Ina (not her real name) and her family depend on relief goods to survive. Born in Mindanao (the
southernmost large island of the Philippines), Tina was used to waking up hearing gunshots of the
off-and-on war between secessionist Islamic rebels and the Philippine military in their area. Her family moved from one place to another just to find a safe refuge, leaving their livelihood behind.
Looking for ways to survive, Tina was enticed to work abroad when a recruiter promised her a better life and a high salary without spending a single centavo.
“My friends were already there that’s why I never had second thoughts. I was even very excited,” Tina said. The assurance of getting a high paying job and comfortable working conditions convinced Tina that this will give her family a better life. Being employed as a domestic helper in Kuwait was a dream come true for Tina.
Tina narrated that she received an instant passport and other required documents needed to fly out of the country immediately. “The only information that was real in the passport was my photo. The rest were fabricated,” Tina said. “We were instructed where to fall in line and who to approach and present our documents to. Someone also assisted us in order to expedite the process of boarding the plane,” Tina added.
When Tina arrived in Kuwait, her dreamed-of ticket to a better life became a nightmare.
“I was locked in a room together with other recruits from the Philippines. The room was tiny and packed to the ceiling. We could barely breathe and move, there was no proper ventilation and the smell was terrible,” Tina said.
Tina and others were asked to line up everyday in front of potential employers. “Everyday, different people came in and chose who they liked. We were like commodities; the customers picked the goods they preferred,” Tina narrated bitterly. She waited for several days until someone chose her.
In Kuwait, Tina worked like cattle, “It was a huge 3 story-residential house but I was the only one who did all the tasks. I could barely sleep because I needed to finish chores assigned to me before I could stop to sleep,” she recalled.
Despite the unbearable working condition, Tina opted to stay. “I had no choice. I didn’t know where to go if ever I’d escape. I have no family and I didn’t even know anyone there.”
Sold from one employer to another
Tina was sold from one employer to another. She experienced the same abuse, inhumane treatment and sexual harassment. The then 14-year-old girl was even put behind bars after being accused of stealing. Tina was in jail for six months until the Philippine government arranged her repatriation back home.
Tina came home emotionally distraught. Added to her misery was finding out that her family’s condition had worsened. Tina felt that she was a failure for not having been able to rescue her family from poverty. So despite all the negative experiences working abroad, she tried to leave the country again. But this time, she was intercepted by the Anti-Trafficking Task Force at the airport and was brought to the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF) for psychosocial intervention.
A glimmer of hope
Tina was hostile during her first few days in the shelter. She still insisted in leaving and working abroad for her family. But after series of interventions and aptitude assessment, Tina agreed to go through various kinds of skills development and information technology training courses.
Today, Tina travels in and out of the country not as a child domestic worker but as a human trafficking advocate. She gives testimonies and warnings to other kids about the danger of falling into traps and lures set by the traffickers. “Being able to share my story to other kids is very fulfilling,” she said with excitement, continuing, “I feel that being able to warn other potential victims of human trafficking is a great help especially the younger ones. I’m really happy about this plus I finally have my own and real passport.”
Defender of women and children
Ma. Cecila Flores-Oebanda, is the founding president and executive director of VFF, a Philippine based nongovernment organization known for its innovative work for empowerment of vulnerable migrant especially victims of human trafficking, domestic servitude and other forms of exploitation through building social movements, advocating for policies and delivering of services.
Flores-Oebanda, a native of Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, revealed that she became a political detainee for four years under the Marcos dictatorship.
She was already helping sugar plantation workers, women, youth and children prior to the imprisonment.
“I was fighting for freedom. It was really hard especially in prison. I even gave birth to my second and third children inside the jail. Akala ko hindi na kami makakalabas,” Flores-Oebanda said.
But that didn’t stop her from continuing to pursue her passion of helping others. After her release from detention as a result of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, she began attending a forum every Saturday with her fellow Visayan friends. The weekly forum served as a discussion of issues regarding domestic violence and human trafficking. It gave her the idea to form a foundation that would help these victims. Thus, Visayan Forum Foundation was founded.
“We want to tell other people that Visayan people are also doing things that help to address international and local issues such as human trafficking. We also have the capacity to make a change,” Flores-Oebanda said.
The government estimated that around 300,000 victims are involved annually in human trafficking but Flores-Oebanda believes that it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
To date, the foundation has already helped and rescued 75,000 victims. Ninety-nine percent of them are women and girls.
“After hearing all the heartbreaking stories of the victims I can’t afford to betray them. Lalo na ikaw na lang yung hope nila, tutulong at tutulong ka talaga. [Especially if you’re their only hope, you find yourself really having to help as much as you can.],” she added.
