Tears of Fear Then Joy in Iraq
/
Embassy officials and Iraqi authorities escort Jocelyn Capate, the human trafficking victim, to the Basra Airport after her release from a three month detention. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in Iraq)
Joyce's ordeal started in July of 2018 when she was promised a job in Dubai. Instead of arriving in UAE however, she ended up in Iraq using a Kurdistan visa. For three days, Joyce was transported by car from Erbil to Basra, because the visa she held was not valid for travel to the rest of Iraq. During that trip, she was transferred from one car to another at least five times in order to avoid inspection at various checkpoints that peppered their route. She got lucky. At least 21 other Filipinos experienced traveling the same route from July to December of 2018. Some were detained, two were allegedly kidnapped, several were molested during the journey.
Last October, Joyce managed to escape the maltreatment she was enduring from her employer in Basra and she traveled to Baghdad amidst the protests and violence that erupted in that city during that month. She stayed in the Embassy for a few months along with other Filipinos who were victims of human trafficking.
Jocelyn Capate boards a vehicle bound for Basra Airport. She was repatriated to the Philippines after her year-long ordeal. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in Iraq)
By December, we were sending home 22 victims of human trafficking, which was no easy feat; but you did not hear about this. We couldn't celebrate. Joyce was left behind even with her duly processed exit visa dated 10 December 2018. Her employer had filed a case against her a day before her flight. She was detained at the airport. She was so close to getting home. And she was devastated. We couldn't fully rejoice for the 21, because even if we are rough around the edges, "No one gets left behind" is not just lip service but a mantra we take to heart at the Embassy.
Because of the case filed by her former employer, Joyce had been in jail since 16 December 2018. In January 2019, the Philippine Embassy in Iraq had transmitted a strongly worded note verbale to the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating, among others, that the Baghdad Philippine Embassy aspires to regularize Filipino workers in Iraq as well as combat human trafficking but Capate’s prolonged detention made it difficult to advance these advocacies. The central government took notice and responded this month; thus Joyce was released.
I see Joyce enjoying a cigarette in the other car in our convoy that's running fast to the airport as I type this. She is finally free. And she is celebrating on her own. I roll down my window and light a stick to join the celebration. And damn, what a celebration!
Jocelyn Capate was allowed to transfer briefly to the Embassy car to have a few words with Vice Consul Jomar Sadie who coordinated the operation that secured her from her employer last October as well as the negotiations for her release this March. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in Iraq)
Again, to those who helped us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts; you have been very helpful to the Embassy and to Filipinos anywhere in Iraq. To those, who are eyeing jobs in Dubai with shady details, may this story serve as a warning to always be careful. If the offer is too good to be true, it is not true. And to those recruiters who are feeding off the blood and sweat of your kababayans, we sincerely wish that you live long, may you never be hungry, may you never be cold in bed or without a bed, and may you never be left alone; for the world is round, and life is long and you'll never know that twist of fate when it's your turn to be behind bars wanting and waiting for kind words. We are happy to be the first one to wish you well. See you there.
This piece was first posted on the Facebook page of the Philippine Embassy in Iraq.
Jomar Sadie
Jomar Sadie is a career diplomat and currently the Vice Consul and Third Secretary at the Philippine Embassy in Iraq. He is a member of Mensa Philippines, and a graduate of Economics from the University of the Philippines.
A Notice from the DFA
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warns the public of Filipino nationals who are operating a recruitment network in Pampanga, Pasay, Dubai and Erbil and are offering vacancies abroad for household service workers.
According to the official statements gathered by the Department from trafficking victims beginning July 2018 to March 2019, these recruiters will usually offer jobs in Dubai, Turkey or European cities promising applicants that their visas to these cities will be available during their transit in Iraq. This warning is issued after eight (8) more trafficking victims are secured by the Embassy last month and are now being deported to the Philippines.
Earlier this year a trafficking victim detained at Basra Prison was finally released for deportation but only after three months of detention for visa violations. She came to Iraq using a Kurdistan visit visa which was not valid for her stay in Basra from July 2018. The DFA warns the Filipino traveling public that Iraq imposes imprisonment and hefty penalties for persons without the proper visas or with expired visas. For all foreign nationals who enter Iraq from 28th November 2017, late visa activation penalty on the day after the 15 day grace period is at $82. For each subsequent day the visa remains inactive, the fine is an additional $8 per day capped at $4,350.
Filipinos who are residing, working, or vacationing in Iraq are advised to take note that their Kurdistan visas will not be valid in Baghdad, Basra or other provinces in Iraq outside of the Kurdistan provinces of Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah.
Filipinos who encounter job offers abroad especially vacancies for household service workers are reminded of the early warning signs of fraud namely:
1. Applicants are not provided copies of their visas to the intended destination.
2. Vague information regarding the nature and conditions of the work offered by the recruitment agency.
3. Applicant is not in control of their own identification documents such as IDs or passport.
4. Applicant is advised to claim to authorities that he or she is just a tourist visiting a particular city.
5. Agency has no permanent address.
6. Agents do not reveal their full names and contact details.
7. Applicants are advised of particular immigration lanes to choose during departure from the Philippines.
8. Applicants are advised that there is no Philippine Embassy in Iraq and applicants must coordinate with particular individuals in case of emergencies.
The public is reminded of POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 06 Series of 2018 which maintains the suspension on the processing and deployment of new hires to Iraq. As per said POEA GBR, returning workers are exempt from the deployment ban except household service workers