Filipinos’ pursuit of the American dream has been exploited by human traffickers to lure them to other countries like Russia and Turkey where they are left abandoned with their hopes quashed, according to the labour attaché at the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong.
“Traffickers use the US to lure the victims. They tell them that it’s easier to get a visa to the US if they work in Russia first,” said Jalilo Dela Torre, the Philippine Department of Labour and Employment’s top representative in the city, who serves some 190,000 Filipino domestic helpers.