A N TI-TR A FFIC K IN G IN

P ER S O N S A C T
 TheExpanded Anti-Trafficking in
Persons Act of 2012, or Republic Act
10364is an act that institutes policies to
eliminate trafficking in persons especially
women and children. Also, it establishes
the necessary mechanisms to protect and
support trafficked persons, and provides
penalties thereof.
R.A. 10364 is said to be an expanded and
strengthened version of the Anti-Trafficking
in Persons Act of 2003 (R.A 9208) and the
new law now covers attempted trafficking,
as well as accomplice and accessory
liabilities.
In the new law, the following acts are
now
considered human trafficking:

recruitment of domestic/overseas
employment for sexual exploitation;
forced labor or involuntary debt bondage;
recruitment of Filipino woman to marry a
foreigner;
recruitment for sex tourism;
recruitment for organ removal; and
recruitment of a child to engage in armed
activities abroad;
TH R EE C ATEG O R IES O F
TR A FFIC K IN G IN P ER SO N S
A cts of Traf c
i
fking in
P ersons
Recruiting, obtaining, hiring, providing, offering,
transporting, transferring, maintaining, harbouring,
or receiving a person by any means, including those
done under the pretext of domestic or overseas
employment or training or apprenticeship, for the
purpose of prostitution, pornography, or sexual
exploitation;

Recruiting any Filipino woman to marry a foreign

national for the purpose of acquiring, buying,
offering, selling him/her to engage in prostitution,
pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor,
slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;
 Undertaking or organizing tours and travel
plans for the purpose of sex tourism;

Maintaining or hiring a person for

prostitution or pornography;

Exploiting children in terms of:

Recruiting children for use in armed conflict;
Child prostitution/pornography;
Using, procuring or offering of a child for the
production and trafficking of drugs; and
Using, procuring or offering of a child for illegal
works or activities.
A cts that P rom ote
Traf ci
fking
Leasing/sub-leasing, using or allowing any
house, building, or establishment for the
purpose of trafficking in persons;
producing, print and issuing unissued,
tampered or fake counselling certificates,
registration stickers and certificates of any
government agency which issue such
certificates, for the purpose of trafficking;
advertising, publishing, printing or
broadcasting by any means, including the use
of information technology, any propaganda
that promotes trafficking in persons;
 facilitating, assisting or helping in the exit and
entry of persons from/to the country at
international and local airports who have
fraudulent travel documents for the purposes of
promoting trafficking in persons;
confiscating, concealing or destroying the
passport, travel documents of trafficked persons
in furtherance of trafficking to prevent them from
leaving the country;
benefiting from, financial or otherwise, the labor
services of a person held to a condition of
involuntary servitude, forced labor or slavery;
and
Utilizing his or her office to impede the
investigation, prosecution or execution of lawful
orders in a case under this Act.
Q ualif e
id Traf c
i
fking
The following are an act of qualified trafficking:

When the trafficked person is a child;

When the adoption is for the purpose of
prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation
and the like;
When the crime is committed by a syndicate;
When the offender is a spouse, an ascendant,
parent, sibling, guardian or a person who
exercises authority over the trafficked person;
When the offender is a member of the military
or law enforcement agency; and
 When by reason or occasion of the
act, the offended party dies,
becomes insane, or been afflicted by
HIV-AIDS
When the offender commits one or
more violations of Section 4 over a
period of sixty or more days,
continuous or not; and
When the offender directs or through
another manages the trafficking
victim in carrying out exploitative
purpose of trafficking.
W hat is attem pted
traf c
i
fking?

Under R.A. 10364,attempted

trafficking is any act to initiate
the commission of a trafficking
offense but the offender failed
to or did not execute all the
elements of the crime due to
accident or by reason of some
cause other than voluntary
desistance.
If the victim is a child, an act be considered
attempted trafficking if a person

facilitates the travel of a child without

clearance from DSWD or parental/legal
consent;
executing affidavit of consent for adoption;
Recruiting a woman to bear a child;
simulating a birth; or soliciting a child and
requiring custody through any means from
hospital, health centers and the like, all for
the purpose of selling the child.
W hat in an accom plice
liability?
One of the new provisions inserted in
this Act provides for the liabilities of
an accomplice in trafficking. Under
this Act,an accomplice is anyone
who knowingly aids, abets,
cooperates in the execution of
the offense, whether by previous or
simultaneous acts, and shall be
punished in accordance with this law.
W hat is an accessory
liability?
Anaccessory is any person that has the
knowledge of the commission of the crimeand
without having participated therein, takes part in the
commission in any of the following manners:

profiting themselves or assisting the offender to profit

by the effects of the crime;
by concealing or destroying the boy of the crime; and
by harbouring, concealing or assisting in the escape of
the principal of the crime.

