Sexual slavery & Human Trafficking

[waltky]

‘Maid detectives’ prevent human trafficking...

‘Maid detectives’ prevent human trafficking
Thu, Jul 28, 2016 - Rima Jayanti has not had formal training in detective work, but with her sharp eye and gut instinct, her task is to spot Indonesian women at Jakarta’s bustling airport in danger of being sent abroad to a life of domestic servitude.

Making her rounds, the 23-year-old quickly points out groups of women likely heading abroad to work as maids. “We can tell from their appearance — sometimes with a bit of instinct too — who are the potential victims and where they are going,” Jayanti said. Domestic helpers going to the Middle East tend to wear an Islamic headscarf, be middle-aged and elusive when asked about their plans, she said. Women traveling to Taiwan or Hong Kong usually have short hair, wear sneakers and are younger. About 2.3 million Indonesians work as maids in wealthier countries in Asia and the Middle East.

Jayanti is part of a team of “maid detectives” from Jakarta-based rights group Migrant Care, tracking down potential victims of human trafficking, and offering advice to others leaving of their own free will on how to look after themselves. They have had some small successes since they began work last year. They rescued one woman who had been brought to the airport by a maid agent, only to discover that she was about to be sent to Saudi Arabia against her will. Women often approach a maid agent to help them secure a placement abroad and handle the paperwork. While most work within the law, some have been accused of trafficking. “Some women do not know where they are going and what type of job they are getting into, making them vulnerable to human trafficking,” Migrant Care advocacy program manager Mike Verawati said.

Maids make up more than one-third of the 6 million Indonesians working abroad, attracted by promises of higher salaries. Last year, migrant workers sent home about US$9.4 billion in remittances, according to official data. Stories abound of maids being sent abroad against their will, enduring horrific abuse and living in slave-like conditions. A Hong Kong woman was convicted last year of beating her Indonesian maid, denying her food and confiscating her passport. Jakarta last year summoned the Saudi Arabian ambassador after two Indonesian maids were executed in the Gulf state within a week, one for killing her allegedly abusive employer.

Complaints of mistreatment of Indonesians in the Middle East and the ensuing diplomatic rows prompted Jakarta to announce in May last year a permanent ban on maids moving to the region. Maids already working there were allowed to remain. Groups like Migrant Care and the National Advocacy Network of Domestic Workers have criticized the ban. They say it restricts women’s rights to employment and puts them in greater danger by driving underground an industry that already has a dark side to it.

FEATURE: ‘Maid detectives’ prevent human trafficking - Taipei Times

 

[waltky]

Tennessee human-trafficking ring busted...

41 arrested in Tennessee human-trafficking probe
August 5, 2016 — Over the course of three days this week, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrested 41 people, including 14 from Nashville, connected with human trafficking, the TBI announced Friday.

"This week I learned that we are only scratching the surface," TBI Director Mark Gwyn said at a news conference. "This is our most significant operation to date." More than half of the 34 men arrested specified that they wanted to have sex with minors, the TBI said. Six women and one juvenile also were arrested. During the operation, undercover agents posted ads on Backpage.com. Some agents posed as underage girls. According to the TBI, 485 men responded to the ads posted and more than 5,300 responded to the ads through texts or phone.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Margie Quin said during the news conference that they were overwhelmed and disturbed by the amount of responses the false ads received. Quin said that on the first day of the operation Tuesday afternoon, agents received more than 216 responses in just seven hours. “Even with as many of these operations that we have conducted across the state, it’s still shocking that half of the men responding to these ads wanted to pay to have sex with a minor,” Quin said. “We’re working toward helping victims of trafficking and taking these predators off the streets.”

Republican state House Speaker Beth Harwell said the arrests should serve as a message to those looking to promote human trafficking in Tennessee. "I had the chance to see the operation from the inside on Wednesday," Harwell said. "While I was there I saw a man get arrested for wanting to have sex with an underage woman. To those scouring the web or apps in the search for sex with our state’s children, let me say this: Be warned.”

41 arrested in Tennessee human-trafficking probe

See also:

Woman who trafficked daughter for heroin sentenced to 51 years to life
July 19, 2016 -- She said she was ashamed that she traded her 11-year-old daughter for sex to get heroin, but the judge pointed out that April Corcoran never offered an apology to the child. “You showed no kind of mercy,” Judge Leslie Ghiz said.

