On June 26, 2022, HAPI-Cagayan de Oro and Youth Volunteers for Peace and Development (YVPED) along with the Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay Pualas conducted the second leg of their Anti-Human Trafficking Symposiums at Barangay Pualas, Baungon, Bukidnon. The workshop gathers local youth to discuss Anti-Trafficking in Person (ATIP) and Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OSAE), emphasising the role of human rights in their community’s progress.
[H]ow dare we claim to own a human being? We cannot own a person.
The organisers outlined the three elements of human trafficking: the act, the means, and the purpose. The event aimed to help the youth spot these red flags and let them plan their defensive course of action. At the end of the talk, participants were asked how they would increase awareness about ATIP and OSAE and stop human trafficking in their community.
The pandemic worsened human trafficking as more perpetrators utilized online forms of trafficking. Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some labour or commercial sex act against the will of the person trafficked. In some cases, they may use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to get what they want. Trafficking victims include men, women, and children of all ages, races, and nationalities.
This cruel system is essentially modern-day slavery. It is the worst practice of all time because how dare we claim to own a human being? We cannot own a person. We are all human beings who have families and who need to work and create a life of our own; perpetrators of human trafficking deprive their fellow humans of this freedom. The systems that safeguard the quality of human life have improved for thousands of years but remain imperfect. Human trafficking, named the third most profitable crime industry on Earth, is proof of this.
Today, there are about 27 million people caught in the trap of human trafficking around the world, children included. While it is difficult to ascertain the exact numbers, sources like Women on Guard say millions of victims are forced into marriage and sexually exploited.
The best way to combat human trafficking is to educate society, especially the youth, as traffickers depend on the naïvety of their victims to gain their trust. Taking this away from the traffickers could save so many lives. Making sure that the youth and other sectors of society know how to deal with the red flags and other signs of human trafficking could be the best defence against this heinous phenomenon.
Editor’s Note: This piece was updated in July 2024 to more accurately state worldwide statistics regarding human trafficking.
