the rest of Asian countries, has not been spared of ...

Time and again, it is frustrating to hear that some unscrupulous people were reaping huge profits at the expense of innocent women, whose only intention was to land a job for them to improve their lives and that of their families. Instead, they ended up as prostitutes in some brothels in some parts of Asia, which is against their will. How do these unscrupulous people perpetrate their modus operandi? First, they pick a newspaper where they would advertise their phony vacancies abroad. When the applicants start coming in, they would screen each and then required to submit some more papers for the processing of their visas. After the selection process, each successful applicant is asked to cough up money as placement fees, and those who do not have cash are forced to pawn their properties or make some loans from friends and relatives just to come up with the agency's placement fees. The Philippines, along with the rest of Asian countries, has not been spared of this problem. Most oft...