“Ang problema kasi sa human trafficking hindi lang pag na rescue mo tapos na, marami pang kailangan gawin kagaya ng psychological intervention to bring them back to the society. [The problem with human trafficking is that the work is not over after you’ve rescued them, a lot more must be done like pschological intervention to bring them back],” Flores-Oebanda explained. “We need to make sure na ma-reduce ang vulnerability nila kasi pag hindi na address yun, babalik lang sila or mare-recruit ulit sila. Ma-rescue mo sa Manila tapos mamaya ma-re-rescue mo na naman sa Matnog. [We need to make sure that we have reduced their vulnerability because if that has not been addressed, they would just end up going back to the same route or get recruited again. You rescue them in Manila and later you find that you’re rescuing them in Matnog.]”
The modus operandi
Flores-Oebanda explains the trend and how the traffickers operate.
“The target is the poor community, mostly the agricultural area,” she said. Each ‘head hunter’ needs to recruit at least 80 persons. When they meet their quota, the victims will be sent by a RoRo [big public ferry[ to go to their destination. For example, there is the route from Mindanao to Manila. The victims, ages between 14 to 36, will be shipped to Mindanao going to Surigao, then headed to Leyte then Northern Samar, their next stop is Matnog, Sorsogon then finally to Manila.
The victims will be sold to their employers for around $2000 each. “The traffickers will get half of this,” Flores-Oebanda said.
The promise of money and the good life are definitely the reasons why people are lured, explained the VFF’s president. “The traffickers really master the art of deception. A lot of traffickers hide behind the disguise of being immigration people or experts. They tell the targets there’s a great job waiting for them abroad. Then they give you all kinds of promises,” she explained.
Another factor at play is the naïve belief of people that when you find work abroad then you’ll get rich instantly.
When the victims finally arrive in their destination, employers will confiscate their passports and documents. This causes the victims to lose their freedom of movement. They can’t even go out to the street because if the police happens to accost them they would not have any identity document.
“Minsan hindi pa yan pinapakain, para talagang commodity yung tingin nila sa mga Filipino [Sometimes they aren’t even fed. They really see the Filipinos as commodities],” Flores-Oebanda said.
Lots of law enforcers that claim that these victims are willing victims, but Flores-Oebanda vehemently disagrees. “There’s no such thing as willing victims. Wala namang Pilipino na papayag na ibenta sila at papahirapan [There’s no Filipino who would like being sold and be made to suffer],” she said.
Combating trafficking
Flores-Oebanda is very pleased with the Aquino administration because the President himself leads the fight against human trafficking. “Naalis na tayo sa watchlist,” she said.
Earlier, the Philippines was upgraded to Tier 2 status in the US State Department’s 2011 TIP Report, from the previous Tier 2 Watch List standing in the past two years.
The TIP report ranks countries in tiers based on their compliance to the minimum standards of the United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).
Countries in Tier 1 status are those whose governments fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards; while those in Tier 2 are countries that do not fully comply with the minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to do so.
“I commend the government regarding this because they have the highest political will compared to the previous administrations. The initiative comes from the President and Vice President themselves,” Flores-Obeanda said.
Earlier, Vice President Jejomar Binay, the chief of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) announced that a nationwide and global hotline dedicated to reporting human trafficking is now in place.
“We have put up not just a nationwide but also a global action line: 1-3-4-3 to fight human trafficking,” the Vice President said.
“By calling up 1343, Filipinos from all over the world can provide information about the exploitation of our workers, and seek help as well,” he added.
He also said that Congress has allocated P50 million to the Department of Justice and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the two main members of the IACAT, for the fight against human trafficking.
This campaign is part of the IACAT’s target to be in Tier 1 status next year.
Three civil society groups are actively involved in the IACAT. These are the VFF, International Justice Mission and the Blas F. Ople Policy Center.
What needs to be done
Flores-Obebanda said the law itself should be made firm enough to convict traffickers. The main dilemma is there are only two convictions for trafficking on forced labor charges while there’s more in sex trafficking.
VFF is calling for the amendment of the law because they see the need to take into consideration that a majority of Filipinos that are leaving are domestic helpers. “Sana mas malawakan at mas ma-articulate yung sa forced labor kasi once mag-defend ka ng victim sa court, ang hirap gamitin yung law to convict a labor trafficker, mas madali yung sa prostitution kasi mas maraming law tungkol doon,” the trafficker advocate said.
Flores-Oebanda also sees the need to sustain the intensified effort to investigate, prosecute and convict effectively an increased number of both labor and sex trafficking offenders victimizing Filipinos both within the country and aboard.
Also, to increase victim shelter resources to expand the government shelter system to assist a greater number of trafficking, including male victims of both sexes and labor trafficking is also on her list.
