PROTECTION
The government continued to proactively identify and provide limited services to victims. Comprehensive statistics for the total number of victims identified and assisted were not available; however, in the 291 cases (14 for forced labor and 277 for sex trafficking) monitored by the anti-trafficking taskforce, IACAT reported identification of 1,089 victims, of whom 741 were female, 95 male, and 253 children.The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported serving 1,395 trafficking victims, of whom 346 were children; the majority were subjected to forced labor. The government followed formal procedures to identify victims and refer them to official agencies or NGO facilities for care.Victims were identified through rescue operations, screening at borders, reports to embassies abroad, and calls to the national anti-trafficking help line, which referred 23 victims to assistance within the country, Malaysia, Jordan, and Lebanon.
The government, through the recovery and reintegration program and partnership with NGOs, provided victims with shelter, psycho- social support, medical services, legal assistance, and vocational training. It allocated approximately 23 million pesos ($530,000) for the implementation of this program.The DSWD continued to operate 26 temporary shelters for women and children victims of abuse, including trafficking; however, the facilities and services remained inadequate to address the specific needs of victims.The DSWD reported providing 853 trafficking victims with temporary care at these shelters. Child victims, who were required to stay temporarily in the shelters, and adult victims choosing to reside there were not permitted to leave unattended. Only five of the 26 facilities had the capacity to shelter male victims, and some boy victims were placed in shelters for children in conflict with the law. Protective services for male victims remained scarce, and the DSWD prematurely discharged them without investigating for trafficking indicators, which negatively affected their rehabilitation. The government provided a small amount of funding to NGOs, which delivered the vast majority of specialized services to trafficking victims; however, the lack of long-term care, absence of mental health services, and familial involvement in facilitating exploitation left many victims vulnerable to re-trafficking. In 2014, the government assisted 22 children involved in armed conflict.
The government lacked a formal policy to safeguard victims electing to testify against traffickers. Although officials offered victim-witness protection against reprisals through a protection, security, and benefit program, the program failed to fully cover victims’ needs, and the lengthy approval process discouraged victims from applying for assistance.Victims lacked financial incentives to cooperate in criminal proceedings as out-of-court settlements often resulted in monetary compensation, while financial penalties imposed upon offenders by courts often went unpaid. Reports did not identify victims punished for unlawful acts committed as a result of being subjected to trafficking. Although no foreign victims were identified in the Philippines during the year, the government had long-term alternatives to the removal to countries where victims may face hardship or retribution.

PREVENTION
The government continued robust efforts to prevent trafficking. Government anti-trafficking taskforces, in consultation with NGOs, continued to implement the 2012-2016 strategic plan to combat trafficking. Authorities allocated 200,000 pesos ($4,500) for community education programs on trafficking in nine provinces, which reached more than 2,500 participants, including prospective migrants. The DSWD conducted 54 advocacy activities on the anti-trafficking law, which benefited over 2,000 people across the country. IACAT also funded anti-trafficking forums and orientation workshops for approximately 10,000 students and women and children’s rights advocates. Through social media, television, and other platforms, the government provided anti-trafficking information to the general public.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency conducted 13 seminars to discuss the expanded anti-trafficking law; officials investigated 129 cases involving 289 victims of illegal recruitment and closed 11 non-licensed establishments. Officials referred 124 cases for criminal investigation proceedings.The government did not report how many individuals involved in illegal recruitment were prosecuted, but they did report eight illegal recruitment convictions during the reporting year.The Bureau of Immigration continued to screen for potential victims at airports and seaports; however, this indiscriminate screening mechanism may be indicative of the government unduly restricting Filipinos’ right to travel outside the country. Despite significant local and foreign demand in the country’s vast commercial sex trade, the government’s efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts were negligible, and authorities reported no efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor. In an effort to prevent child sex tourism, the government filed 17 charges against 13 foreign child sex offenders during the reporting year. In 2014, the government assisted 22 children involved in armed conflict; however, no law enforcement actions were taken to punish the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Government agencies trained 176 front-line workers on how to properly monitor and prevent child rights violations, to include child soldiering.The government provided anti-trafficking training or guidance to Philippine troops prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions and its diplomatic personnel.

POLAND:  Tier 1 
Poland is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Labor trafficking is increasing in Poland; forced labor victims originate from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Children, particularly Romani children, are recruited for forced begging in Poland. Men and women from Poland are subjected to forced labor in Europe, primarily Western and Northern Europe. Women and children from Poland are subjected to sex trafficking within the country and also in other European countries. Women and children from Eastern Europe, particularly Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine, are subjected to sex trafficking in Poland.
The Government of Poland fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. During the reporting period, the government provided specialized training to police and border guard officers on topics such as victim identification, standard operating procedures, and legislation referring to human trafficking; however, prosecutors and judges lacked adequate training opportunities.The courts upheld fewer convictions than

in previous years. A large proportion of convicted traffickers continued to receive suspended prison sentences, and law enforcement action against forced labor was insufficient, despite a large number of labor trafficking victims identified.The government continued to fund victim services and amended laws to improve available protections for foreign victims; however, the government did not provide specialized services to child victims of trafficking.