In turn, Ghiz said she’d have no mercy on Corcoran and sentenced her to 51 years to life during her sentencing Tuesday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. Corcoran, 32, of Warren County, pleaded guilty in June to multiple counts of complicity to rape, of human trafficking and child endangering involving the child. Corcoran also admitted giving the girl heroin sometimes as a reward. The child vomited each time. Ghiz allowed Corcoran to read a statement in court. “I made selfish, horrible choices that will affect (the girl) for the rest of her life,” Corcoran said. “I am consumed by guilt and shame every day.” That didn't move the judge.

April Corcoran listens as Judge Leslie Ghiz sentences her to 51 years to life in prison.​

The girl was sodomized, raped, forced to perform oral sex and frequently videotaped by Corcoran's drug dealer in his Camp Washington home, prosecutors say. The encounters happened between February and June 2014. Shandell Willingham, 42, who faces the same charges as Corcoran, has been convicted in Indiana on unrelated drug charges as well as on child pornography charges. He was returned to Hamilton County last month. A hearing in his case is set for Aug. 10. The girl's grandparents told the judge they hoped for justice for their granddaughter and that others would be protected from Corcoran. The girl's grandmother spoke quietly in court. "I saw my granddaughter. I heard her small voice," Sylvia Corcoran said. "It was horrific. How could she (Corcoran) do this? I don't know if my granddaughter is going to be able to have a normal life." The girl, now, 13, is living out of state with her father and stepmother.

Ghiz said she had to take breaks while reading everything that was admitted into the court case. "I can honestly say that, in three-and-a-half years on the bench, this is by far the worst thing that has come before this court," Ghiz said. And she's seen everything from thefts to physical harm done by people addicted to heroin, she said. "I don't know that you grasp the damage that has been done to this poor child," Ghiz said, noting that the girl is undergoing medical care, has had suicidal thoughts and is taking medications. Corcoran's lawyer, James Bogen, said his client has been "sickened and disgusted" by what she's done since she's been jailed. Dr. Daniel Bebo of UC Health told the court that when someone’s in withdrawal from opioids or heroin, “There’s a lot of leeway to what they’ll say or do.” But he confirmed Bogen's statement in court about addicts: "They still know right from wrong."

Woman who trafficked daughter for heroin sentenced to 51 years to life

Related:

Child sex for heroin allegation 'sad, but not surprising'
June 9, 2016 - Editor's note: This story originally ran on March 23, 2015.

A Warren County woman allegedly traded an 11-year-old girl to a Cincinnati drug dealer for sex in exchange for heroin. On numerous occasions, she allegedly went to the 41-year-old man's apartment in Camp Washington, dropped the girl off, left and came back several hours later. The 41-year-old man then allegedly had sex with the girl, sometimes videotaping it. On one occasion, the woman allegedly injected the girl with heroin.

April Corcoran​

Those are the upsetting details of an indictment announced by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters Monday morning. "Every case of human trafficking is horrible," DeWine said. "But this is just about as bad as anything I've ever seen." Thirty-year-old April Corcoran of Pleasant Plain has been charged with 27 felony counts, including complicity in rape, complicity in gross sexual imposition, endangering children, human trafficking and corrupting another with drugs. The man, Shandell Willingham of Cincinnati, has been charged on 26 similar felony counts. If convicted of all charges, Corcoran could face life in prison, Deters said. The crimes allegedly occurred between Feb. 15 and June 6 in 2014, DeWine and Deters said.

Corcoran and Willingham

The curtains were drawn on Corcoran's former Pleasant Plain residence Monday afternoon, although three cars were parked in the driveway. Two pieces of paper were taped to the front door of the home. They read: "No comment," and "talk to lawyer." Corcoran's home is located on a sizable lot in a sparsely populated rural area. The residence looks out onto acres of farmland. To the immediate left and right of the residence sit two empty homes. Corcoran's nearest neighbors were two houses down in both directions. James Bogen, Corcoran's court-appointed attorney, said he's been in contact with Corcoran's family. "They tell me before she became hooked on heroin, she was a very loving and attentive parent," he said. Corcoran had very few interactions with law enforcement and the court system before Monday's indictment.

Shandell Willingham​

She has no criminal record in Ohio. In Hamilton County, the only cases against Corcoran include a disagreement with Discover Bank and a traffic ticket. The Warren County Sheriff's Office told The Enquirer that Corcoran had never been in their jail and that they'd had no dealings with her. Officials says Willingham raped the child at an apartment complex at 3301 Colerain Ave. in Camp Washington. However, City Center Properties, the company that manages the property, said they had no record that Willingham was a tenant at the complex.