“There’s a lot of things that still need to be done but we are getting there. Huwag lang tayong titigil,” Flores-Oebanda ended. - Manila Times
Looking for ways to survive, Tina was enticed to work abroad when a recruiter promised her a better life and a high salary without spending a single centavo.
“My friends were already there that’s why I never had second thoughts. I was even very excited,” Tina said. The assurance of getting a high paying job and comfortable working conditions convinced Tina that this will give her family a better life. Being employed as a domestic helper in Kuwait was a dream come true for Tina.
Tina narrated that she received an instant passport and other required documents needed to fly out of the country immediately. “The only information that was real in the passport was my photo. The rest were fabricated,” Tina said. “We were instructed where to fall in line and who to approach and present our documents to. Someone also assisted us in order to expedite the process of boarding the plane,” Tina added.
When Tina arrived in Kuwait, her dreamed-of ticket to a better life became a nightmare.
“I was locked in a room together with other recruits from the Philippines. The room was tiny and packed to the ceiling. We could barely breathe and move, there was no proper ventilation and the smell was terrible,” Tina said.
Tina and others were asked to line up everyday in front of potential employers. “Everyday, different people came in and chose who they liked. We were like commodities; the customers picked the goods they preferred,” Tina narrated bitterly. She waited for several days until someone chose her.
In Kuwait, Tina worked like cattle, “It was a huge 3 story-residential house but I was the only one who did all the tasks. I could barely sleep because I needed to finish chores assigned to me before I could stop to sleep,” she recalled.
Despite the unbearable working condition, Tina opted to stay. “I had no choice. I didn’t know where to go if ever I’d escape. I have no family and I didn’t even know anyone there.”
Sold from one employer to another
Tina was sold from one employer to another. She experienced the same abuse, inhumane treatment and sexual harassment. The then 14-year-old girl was even put behind bars after being accused of stealing. Tina was in jail for six months until the Philippine government arranged her repatriation back home.
Tina came home emotionally distraught. Added to her misery was finding out that her family’s condition had worsened. Tina felt that she was a failure for not having been able to rescue her family from poverty. So despite all the negative experiences working abroad, she tried to leave the country again. But this time, she was intercepted by the Anti-Trafficking Task Force at the airport and was brought to the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF) for psychosocial intervention.
A glimmer of hope
Tina was hostile during her first few days in the shelter. She still insisted in leaving and working abroad for her family. But after series of interventions and aptitude assessment, Tina agreed to go through various kinds of skills development and information technology training courses.
Today, Tina travels in and out of the country not as a child domestic worker but as a human trafficking advocate. She gives testimonies and warnings to other kids about the danger of falling into traps and lures set by the traffickers. “Being able to share my story to other kids is very fulfilling,” she said with excitement, continuing, “I feel that being able to warn other potential victims of human trafficking is a great help especially the younger ones. I’m really happy about this plus I finally have my own and real passport.”
Defender of women and children
Ma. Cecila Flores-Oebanda, is the founding president and executive director of VFF, a Philippine based nongovernment organization known for its innovative work for empowerment of vulnerable migrant especially victims of human trafficking, domestic servitude and other forms of exploitation through building social movements, advocating for policies and delivering of services.
Flores-Oebanda, a native of Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, revealed that she became a political detainee for four years under the Marcos dictatorship.
She was already helping sugar plantation workers, women, youth and children prior to the imprisonment.
“I was fighting for freedom. It was really hard especially in prison. I even gave birth to my second and third children inside the jail. Akala ko hindi na kami makakalabas,” Flores-Oebanda said.
But that didn’t stop her from continuing to pursue her passion of helping others. After her release from detention as a result of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, she began attending a forum every Saturday with her fellow Visayan friends. The weekly forum served as a discussion of issues regarding domestic violence and human trafficking. It gave her the idea to form a foundation that would help these victims. Thus, Visayan Forum Foundation was founded.
“We want to tell other people that Visayan people are also doing things that help to address international and local issues such as human trafficking. We also have the capacity to make a change,” Flores-Oebanda said.
The government estimated that around 300,000 victims are involved annually in human trafficking but Flores-Oebanda believes that it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
To date, the foundation has already helped and rescued 75,000 victims. Ninety-nine percent of them are women and girls.
“After hearing all the heartbreaking stories of the victims I can’t afford to betray them. Lalo na ikaw na lang yung hope nila, tutulong at tutulong ka talaga. [Especially if you’re their only hope, you find yourself really having to help as much as you can.],” she added.
