The Department of Foreign Affairs has warned the public unscrupulous individuals who are operating a recruitment network in Pampanga and Pasay City in the Philippines, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Erbil in Iraq who are offering vacancies abroad for household service workers.
The DFA issued the warning after eight more trafficking victims are secured by the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad last month.
According to the official statements gathered by the DFA from trafficking victims from July 2018 to March 2019, the recruiters will usually offer jobs in Dubai, Turkey or European cities, promising applicants that their visas to these cities will be available during their transit in Iraq.
Earlier this year, a trafficking victim detained at Basra Prison was finally released for deportation but only after three months of detention for visa violations. She came to Iraq using a Kurdistan visit visa which was not valid for her stay in Basra.
Filipinos who are residing, working, or vacationing in Iraq are advised to take note that their Kurdistan visas will not be valid in Baghdad, Basra or other provinces in Iraq outside of the Kurdistan provinces of Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah.
Filipinos who encounter job offers abroad especially vacancies for household service workers are reminded of the early warning signs of fraud namely: applicants are not provided copies of their visas to the intended destination; vague information regarding the nature and conditions of the work offered by the recruitment agency; applicants are not in control of their own identification documents such as IDs or passport, and are advised to claim to authorities that he or she is just a tourist visiting a particular city; the agency has no permanent address, and their agents do not reveal their full names and contact details; and applicants are told there is no Philippine Embassy in Iraq and they must coordinate with particular individuals in case of emergencies.