Since Sarah Balabagan became a poster girl for victims of human trafficking in 1996, more effort has been made to address the problem and promote the welfare of the millions of Filipinos working overseas. But there are still too many Filipinos who find themselves in the same circumstances that drove Balabagan to lie about her age and set off to work as a maid in the Middle East when she was just 15. The fourth in a brood of 14, half of whom died in childhood, Balabagan grew up in poverty in Sultan Kudarat. An uncle was reportedly responsible for her overseas recruitment.
Poverty continues to drive many Filipinos, including minors, to find whatever job can be had abroad. Those with spurious documents or who lie about their qualifications are the most vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse and labor exploitation. A relatively new phenomenon is the recruitment of Filipinos as drug mules, with the promised pay so high people are willing to risk being caught even in countries where drug trafficking calls for capital punishment.
Human trafficking is a problem within the country itself. Poverty, youth underemployment, natural disasters and armed conflict make people, particularly women and children, vulnerable to human traffickers. The United Nations’ special rapporteur on trafficking in persons, visiting the Philippines for several days, said cases of human trafficking in the country are underreported, with the various agencies tasked to deal with the problem providing confusing and conflicting data. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo also noted the low rate of prosecution and conviction of human traffickers.
Among other things, the UN special rapporteur is suggesting the creation of special courts to handle human trafficking cases as well as the appointment of a national coordinator for the anti-trafficking campaign. Some progress in the campaign has been made in recent years, but human traffickers are also constantly finding new ways of evading the law. Like other problems that are rooted in poverty, human trafficking is likely to persist, and requires a relentless campaign.