Human Trafficking in [Palau Street Children in [Palau] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Palau] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the first
ten years of the 21st Century
- 2000 to 2009
Palau is a transit and destination
country for a small number of women trafficked from the Philippines and the People’s
Republic of China (PRC) for purpose of commercial exploitation, and for a
small number of men from the Philippines, the PRC and Bangladesh for the
purpose of forced labor. Some employers recruit foreign men and women to work
in Palau through fraudulent representation of contract terms and conditions
of employment. These foreign workers willingly migrate to Palau for jobs in
domestic service, agriculture, or construction, but are subsequently coerced
to work in situations significantly different than what their contracts
stipulated – excessive hours without pay, confiscation of their travel
documents, and the withholding of salary payments as a means of controlling
their movement; these conditions may be indicative of involuntary servitude.
Some workers are also threatened by their employers, and some women expecting
to work as waitresses or clerks, are forced into commercial sexual
exploitation in karaoke bars and massage parlors. Since the late 1990s, the
Philippines government banned its nationals from migrating to Palau to serve
as domestic workers. - U.S. State
Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following
links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in
Palau. Some of these links may lead to
websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false. No attempt has been made to verify their
authenticity or to validate their content. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 WOMEN - Prostitution is illegal, but it was
a problem. There were reports of women being trafficked to the country from
the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, and the Philippines to work in
karaoke bars as hostesses and prostitutes (see section 5, Trafficking). There
was one conviction for trafficking for prostitution during the year. TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The
Divisions of Immigration and Labor and the Office of the Attorney General are
involved in combating trafficking; however, the government lacked the
resources and expertise to address the problem in practice. There was no
formalized assistance available for victims, and victims normally were
detained, jailed, or deported if they committed a crime such as prostitution.
No nongovernmental organizations specifically addressed trafficking. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001 [54] The Committee expresses concern at the absence of
adequate labour laws to protect children from
economic exploitation. In the light of the increasing number of school
drop-outs, the lack of a minimum age for employment and the increasing number
of children living and/or working on the streets, the Committee is concerned
about the lack of information and adequate data on the situation of child labour and economic exploitation in the State party. [58] The Committee expresses its concern about the
inadequate legal protection of children, particularly boys, against
commercial sexual exploitation, including prostitution and pornography.
Concern is also expressed at the insufficient programmes
for the physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of child
victims of such abuse and exploitation. Man convicted of human trafficking ‘luckiest person in the
world’ www.mvariety.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=4921&format=html At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
Ting Feng
Chiang “is the luckiest person in the world” for getting out of jail despite
his 20-year sentence for human trafficking and advancing prostitution,
according to his former attorney, Johnson Toribiong. On Dec. 28, Associate Justice Lourdes Materne ruled in favor of Chiang who filed a petition for
habeas corpus. Chiang has argued that Toribiong failed to provide him effective representation
and that he was deprived of his right to have an interpreter during the trial. The
Protection Project - Palau [DOC] FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE
TRAFFICKING INFRASTRUCTURE - One of the major factors that contribute to trafficking into Palau
is the country’s no-visa policy for foreign visitors. This policy attracts
recruiters, who commonly use it to lure victims to Palau. FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - There are reports that migrants
from the Philippines may be trafficked to Palau for the purpose of forced
labor. After being recruited at home, these typically unskilled Filipino
workers usually arrive to Palau as tourists and end up being exploited and
abused. The practice continues despite a ban on employment of Filipinos in
Palau that was issued by the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration.
According to the victims, the average “recruitment” fee amounts to US$1,500, which is deducted from the worker’s monthly salary of approximately
US$200. An average victim repays the fee in 10 months and is required
to set aside the salary of the final 2 months of a typical 1-year contract
for the purchase of a return ticket. Consequently, the victims are rarely
able to bring any money back to the Philippines. Child labor is not considered to be an
issue in Palau, and no evidence exists that children are forced to work under
unsafe or unhealthy conditions. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
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Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin,
"Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - |
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Human Trafficking in [Palau Street Children in [Palau] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Palau] [other countries]