Trafficking
is the illegal trade in persons through the means of force, deception,
violence, taking advantage of vulnerability, or similar means, for the purpose
of exploitation, which includes forced labor sexual exploitation, removal and
sale of organs and armed activities.[1]
The
crime-fighting office of the United Nations announced that 2.4 million people
across the globe are victims of human trafficking at any one time, and 80
percent of them are being exploited as sexual slaves.[2]
The illicit trade of human trafficking is a $ 32 billion industry based on a
conservative estimate of the United Nations. This is equivalent to PhP 5.68
trillion which is almost twice the 2014 national budget of the entire
Philippine government.
As
a form of modern-day slavery, trafficking in persons thrive as among the most
prevalent and pressing societal injustice proliferating nowadays. The
Philippines as a developing country has rapidly become among the countries with
the most number of trafficking incidences orchestrated by international and
domestic syndicates. The Philippines has been tagged recently by UNICEF with
the fourth highest number of sexually exploited children with a conservative
estimate of 250,000 street children, many of whom are exposed to sexual
exploitation and physical abuse
The
State Department of the United States posits that sex trafficking in the Philippines
is caused by endemic poverty, high unemployment rate, and cultural propensity
toward migration, weak rule-of-law environment and sex tourism. The calamities
that damaged several provinces in the country made our people even more
susceptible to abuses and taken advantage of by perpetrators banking on their
vulnerability.
To
respond to the urgency of addressing this issue, the Philippine Congress
ratified the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (R.A. 9208) in 2003 which was
further strengthened by the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA
10364). The law is considered as among the best legislative measures among
developing countries imposing strict punishments for acts relevant to the
commission of the said crime.
But
like any other laws, the aspect of implementation remains the biggest challenge.
With the aggravation of trafficking in persons, the need to improve law
enforcement capabilities becomes imperative in order to push for crime
prevention and to rescue the victims. Addressing the broken public justice
systems is also necessary to bring advance for criminal accountability. Equally
important is the creation of a holistic approach and interventions for the
restoration of the victims and their reintegration back to the community.
Since
2001, a US-based human rights agency called the International Justice Mission
operating in key cities in the Philippines (Manila, Cebu and Pampanga) in
collaboration with counterparts from government agencies, recorded 351 victims
relieved, 347 suspects arrested, 50 convictions and 35
establishments closed. The advocacy is gaining ground. In 2014, a dedicated
National Anti-Trafficking Unit under the Philippine National Police’s Women and
Children Protection Center has been created. More and more local government
units in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu have passed ordinances against human
trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Civil society organizations have
also significantly shifted its attention and resources in this advocacy.
Upon
the passage of the Anti-Trafficking Law, there have been tangible results are
very encouraging for the Philippines because they show that there is hope for
our public justice system. These successes have increased the public justice
system’s credibility in addressing injustice committed against the poor, thus
increasing the communities’ trust and confidence in it.[3]
No comments:
Post a Comment