LIVE: Senate probe into sex trafficking linked to POGO industry
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 1:39 p.m.) — The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality will hold a hearing on Tuesday morning into prostitution rings that cater to Philippine Offshore Gambling Operator workers.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, panel chair, called for the hearing through Senate Resolution No. 131 to "probe into the existence of prostitution rings in the country and to examine the circumstances that push women from vulnerable sectors of society to work under exploitative conditions."
Congressional hearings are done in aid of legislation.
Hontiveros, in her resolution, noted recent raids on condominium units that have led to the rescue of trafficked women, most of whom were foreigners.
"[F]oreigners, particularly Chinese men working in nearby Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators, were the main clientele of the prostitution ring. The transactions
with the prostitution ring also took place in a Chinese social media app," she said, adding the trafficked women were "mostly Vietnamese, Chinese, and Malaysian."
Watch the hearing LIVE starting 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 28, 2020.
First part of hearing here:
- Latest
- Trending