MORE

 

[dpr112yme]

I believe most of the young adults, children, who are being 'trafficked' here in the United States as Citizens of the U.S. come from 'homeless' situations. They are offered things, such as $$, food, shelter, etc.. to the which the individual willingly follows into. After the 'trafficker' has the individual in a more 'private' place, off the streets, he/she will sell the young person to another person. The buyer of the person transports the victim into another place, either within state or out of state to become a 'slave' of sorts, for the buyer. Food, shelter and other basic life necessities are provided and the child/young adult 'works' in whichever industry the 'buyer' wants him/her to work in. Sex, no-pay, slavery like jobs (such as cleaning homes without any payroll, cleaning dishes in restaurants without any payroll, etc..) and any other 'work' the buyer can put the victim into so that the buyer can make a profit 'selling' or 'trafficking' the victim for self profit.

Most young adults and children who are on the streets are on the streets because they have run away from their home. Most of the time, their family was too dysfunctional for the person to remain in and after the person has been on the streets for a while, they usually pick up 1 or more substance usages to keep them going day to day. Not all of them are Meth users and not all of them are alcoholics. Each homeless young person has his/her choice of substance(s) to keep them going. And so, even the non-Meth users can become victims of 'trafficking' by being offered things such as food, shelter, jobs, etc.... After the homeless person gets into the 'private place' with the 'trafficker' is when the selling and buying happens. And most 'traffickers' already have ties with 'buyers'. And most 'buyers' have ties with organizations who pay the buyers for the 'trafficked'. And not all of them are put into sex industries. There is also another sort of 'trafficking' that goes on. And this is 'international' trafficking. Buyers will buy 'internationally' and when the 'trafficked' are bought into a country in which the language is not known by the victim, the victim has no way of seeking help since they do not know the language to ask or to tell of their danger.

But since we are in America and since there are still many young adults on the streets as homeless, I think a good way to 'warn' them about possible victimization would be to inform them that this form of selling and buying humans is around. And so if they are warned, they may be more leery into accepting any offer to go 'off' into a private, secluded surrounding with strangers who offer them a better life or better way.

 

[waltky]

al-Shabab militant group seizing Kenyan woman and turning them into sex slaves...

The sex slaves of al-Shabab
Wed, 24 May 2017 - Last year Salama Ali uncovered a secret - that the al-Shabab militant group was seizing Kenyan woman and turning them into sex slaves.

When Salama Ali started investigating the disappearance of two younger brothers last year she made an awful discovery - not only were radicalised young Kenyan men leaving to join the al-Shabab militants in neighbouring Somalia, but women were being seized and trafficked by the group as sex slaves. Salama's search for information about her brothers had to be carried out quietly and confidentially, as any hint of a connection with the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab can arouse the suspicion of the security forces.

Salama Ali's secret support group​

So she met discreetly with other women in Mombasa and the surrounding area, sharing stories and seeking information about male relatives who had vanished. "We discovered there were lots of us," Salama says. But Salama also uncovered something very different - stories of women who had been taken to Somalia against their will. The women were both young and old, from Christian and Muslim communities, from Mombasa and other parts of Kenya's coastal region. They were usually promised high-paid work in another town or abroad, and then kidnapped.

Former sex slaves seen from above​

Last September Salama trained as a counsellor and set up a secret support group for returning women. Word spread and soon women began seeking her out and asking to join the group. Some arrived with babies, she says, some with HIV, and some with mental illness caused by their experiences. All are terrified to speak openly, because of the risk of being mistakenly identified as an al-Shabab sympathiser.

Faith and her daughter​

In a dark room with the curtains drawn, I meet this extraordinary group of women, who have a story that has never been told. "Men used to come and have sex with me - I can't tell you the number," says one, shaking her head as she recounts her ordeal. "For those three years, every man was coming to sleep with me." "They'd bring two or three men for each woman every night," says another. "We would be raped repeatedly." Some women were forced to become the "wives" of al-Shabab militants, it appears, while others were held as slaves in a brothel.