An accessory shall be liable to the penalties provided

for in this Act.
W ho m ay f l
ie a case?

The following persons may file cases of

trafficking in persons:

trafficked person;
the parents, spouse, siblings,
children or legal guardian of the
trafficked person; and
Anyone who has personal knowledge
of the crime.
W ho m ay be punished for
traf c
i
fking in persons?
Any person, natural or juridical, found guilty of
trafficking under R.A 10364 may be punished.

If the offender is a corporation, partnership,

association, club, establishment or any juridical
persons, the penalty shall be imposed upon the
owner, president, partner, manager, and/or any
responsible officer who participated in the
commissions of the crime, or who knowingly
permitted or failed to prevent is commission.
If the offender is a foreigner, he or she shall be
immediately deported after serving his/her sentence
and barred from entering the country.
 P rescriptive P eriod

Trafficking cases can be filed within 10 years after

they are committed. If trafficking is committed by
a syndicate or on a large scale, cases can be filed
within 20 years after the commission of the act.
The so-called prescriptive period is counted from
the day the trafficked person is delivered or
released from the conditions of bondage.

In the case of a child victim, the prescriptive period

starts from the day the child reaches the age of
majority.
 P EN A LTIES
ACTPENALTY
Acts of Trafficking 20 yrs of imprisonment and a fine of 1 million to 2 million
pesos

Acts that Promote Trafficking/

Accessory Liability 15 yrs of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to 1 million
pesos

Qualified Trafficking Life imprisonment and a fine of 2 million to 5 million pesos

Attempted Trafficking 15 yrs imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to 1 million

pesos

Accomplice Liability 15 yrs imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to 1 million

pesos

Breach of Confidentiality Clause 6 yrs imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to 1

million pesos

Use of Trafficked Persons (1) six years to 12 years imprisonment and a fine
of 50,000 to 100,000 pesos

(2) Deportation if the offense is committed by a foreigner

W hat protection is given to
traf c i
fked persons under
R .A . 10364?
Trafficked persons shall be considered victims
and shall not be penalized for unlawful acts
committed.

The consent of the victim to the intended

exploitation is irrelevant; also
The past sexual behaviour or predisposition of a
trafficked person shall be considered
inadmissible in evidence of proving consent of
the victim to the crime.
Temporary Custody of Trafficked
Victims
is also now provided under RA 10364
rescue of
trafficked persons should be under the
assistance of DSWD or any accredited
NGO
that services trafficked victims.
Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction

Under this Act, the state can exercise

jurisdiction over any act defined and penalized
under the law, even if the crime is committed
outside the Philippines, if the suspect or
accused is:

A Filipino citizen; or
A permanent resident of the Philippines; or
Has committed the act against a citizen of
the Philippines.
W hat is an A nti-Traf c
i
fking
in P ersons D atabase?
Another added provision in this act is
the
database of anti-trafficking in persons
wherein
the Inter-Agency Council Against
Trafficking
(IACAT) shall submit a report to the
President of
the Philippines and to Congress, on or
Inter-A gency C ouncil
A gainst Traf c
i
fking (IA C AT)
IACAT is the primary body that
coordinates,
monitor and oversee the
implementation of
R.A. 10364. IACAT is composed of the
following
agencies:
Secretary, DOJ (Chairperson)
Secretary, DSWD (Co-Chairperson)
Members:

Secretary, DFA;
Secretary, DOLE;
Secretary, DILG;
Administrator, POEA;
Commissioner, BOI;
Chief, PNP;
Chairperson, PCW;
Chairperson, CFO;
Executive Director, PCTC; and
Three representatives from NGOs shall include one
representative each from the sectors of women,
overseas Filipinos, and children.
TH AN K YO U !