PERHAPS due to the public’s fixation with the recent midterm elections they missed this news: 33 women victims of human trafficking were separately rescued in simultaneous operations of the Aklan police last month in Boracay Island. The women were exploited as commercial sex workers in one of the world’s most famous island resorts.
We have shown significant improvements in combating human trafficking. In the 2014 Global Slavery Index, the Philippines was No. 1 in Asia and No. 29 worldwide out of 166 countries in terms of government response against human trafficking. These numbers should not, however, give us a sense of complacency. While this is laudable, we cannot celebrate just yet because we know that there are still many Filipino women, children and men here in the country and in other parts of the world who are hoping and praying that soon they will be rescued from slavery and be able to tread on a new path for a much brighter future.
How do we stop human trafficking?
A strengthened information and education campaign would help combat the illegal human trade. Preventing the crime and protecting our women and children from trafficking can actually start at home by educating them on how they can protect themselves, including on the responsible use of the internet.
Yes, there should be a massive information and education campaign against all forms of human trafficking, including even cyber pornography. Technological advancements, such as the internet, are supposed to make life easier and get things done faster. But unscrupulous individuals have been taking advantage of these innovations. The internet has become a new avenue for human trafficking. With the internet allowing communication to cross national borders in a matter of seconds, everything is now within reach, and even human trafficking can now be done online through cyber sex trafficking. There are new challenges brought by human trafficking, such as cybersex.
The illegal human trade is a complex web. Battling it requires a concerted effort from all sectors of society.
