Human Trafficking in Asia

Dear friends,I would just like to share some information on the state of human trafficking in the region. Our social welfare attache in malaysia was brutally murdered last week. He is known among womens NGOs and migrant networks as an effective public servant who was instrumental in repatriating numerous Filipina victims of human trafficking. He was working on a several trafficking cases and was due to appear in court when he was killed. He even waived his diplomatic immunity since he was the only witness left against a big international trafficking syndicate. What is appalling is the impunity with which criminals simply do away with government employees who actually do their job and protect their fellow Filipinos, and the seeming apathy government officials regard their deaths.A STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF A FELLOW PUBLIC SERVANTWe, the Social Welfare Employees Association of the Philippines (SWEAP), representing member rank and file employees of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) nationwide, wish to express our deep shock, sorrow and condemnation over the violent killing of a fellow public servant, former DSWD Director Finardo G. Cabilao, social welfare attaché at the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur.We extend our sincerest and most heartfelt condolences and sympathy to his wife, and his family; Director Cabilao has shown what it really means to serve the Filipino people. We salute him as another public servant hero and inspiration particularly for the social welfare and development sector.Before he died, Director Cabilao has been receiving death threats as he struggled to protect our countrymen/women against sex trafficking. He even went to the extent of giving up his diplomatic immunity to testify in a Malaysian court just to do so. We believe he was murdered because of this.We therefore call on our government, particularly our DSWD Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral and former DSWD Secretary and now President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to take urgent and concrete steps to secure justice for Director Cabilao and his bereaved family.We also take this occasion to call for measures that would give greater security and protection to public servants here and abroad, particularly for social welfare and development workers who are exposed to various hazards and dangers because of the nature of their work.Together with fellow public servants and social welfare development workers, we cry:JUSTICE FOR CABILAO, JUSTICE FOR ALL PUBLIC SERVANTS!