EDITORIAL – Modern-day slaves

For nearly three decades, underdevelopment and poverty have created the Philippine diaspora. This has its positive aspects, foremost of which is the money remitted annually to the country by millions of overseas workers who otherwise will be jobless or underemployed in the Philippines. Those billions in remittances helped keep the economy afloat during the Asian financial crisis in 1997, and continue to boost the economy in the ongoing global slump.

The negative aspects of the diaspora, however, are well known. Families are often torn apart. Whatever rosy spin you give to it, there is dismay when we learn that teachers and other professionals in the Philippines are forced by economic circumstances to work as domestic helpers abroad. The worst part is that the eagerness of Filipinos to work overseas opens them to abuse and exploitation by human traffickers.

The US State Department, in its annual report on trafficking in persons, said Filipinos risk ending up as modern-day slaves, victims of human traffickers who operate in many parts of the globe. The traffickers prey on women and children, tapping the Internet and sex tourism for their activities, the report said.

While the report noted progress in the Philippines’ campaign against human trafficking, the nation remains in a list of 75 countries that do not fully comply with minimum standards to eliminate the problem. The report identifies 116 countries where human trafficking has been reported, with 15 singled out for their failure to take any action to stop the problem.

The report lauded the arrest and prosecution of human traffickers in the Philippines as well as efforts to stop mail-order bride operations. But the efforts still pale when compared to the scope of the problem, according to the report.

Trafficking of Filipinos overseas starts in the Philippines, and the government must do more to crack down on unscrupulous recruiters. Local governments and civic organizations must be tapped to provide adequate information to prospective overseas workers about the dangers of human trafficking. Philippine diplomatic missions must also intensify efforts to promote the welfare of Filipinos working overseas. The Philippine diaspora isn’t about to end soon, and the nation’s "modern heroes" must be protected from human traffickers.