Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

Back in highschool, I remember reading the book called the Color Purple.  The novel is about a poor and uneducated 14-year old girl who suffers rape, beatings, maltreatment and all forms of abuse, and endures through all the hardships until she is reunited with family and loved ones at the end of the story.  These stories are based on true events, and sadly these still occur until this day.

What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.  People on the ground like community organizer Elaine says human trafficking is a lucrative business, and that women and children are made vulnerable by poverty and gender discrimination.  In some areas in Cebu, it has become so bad that it was once considered a cottage industry.  Children are robbed of their youth, and end up as broken, empty shells.  People on the ground report children being pimped by their own parents for sex.  Others collect payment for sexual acts performed in front of a webcam.

"Trafficking in Persons" is legally defined in the Republic Act 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003) as:

the recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring, or receipt of persons with or without the victim’s consent or knowledge, within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the person, or, the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation which includes at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or the removal or sale of organs.

Hence, the main elements of human trafficking would include movement, means and motivation.

Where is Human Trafficking?

The Global Slavery Index estimates that in 2016 there are 45.8 million people are in some form of modern slavery in 167 countries.

CNN US Trafficking in Persons Report discusses that on the same day that the new President Rodrigo Duterte assumed power, the Philippines moved up to become a Tier 1 nation. During his State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte declared war against human trafficking.

According to the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report

• Tier 1 means that governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act's (TVPA) minimum standards.
• Tier 2 means that governments do not fully comply, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance.
• Tier 3 means that governments do not fully comply and are not making significant efforts to do so. Myanmar, Sudan and Haiti are currently among the worst offenders for human trafficking.

In Cebu Philippines, the Inter-agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT-7-ACP-VAWC) celebrates World Day against Traffiking in Persons (WDAT) with a multi-sectoral conference at the Mandaue City Sports Complex with all government agencies, non-government organizations and even private sectors involved in efforts towards stopping human trafficking.

The Share A Child Movement Inc works at the level of the barangay, organizing community-based child protection networks and youth advocate groups to report, refer and monitor cases of child abuse in the barangay.  We also conduct information-education campaigns to increase awareness on the rights of the child and the laws protecting children and women.

Other organizations focus on the transportation and tourism sectors, empowering the service providers to detect suspicious movements and report potential cases of human trafficking.  Other organizations specialize in protection of victims and prosecution of perpetuators.

As we celebrate the Philippines' upgrading to TIP Tier 1 especially on World Day against Trafficking in Persons, we continue our efforts to stop all forms of human trafficking in our society, to protect our children and strengthen our families.

When your facebook newsfeed speaks to you

When your FB newsfeed speaks to you

Have you ever experienced that feeling when the universe seems to speak to you?  When everything seems to fall into place?

My life now might be super jampacked with activities left and right, sleepless night, adrenaline rush to meet deadlines... but scrolling down on my FB newsfeed, Angelina Jolie says "let us do the best we can with this life!" and Robin Williams says "make your life spectacular!"

Simply amazing!

Daily Logs

Daily Logs

Since I've been assigned as training officer of our department, I've focused on my role as teacher and trainer, and I embody this role in all my other responsibilities whether in the medical schools where I teach, at the hospital where we have resident physician trainees, or even with my staff in our NGO The Share A Child Movement Inc.  I aim for other people to learn from me, a little something everyday.  The more proper perspective is for me to assist THEM in their self-directed learning.

So one suggestion by the training office is to have a daily diary or a daily log of things you have achieved for that day, or things you have learned.  Back in UST med school days, a favorite surgery consultant introduced me to the "one-fourth sheet of paper a day" addition in knowledge.  I should not be content until I am able to fill up one fourth sheet of paper with new learning.  Regardless of the source, we do learn something new everyday.

Hence, here is my "notebook" for everyone to see.  I realize that my blogs need not be long academic articles that is publish-worthy.  I can publish even simple thoughts that might induce other people to start thinking as well.

I have learned about the outcome-based education, same as the output impact orientation in social development.  They all point to the same thing:  the end measurement of success is the final product!