MORE

 

[anotherlife]

I believe most of the young adults, children, who are being 'trafficked' here in the United States as Citizens of the U.S. come from 'homeless' situations. They are offered things, such as $$, food, shelter, etc.. to the which the individual willingly follows into. After the 'trafficker' has the individual in a more 'private' place, off the streets, he/she will sell the young person to another person. The buyer of the person transports the victim into another place, either within state or out of state to become a 'slave' of sorts, for the buyer. Food, shelter and other basic life necessities are provided and the child/young adult 'works' in whichever industry the 'buyer' wants him/her to work in. Sex, no-pay, slavery like jobs (such as cleaning homes without any payroll, cleaning dishes in restaurants without any payroll, etc..) and any other 'work' the buyer can put the victim into so that the buyer can make a profit 'selling' or 'trafficking' the victim for self profit.

Most young adults and children who are on the streets are on the streets because they have run away from their home. Most of the time, their family was too dysfunctional for the person to remain in and after the person has been on the streets for a while, they usually pick up 1 or more substance usages to keep them going day to day. Not all of them are Meth users and not all of them are alcoholics. Each homeless young person has his/her choice of substance(s) to keep them going. And so, even the non-Meth users can become victims of 'trafficking' by being offered things such as food, shelter, jobs, etc.... After the homeless person gets into the 'private place' with the 'trafficker' is when the selling and buying happens. And most 'traffickers' already have ties with 'buyers'. And most 'buyers' have ties with organizations who pay the buyers for the 'trafficked'. And not all of them are put into sex industries. There is also another sort of 'trafficking' that goes on. And this is 'international' trafficking. Buyers will buy 'internationally' and when the 'trafficked' are bought into a country in which the language is not known by the victim, the victim has no way of seeking help since they do not know the language to ask or to tell of their danger.

But since we are in America and since there are still many young adults on the streets as homeless, I think a good way to 'warn' them about possible victimization would be to inform them that this form of selling and buying humans is around. And so if they are warned, they may be more leery into accepting any offer to go 'off' into a private, secluded surrounding with strangers who offer them a better life or better way.

See what the abolishment of minimum wage has lead to?

And soon the ban on abortion will lead to even more of these homeless people.

Excellent.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey'll steal yer baby boy an' den sell him back to ya...

US to Declare China as Among World's Worst Human Trafficking Offenders
June 26, 2017 | WASHINGTON — The United States is set to declare China as among the world's worst offenders in human trafficking and forced labor, placing it alongside countries the U.S. has long disparaged — Iran, North Korea and Syria.

The designation, expected to be formally announced by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, could further aggravate tensions between Washington and Beijing at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump had sought to enlist Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons development.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, smiles at U.S. President Donald Trump as they pose together for photographers before dinner at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida​

Why the downgrade?

Last week, Trump said in a Twitter comment that while he appreciates China's efforts in dealing with Pyongyang, “it has not worked out.” It was not immediately clear what led Tillerson to downgrade China in the State Department's annual assessment of human trafficking that covers more than 180 countries. Last year's report said Beijing was not doing enough to curb “state sponsored forced labor,” and did not meet “minimum standards” for fighting human trafficking, even though it was making progress. The 2017 report lists China as a Tier 3 human trafficking and forced labor offender, the lowest ranking, according to officials familiar with the ranking. The 2016 report placed China on a Tier 2 “watch list” deserving special scrutiny in the last year.

Sanctions a possibility

A year ago, the report described China as a “source, destination and transit country” for forced labor and sex trafficking. Internal migrants in China were particularly vulnerable, the report said, with some people forced to work in factories and coal mines with little governmental oversight. It also said men, women and children from other Asian countries and from Africa are being exploited, while girls and women from rural areas often were recruited for sex trafficking in cities. Countries placed in Tier 3 can be penalized with sanctions barring them from participating in cultural exchanges with the U.S. But past U.S. presidents have granted waivers to the worst offenders and Trump could do the same. There was no immediate reaction from Beijing about the planned U.S. action.

US to Declare China as Among World's Worst Human Trafficking Offenders

See also:

Reports: US Secretary of State to Take Myanmar, Iraq Off Child Soldiers List
June 26, 2017 - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is expected to take Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, and Iraq off a list of countries that use or recruit child soldiers, in an announcement set for Tuesday, according to media reports.

The Reuters news agency reported last week that by delisting those countries, Tillerson is overruling recommendations from State Department experts and senior diplomats. Reuters also cited officials as saying the announcement is expected to be made as part of the department's annual Trafficking in Persons report. The list, created through the Child Soldier Prevention Act, prohibits offending nations from receiving certain kinds of U.S. military aid.