“Ang problema kasi sa human trafficking hindi lang pag na rescue mo tapos na, marami pang kailangan gawin kagaya ng psychological intervention to bring them back to the society. [The problem with human trafficking is that the work is not over after you’ve rescued them, a lot more must be done like pschological intervention to bring them back],” Flores-Oebanda explained. “We need to make sure na ma-reduce ang vulnerability nila kasi pag hindi na address yun, babalik lang sila or mare-recruit ulit sila. Ma-rescue mo sa Manila tapos mamaya ma-re-rescue mo na naman sa Matnog. [We need to make sure that we have reduced their vulnerability because if that has not been addressed, they would just end up going back to the same route or get recruited again. You rescue them in Manila and later you find that you’re rescuing them in Matnog.]”
The modus operandi
Flores-Oebanda explains the trend and how the traffickers operate.
“The target is the poor community, mostly the agricultural area,” she said. Each ‘head hunter’ needs to recruit at least 80 persons. When they meet their quota, the victims will be sent by a RoRo [big public ferry[ to go to their destination. For example, there is the route from Mindanao to Manila. The victims, ages between 14 to 36, will be shipped to Mindanao going to Surigao, then headed to Leyte then Northern Samar, their next stop is Matnog, Sorsogon then finally to Manila.
The victims will be sold to their employers for around $2000 each. “The traffickers will get half of this,” Flores-Oebanda said.
The promise of money and the good life are definitely the reasons why people are lured, explained the VFF’s president. “The traffickers really master the art of deception. A lot of traffickers hide behind the disguise of being immigration people or experts. They tell the targets there’s a great job waiting for them abroad. Then they give you all kinds of promises,” she explained.
Another factor at play is the naïve belief of people that when you find work abroad then you’ll get rich instantly.
When the victims finally arrive in their destination, employers will confiscate their passports and documents. This causes the victims to lose their freedom of movement. They can’t even go out to the street because if the police happens to accost them they would not have any identity document.
“Minsan hindi pa yan pinapakain, para talagang commodity yung tingin nila sa mga Filipino [Sometimes they aren’t even fed. They really see the Filipinos as commodities],” Flores-Oebanda said.
Lots of law enforcers that claim that these victims are willing victims, but Flores-Oebanda vehemently disagrees. “There’s no such thing as willing victims. Wala namang Pilipino na papayag na ibenta sila at papahirapan [There’s no Filipino who would like being sold and be made to suffer],” she said.
Combating trafficking
Flores-Oebanda is very pleased with the Aquino administration because the President himself leads the fight against human trafficking. “Naalis na tayo sa watchlist,” she said.
Earlier, the Philippines was upgraded to Tier 2 status in the US State Department’s 2011 TIP Report, from the previous Tier 2 Watch List standing in the past two years.
The TIP report ranks countries in tiers based on their compliance to the minimum standards of the United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).
Countries in Tier 1 status are those whose governments fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards; while those in Tier 2 are countries that do not fully comply with the minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to do so.
“I commend the government regarding this because they have the highest political will compared to the previous administrations. The initiative comes from the President and Vice President themselves,” Flores-Obeanda said.
Earlier, Vice President Jejomar Binay, the chief of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) announced that a nationwide and global hotline dedicated to reporting human trafficking is now in place.
“We have put up not just a nationwide but also a global action line: 1-3-4-3 to fight human trafficking,” the Vice President said.
“By calling up 1343, Filipinos from all over the world can provide information about the exploitation of our workers, and seek help as well,” he added.
He also said that Congress has allocated P50 million to the Department of Justice and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the two main members of the IACAT, for the fight against human trafficking.
This campaign is part of the IACAT’s target to be in Tier 1 status next year.
Three civil society groups are actively involved in the IACAT. These are the VFF, International Justice Mission and the Blas F. Ople Policy Center.
What needs to be done
Flores-Obebanda said the law itself should be made firm enough to convict traffickers. The main dilemma is there are only two convictions for trafficking on forced labor charges while there’s more in sex trafficking.
VFF is calling for the amendment of the law because they see the need to take into consideration that a majority of Filipinos that are leaving are domestic helpers. “Sana mas malawakan at mas ma-articulate yung sa forced labor kasi once mag-defend ka ng victim sa court, ang hirap gamitin yung law to convict a labor trafficker, mas madali yung sa prostitution kasi mas maraming law tungkol doon,” the trafficker advocate said.
Flores-Oebanda also sees the need to sustain the intensified effort to investigate, prosecute and convict effectively an increased number of both labor and sex trafficking offenders victimizing Filipinos both within the country and aboard.
Also, to increase victim shelter resources to expand the government shelter system to assist a greater number of trafficking, including male victims of both sexes and labor trafficking is also on her list.
“There’s a lot of things that still need to be done but we are getting there. Huwag lang tayong titigil,” Flores-Oebanda ended. - Manila Times
Comments
Post a Comment