Manila concerned about trafficking

Manila concerned about trafficking

MANILA (AP): The Philippine government has asked Malaysia and South Korea to help stop the trafficking of hundreds of Filipino women who become prostitutes in the two countries, according to reports obtained on Friday from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

One report said the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has documented a "gruesome scenario" of Filipino women "trafficked and subjected to sex slavery" in Malaysia.

Some of the women have escaped and sought assistance from fellow Filipinos, private groups and the Philippine Embassy, the report said, citing the recent case of 60 Filipino women who escaped from a massage parlor in Sandakan.

In South Korea, about 600 Filipino women have been recruited as entertainers, hostesses or receptionists in bars near U.S. military bases in Tongduchon, Songtan, Uijungbo, Pyongtaek, Osan, Ulsan and Kunsan, another report said.