Flashcards Studio

Lina, a 32-year-old operator of a domestic-helper placement service, arranges for her 15-year-old cousin Nia to travel from a rural province to Manila with the promise of a housekeeping job in a private home. Lina pays Nia’s grandmother P20,000 to secure consent for the trip. In Manila, Nia is placed with a private family who controls her movements, confiscates her passport, withholds her wages, and demands sexual favors as an "advance" on wages. Lina continues to receive a portion of Nia’s wages. (a) Do Lina’s acts constitute Trafficking in Persons under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, as amended (RA 9208)? Identify the elements violated. (b) How does Nia’s age (15) affect the offense and the penalties, with attention to child-protection provisions? (c) If Nia were 22 instead of 15, would Lina still be liable under RA 9208? Explain your answer with the governing doctrine and application to the facts.