A female police officer who intercepted a suspected case of trafficking of five young girls from Tacloban City attributes her alertness to her training on human trafficking provided by the United Nations Population Fund and its partners in the campaign against gender-based violence.

“I don’t think I would be that prepared in dealing with the situation if I didn’t have the training,” said the police officer who requested to keep her identity confidential due to her role in prosecuting the case. The training she received helped her better understand the process and management of trafficking cases, as well as other gender-based violence cases, she said.

The five girls, aged between 10 and 15, were onboard a bus leaving for Manila in Abucay bus terminal just before Holy Week when the police officer, with social welfare officer Carmela Bastes from the Tacloban City Social Welfare and Development Office, held them. The girls were traveling with four adults claiming to be members of a non-government organization helping survivors of typhoon Yolanda.

When asked by the police officer, the girls said they were going to Manila but could not give further information. The suspecting police officer and CSWD worker then invited the girls and their adult companions for further questioning at the police station.

The four adults, including a woman in a nun’s habit, reportedly arrived in Leyte on April 9 and conducted relief goods distribution in one barangay in the municipality of Marabut, where the girls live.

“They promised the girls free high school and college scholarships in Metro Manila, as well as job opportunities abroad after their education,” narrated Bastes.

Although the group showed signed consent from the parents of the girls allowing them to take the teens, the police officer said such consent is irrelevant because they are minors.

“There should have been coordination from the barangay level. A social worker in Marabut should have a referral and a case study before allowing anyone to transport children to another place. They didn’t have any of these documents,” Bastes said.

The suspects are currently detained at the Tacloban City Jail and are being investigated for human trafficking. The girls are now under the care and protection of the Tacloban Women’s Shelter.

Prevention of human trafficking is part of the humanitarian assistance under gender-based violence provided by UNFPA and its partners Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to areas affected by Yolanda. At least 38 female police officers in Yolanda-affected areas have so far been trained on prevention and management of gender-based violence, including human trafficking.