In response, Human Rights Watch on Monday called on Tillerson to keep Myanmar and Iraq on the list. Taking Burma and Iraq off the list "when they continue to use child soldiers, is both contrary to U.S. law and harms children still in the ranks," said Jo Becker, HRW's children's rights advocacy director. Becker also said that unless Tillerson reverses his decision, he will "gravely damage U.S. credibility in ending the use of children in warfare."

Trainees stand at attention at an army training base in Pathein, Irawaddy, Myanmar.​

Myanmar has been on the list since its inception. Despite recent efforts to reduce recruitment, the country has yet to pass a law to criminalize the use of child soldiers and has refused to give U.N. observers access to ethnic armed groups. "This isn't the time to let Burma [Myanmar] off the hook for its use of child soldiers," said Becker. "U.S. and U.N. pressure has led to important progress, but as long as children are still being recruited and found in its army's ranks, Burma should stay on the list."

Iraq was added in 2016. That year, HRW reported that government-backed tribal militias were recruiting children from displaced persons camps in Iraq in the fight against Islamic State. Despite Iraq being on the list, then-U.S. President Barack Obama issued a waiver to allow $3 billion in military aid to flow into that country last year. "The Child Soldiers Prevention Act gives the president some discretion in applying sanctions against countries using child soldiers, but it doesn't give the State Department discretion to take off countries that belong on the list," Becker said. "Tillerson should do what the law requires and return Burma and Iraq to the list."

Reports: US Secretary of State to Take Myanmar, Iraq Off Child Soldiers List

 

[waltky]

Mawari Residents being pressed into sexual slavery...

Residents being held hostage by Islamist terrorists in the Philippines forced into sex slavery, asked to loot abandoned houses
Thursday 29th June, 2017 - The Philippine Military that is engaged in fighting Islamist militants who have besieged the city of Marawi have made some shocking revelations about the state of affairs there.

According to Manila's military, Maute militants were pushing captives to loot abandoned houses in the region and were forcing female captives into sex slavery in Marawi. Manila's army said that male and female captives were made to assist the militants in their fight against the Filipino military. In May this year, Marawi city in the Mindanao island turned into a centre of conflict following which, the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in the southern part of the country. The military further warned that the number of residents killed by rebel "atrocities" could rise sharply as troops retake more ground. During their operation, military personnel are said to have found five decapitated civilians in the occupied city. A total of 17 bodies were recovered and officials said these would be the first evidence that civilians trapped in besieged Marawi City have been decapitated during the five-week stand by militants loyal to the Islamic State group, as some who escaped the city have previously reported.

The military is hoping to fully rid the island of militants belonging to the Maute group in the coming days - but are faced by a stiff resistance from the ISIS-inspired extremists. Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera told reporters on Wednesday, "Worst thing [is] there are cases of female hostages forced to marry the Maute local terrorist group. They are being forced to [be a] sex slave, forced to destroy the dignity of these women.” Herrera said hostages that either escaped or were rescued reported that women suffered brutal sexual assaults at the hands of the Maute captors and that captives were also tasked with plundering abandoned houses in the conflict-ridden area. Herrera said, "The hostages were tasked to loot houses, establishments [for] ammunition, firearms, cash, [and] gold.” Many of the 200,000 inhabitants fled Marawi soon after clashes erupted in the island between the government forces and militants. Those who remained trapped in the region are reportedly being used as human shields by the militants.

The city is also facing an acute food shortage and residents had reportedly resorted to eating leaves and cardboard boxes for their survival. Referring to the Maute Islamists, Herrera said, "This is what is happening inside, this is very evident. These are evil personalities.” About 71 security forces and 299 militants have been killed so far, even as reports estimated that a total of 246,000 people were displaced in the conflict. Violence erupted in the city after a failed attempt on May 23 to arrest a Filipino militant commander backed by Islamic State's leadership. Meanwhile, President Duterte has vowed to destroy the militants in Marawi and said the Philippines was now dealing with "a very dangerous situation" due to young Muslims inspired by the "mass insanity" of Islamic State. Emerging after a long public absence, reportedly due to being sick, Duterte said his government is determined to rebuild Marawi once the violence subsides. Adding, “I know the deployment of snipers and where they hid their firearms. I already had the complete picture and I knew that would be a long fight. What's painful for me, a fractured ideology entered. All that they want is to kill and destroy, how can we live with that?"

