Archive-refugee camp in Syria
The Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) has opened an investigation into allegations that some of its officers were involved in the trafficking of 44 women to work in Syria, AFP reported on Wednesday.
According to the Senate of the Philippines, the women travelled on tourist visas from the Philippines to Dubai, where they had been promised work.
While in Dubai, the women were “locked up inside a dark and dirty dormitory and made to sleep on the floor,” Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is spearheading the inquiry, was reported saying.
After their 30-day visas expired, AFP reported, the women were forced to go to Damascus, where they were sold to employers for as much as $10,000.