UCAN REPORT:
Rally organizers hope event will kick-start govt action on exploitation
People take part in the 'Walk for Freedom' against human trafficking in Makati, in Manila. (Photo by Jolly Lais)
Hundreds of people joined a “Walk for Freedom” in Manila today to call for government action against child labor, sex tourism, debt bondage and domestic servitude.
“The Walk for Freedom is our stand against trafficking and slavery,” said Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, executive director of Visayan Forum, a non-governmental organization known for “innovative” work against human trafficking and exploitation.
The group had said it was expecting at least 10,000 people to attend but only several hundred turned up for the early morning event in Makati, the central business district.
“This is a full force action from different sectors of society to show that we Filipinos will not tolerate slavery in any form,”
Flores Oebanda said.
She hoped the protest would “set in motion a national social movement that will challenge a prevailing sense of apathy and helplessness against this type of social illness.”
The Visayan Forum says thousands of the country’s people have been victimized by traffickers.
Latest data from the International Labor Organization show that women and children from the Philippines and Indonesia figure highly among an estimated 9.5 million victims of forced labor in the Asia-Pacific region, over three-quarters of the global total of 12.3 million victims.
Women and children from the Philippines and Indonesia are reportedly trafficked for sex in countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia.
There are also problems at home with abuses being committed against workers as a result of repressive working practices, substandard conditions, lack of a minimum wage and denial of other working privileges.
But Visayan Forum says the future shows promise.
“Over the years, the fight against trafficking has become more intense and has brought sufficient returns,” Visayan Forum said in a statement earlier this week.
SHARED FROM UCAN NEWS
“The Walk for Freedom is our stand against trafficking and slavery,” said Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, executive director of Visayan Forum, a non-governmental organization known for “innovative” work against human trafficking and exploitation.
The group had said it was expecting at least 10,000 people to attend but only several hundred turned up for the early morning event in Makati, the central business district.
“This is a full force action from different sectors of society to show that we Filipinos will not tolerate slavery in any form,”
Flores Oebanda said.
She hoped the protest would “set in motion a national social movement that will challenge a prevailing sense of apathy and helplessness against this type of social illness.”
The Visayan Forum says thousands of the country’s people have been victimized by traffickers.
Latest data from the International Labor Organization show that women and children from the Philippines and Indonesia figure highly among an estimated 9.5 million victims of forced labor in the Asia-Pacific region, over three-quarters of the global total of 12.3 million victims.
Women and children from the Philippines and Indonesia are reportedly trafficked for sex in countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia.
There are also problems at home with abuses being committed against workers as a result of repressive working practices, substandard conditions, lack of a minimum wage and denial of other working privileges.
But Visayan Forum says the future shows promise.
“Over the years, the fight against trafficking has become more intense and has brought sufficient returns,” Visayan Forum said in a statement earlier this week.
SHARED FROM UCAN NEWS
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