Addressing an event where he received hundreds of sniper and assault rifles donated by China to help the military campaign in Marawi, he said, “All they do is just to kill and destroy, and killing in a most brutal way. They enjoy decapitating people in front of cameras. They have to be dealt with, with the same ferocity but not the brutality.” On Wednesday, the battle entered its 36th day and reports noted that sights of intense gunfights and bombing in the heart of the town were seen and that black-clad fighters were seen from afar running between buildings as explosions rang out. This month, videos appeared on the website of Islamic State's Amaq news agency and its social media channels showing hostages in Marawi pleading for their lives, saying they would be beheaded if air strikes were not stopped. Clips have also appeared of kneeling captives, shot in the head from behind.

Residents being held hostage by Islamist terrorists in the Philippines forced into sex slavery asked to loot abandoned houses

 

[Marion Morrison]

Mawari Residents being pressed into sexual slavery...

Residents being held hostage by Islamist terrorists in the Philippines forced into sex slavery, asked to loot abandoned houses
Thursday 29th June, 2017 - The Philippine Military that is engaged in fighting Islamist militants who have besieged the city of Marawi have made some shocking revelations about the state of affairs there.

According to Manila's military, Maute militants were pushing captives to loot abandoned houses in the region and were forcing female captives into sex slavery in Marawi. Manila's army said that male and female captives were made to assist the militants in their fight against the Filipino military. In May this year, Marawi city in the Mindanao island turned into a centre of conflict following which, the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in the southern part of the country. The military further warned that the number of residents killed by rebel "atrocities" could rise sharply as troops retake more ground. During their operation, military personnel are said to have found five decapitated civilians in the occupied city. A total of 17 bodies were recovered and officials said these would be the first evidence that civilians trapped in besieged Marawi City have been decapitated during the five-week stand by militants loyal to the Islamic State group, as some who escaped the city have previously reported.

The military is hoping to fully rid the island of militants belonging to the Maute group in the coming days - but are faced by a stiff resistance from the ISIS-inspired extremists. Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera told reporters on Wednesday, "Worst thing [is] there are cases of female hostages forced to marry the Maute local terrorist group. They are being forced to [be a] sex slave, forced to destroy the dignity of these women.” Herrera said hostages that either escaped or were rescued reported that women suffered brutal sexual assaults at the hands of the Maute captors and that captives were also tasked with plundering abandoned houses in the conflict-ridden area. Herrera said, "The hostages were tasked to loot houses, establishments [for] ammunition, firearms, cash, [and] gold.” Many of the 200,000 inhabitants fled Marawi soon after clashes erupted in the island between the government forces and militants. Those who remained trapped in the region are reportedly being used as human shields by the militants.

The city is also facing an acute food shortage and residents had reportedly resorted to eating leaves and cardboard boxes for their survival. Referring to the Maute Islamists, Herrera said, "This is what is happening inside, this is very evident. These are evil personalities.” About 71 security forces and 299 militants have been killed so far, even as reports estimated that a total of 246,000 people were displaced in the conflict. Violence erupted in the city after a failed attempt on May 23 to arrest a Filipino militant commander backed by Islamic State's leadership. Meanwhile, President Duterte has vowed to destroy the militants in Marawi and said the Philippines was now dealing with "a very dangerous situation" due to young Muslims inspired by the "mass insanity" of Islamic State. Emerging after a long public absence, reportedly due to being sick, Duterte said his government is determined to rebuild Marawi once the violence subsides. Adding, “I know the deployment of snipers and where they hid their firearms. I already had the complete picture and I knew that would be a long fight. What's painful for me, a fractured ideology entered. All that they want is to kill and destroy, how can we live with that?"

Addressing an event where he received hundreds of sniper and assault rifles donated by China to help the military campaign in Marawi, he said, “All they do is just to kill and destroy, and killing in a most brutal way. They enjoy decapitating people in front of cameras. They have to be dealt with, with the same ferocity but not the brutality.” On Wednesday, the battle entered its 36th day and reports noted that sights of intense gunfights and bombing in the heart of the town were seen and that black-clad fighters were seen from afar running between buildings as explosions rang out. This month, videos appeared on the website of Islamic State's Amaq news agency and its social media channels showing hostages in Marawi pleading for their lives, saying they would be beheaded if air strikes were not stopped. Clips have also appeared of kneeling captives, shot in the head from behind.

Residents being held hostage by Islamist terrorists in the Philippines forced into sex slavery asked to loot abandoned houses

Duterte needs to crack down and hard. Yes, some civilians will die.