Modern-day slavery
Human trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labor, and forced marriage are common forms of modern-day slavery, according to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
In November 2022, four passengers who pretended as airport employees of NAIA were arrested for using fraudulent airport passes. These passengers are bound to other countries to work in various capacities without a working permit. Reports also reveal that 12 Filipinos working abroad were saved from a human trafficking ring said to be based in China and operating in Myanmar on a massive scale.
The Philippines has a sufficient legal arsenal supposedly to deter, detect, and punish persons involved in human trafficking. After Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, was enacted in 2003, an amendatory law — RA 10364, also known as the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 – was passed to give more teeth to the original human trafficking law.
But the passage of the anti-human trafficking law is just a scratch on the surface of a systemic problem plaguing the country. The CHR pointed out that inequality and discrimination primarily contribute to modern slavery. The situation worsened as unemployment escalated due to the pandemic, making more people vulnerable to slavery, especially women, children, and members of indigenous groups.
Modern-day slavery may not show an ugly face like the malnourished and maltreated slaves in the olden times.The devastating effects on trafficked persons and their families are buried in the deep recesses of their consciousness and hidden behind fake smiles amid excruciating pain.
So far, government intervention has been superficial, treating only the symptoms, not the underlying cause. Unless the government successfully eradicates poverty and inequality or narrows the gap between the rich and the poor, modern-day slavery is here to stay.