Two Filipinos found guilty of human trafficking in HK

Two Filipinos found guilty of human trafficking in HK

Two Filipinos were found guilty by Hong Kong’s Wan Chai District Court of human trafficking in charges filed by their Filipino victims.

In a release posted on the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) website on Wednesday, the two Filipinos, a club owner and staff, are facing a maximum penalty of not more than three years.

Sentencing is scheduled on March 22.

In June last year, two victims were recruited by a relative in Macau to work as waitresses in the Chinese special administrative region, the release said.

However, upon arrival, they were told jobs were waiting for them in Hong Kong.

The victims traveled to Hong Kong, where they were subsequently forced to work as entertainers or prostitutes in a club in the Chinese territory’s Wan Chai district.

The victims were assisted by other Filipinos in the area who reported their plight to the Philippine Consulate General.

In a raid at the club by the Hong Kong Police Force, nine Filipinos were arrested, including the Filipino club owner and staff.

The two were jailed for human trafficking, while the seven others were ordered deported to the Philippines.

“The CFO will provide the necessary assistance, such as livelihood support and filing of charges against their relative in Macau, upon the arrival of the victims in the Philippines," the agency said.

The Filipino victims are in the custody of a Hong Kong-managed shelter house