Civil action suits can now be initiated against human traffickers even if they are not convicted of the criminal offense, the Department of Justice said on Monday.

This was the gist of a new manual adopted by the department in the stepped-up campaign to stop trafficking in humans.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the Manual for Asset Forfeiture Proceedings in Human Trafficking allows the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking to initiate civil forfeiture of assets against human traffickers without the need for criminal conviction.

"This manual aims to serve as a useful guide for legal practitioners and human rights advocates to more effectively curb human trafficking, protect potential victims and ensure speedy but fair prosecution of suspects," De Lima, who concurrently chairs IACAT, explained.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and American Bar Association (ABA) aided the government in coming up with the manual, which was officially received by the DOJ last May 8.

"It presents the relevant procedures in the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), Court of Appeals (CA), and Regional Trial Courts," the Justice Secretary said.

De Lima stressed that under Republic Act 9160 (Anti-Money Laundering Act), the government may undertake a bank inquiry, freeze assets, or confiscate the proceeds generated from any of the "predicate crimes" listed in the same law.

With the launch of the manual, the victims of human trafficking together with the government are given a swifter alternative in attaining justice by helping locate, seize and forfeit the financial or material gains of trafficking, and eliminate the evils of human trafficking.

DOJ Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, who is in charge of IACAT, said the new manual came at a perfect time.

"We can no longer delay... to put in place and set in motion the mechanism for forfeiture of assets. Simply, we have a manual that aims to put the enemy, so to speak, out of business," he said.

USAID Mission Director Gloria Steele lauded the IACAT for such initiative, which she believes is a more progressive approach in combating human trafficking.

Source: http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/05/14/trafficking-suspects-face-civil-suit/