Phillippines - After losing homes, livelihoods and loved ones, thousands of survivors of Typhoon Haiyan – known locally as Yolanda – are now at risk of falling prey to illegal recruiters and traffickers.

The typhoon, which claimed over 6,000 lives, also displaced over four million people, many of whom were forced from the affected areas to the cities of Manila and Cebu.

In response to the growing concern about trafficking, Taskforce Yolanda, an anti-trafficking rapid response group, recently held its first workshop in order to develop expertise in helping those left vulnerable to exploitation.

The workshop, held in Ormoc City, brought together local law enforcers, including port authorities, and government and NGO practitioners from across the worst affected Eastern Visayas region.

It was organized by IOM, UNICEF and UNFPA in partnership with the Philippines' Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). 

The workshop gave participants hands-on training on how to identify and assist victims, how to establish help desk operations in seaports, and how to develop effective referral pathways.

Practical training was also provided in detecting and assisting a potential trafficking victim at the Ormoc seaport, which resulted in a coast guard-participant identifying an actual potential victim who was then given assistance and support.

Jan Chavez-Arceo, the Executive Officer of Special Projects at IACAT, said: “I am confident that we will be able to protect Haiyan survivors from further victimization. This training, involving multi-sectoral participants from across the region, is a central element of that. The wide dissemination of counter-trafficking key messages also sends a strong signal to traffickers about the serious consequences that they will face under the law if caught and convicted.”

Taskforce Yolanda was formed by IACAT and DSWD in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon in response to the knowledge that poor and homeless women, girls and boys are particularly at risk of labour or sex trafficking in an emergency situation.  Eastern Visayas, one of the poorest regions of the Philippines, was a trafficking hotspot even before the typhoon hit, with 28 cases recorded in the first half of 2013.

The workshop will be rolled out in other regions at the request of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and DSWD.  IOM is committed to protecting victims and survivors of Typhoon Haiyan through strengthening government bodies and developing mechanisms to prevent gender-based violence.

For more information, please contact

Romina Sta. Clara
IOM Manila
Tel: +639175456418
Email: rstaclara@iom.int