NEW DELHI: A recent alert from the Philippine immigration authority has highlighted an elaborate ruse to traffic Filipino women to China under the guise of marriage, raising alarms about connections to Chinese organized crime networks, say experts.
Filipino women have been intercepted while trying to leave the country with Chinese nationals posing as their spouses, according to immigration officials. The seemingly authentic marriage certificates, which cost a significant sum, indicate possible corruption and the involvement of organized crime, a South China Morning Report said.
In early March, the Bureau of Immigration intercepted a young Filipino woman and an older Chinese man at an attempt to fly together to Shenzhen. “This is obviously another case of the mail-order bride scheme that has resurfaced recently,” stated bureau Commissioner Norman Tansingco.
The duo presented a legitimate marriage certificate from the Philippines; however, discrepancies in their accounts raised suspicions among the officers. The woman confessed to paying a hefty sum for the document’s procurement, a figure well beyond the average monthly income in the Philippines.
In another February incident, a similar scenario unfolded, leading to the barring of a Filipino woman from departing with a Chinese man alleging to be her spouse. Their marriage certificate appeared valid but an examination of the man’s travel history revealed inconsistencies.
The bureau, having intercepted four such pairs this year, expressed concern over their ability to obtain real documents. Investigations have initiated by the immigration bureau’s anti-fraud section into how these certificates were issued, urging further inquiry by the Department of Justice and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, the SCMP report said.
Nathalie Africa-Verceles from the University of the Philippines highlighted that the legitimate nature of the marriage documents implies organized crime involvement. She pointed out the potential underreporting of the number of women trapped in such schemes.
Limited resources and specialized training challenge law enforcement’s capacity to detect nuanced trafficking cases, including those disguised as marriages, noted Ross Tugade, a human rights lawyer.
The Philippines has enacted laws like the Anti Mail-Order Bride Law and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act to combat such human trafficking. However, the effective implementation of these laws remains crucial, the SCMP report added.
Economic needs and low awareness among women about these laws pose additional challenges, according to Africa-Verceles, who emphasized that the most at-risk group includes young women with low incomes and educational levels, especially those internally displaced.
Jean Enriquez, an anti-trafficking campaigner, linked the trafficking scheme to a rise in Chinese investments in Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO), which have been associated with a range of crimes. She stressed the historical pattern of Filipino women being trafficked to China, exacerbated by China’s one-child policy and the patriarchal demand for wives from Southeast Asian countries.
Enriquez urged for the accountability of buyers in the trafficking chain and highlighted the need for sustainable local employment and support for vulnerable communities in the Philippines, alongside China addressing its demand side to curb trafficking effectively.
Filipino women have been intercepted while trying to leave the country with Chinese nationals posing as their spouses, according to immigration officials. The seemingly authentic marriage certificates, which cost a significant sum, indicate possible corruption and the involvement of organized crime, a South China Morning Report said.
In early March, the Bureau of Immigration intercepted a young Filipino woman and an older Chinese man at an attempt to fly together to Shenzhen. “This is obviously another case of the mail-order bride scheme that has resurfaced recently,” stated bureau Commissioner Norman Tansingco.
The duo presented a legitimate marriage certificate from the Philippines; however, discrepancies in their accounts raised suspicions among the officers. The woman confessed to paying a hefty sum for the document’s procurement, a figure well beyond the average monthly income in the Philippines.
In another February incident, a similar scenario unfolded, leading to the barring of a Filipino woman from departing with a Chinese man alleging to be her spouse. Their marriage certificate appeared valid but an examination of the man’s travel history revealed inconsistencies.
The bureau, having intercepted four such pairs this year, expressed concern over their ability to obtain real documents. Investigations have initiated by the immigration bureau’s anti-fraud section into how these certificates were issued, urging further inquiry by the Department of Justice and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, the SCMP report said.
Nathalie Africa-Verceles from the University of the Philippines highlighted that the legitimate nature of the marriage documents implies organized crime involvement. She pointed out the potential underreporting of the number of women trapped in such schemes.
Limited resources and specialized training challenge law enforcement’s capacity to detect nuanced trafficking cases, including those disguised as marriages, noted Ross Tugade, a human rights lawyer.
The Philippines has enacted laws like the Anti Mail-Order Bride Law and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act to combat such human trafficking. However, the effective implementation of these laws remains crucial, the SCMP report added.
Economic needs and low awareness among women about these laws pose additional challenges, according to Africa-Verceles, who emphasized that the most at-risk group includes young women with low incomes and educational levels, especially those internally displaced.
Jean Enriquez, an anti-trafficking campaigner, linked the trafficking scheme to a rise in Chinese investments in Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO), which have been associated with a range of crimes. She stressed the historical pattern of Filipino women being trafficked to China, exacerbated by China’s one-child policy and the patriarchal demand for wives from Southeast Asian countries.
Enriquez urged for the accountability of buyers in the trafficking chain and highlighted the need for sustainable local employment and support for vulnerable communities in the Philippines, alongside China addressing its demand side to curb trafficking effectively.
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