It is considered a taboo topic for many. Others do not care to talk or think about it. Its victims come from all parts of the globe and ages. Human trafficking is a crime. It is the recruitment and transportation of people for exploitation. The person who sits across me is a human trafficking survivor. I am grateful that she allowed me to interview her. She wishes to be known as Lara dela Cruz.
Lara is the same age as me, seventeen, but the way she reiterates her story and with her expression, she seems much older, much wiser. As she speaks, her brown eyes are wide, looking straight into mine but her hands tell a different story. Under the table, her hands are wringing. Her voice starts out strong and with feelings, as if reciting a poem to an audience.
She was born and raised in Davao del Sur. She came from a broken family. Money was scarce that was why she started working at a tender age as a helper and vendor of candies. “My mom abandoned me at three, taking my two older siblings with her. My father died when I was seven. I had to work for my tuition fee for elementary and other necessities just so we could survive.” She was not able to attend high school. Instead, she helped around with the work by cleaning, selling and fishing. I ask what her hobbies were. Her round nose wrinkles. I wonder if I had offended her, but she continues with her tone noticeably flat. “I had no time for hobbies.”
She tells me explicitly how she got into her ‘situation’. A woman went to their barrio recruiting people for an agency which offers jobs that include working as a clerk, a sales lady, or a helper. Lara jumped at the opportunity. They needed money and a job in Manila was a solution. Even if she was fifteen, a minor, the woman said it was allowed.
According to research, many of these people, who are fooled by these promises and coerced into these circumstances, lack money and opportunity. The situation worsens because the laws against human trafficking, like Republic Act 9208 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, are weakly enforced. Sometimes, the officials themselves are behind these syndicates that are responsible for it. According to the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report, human trafficking ranks third after arms and drugs as the largest criminal acts in the world.
She was sent to another area where she waited for two weeks. She was told that they needed to accumulate people. When they reached thirty plus people, they all piled into one van then got into a boat that headed for Manila. A little incredulous, I ask her if there was a time she was suspicious. She shakes her head and looks down. They were ordered not to talk to anyone or ask any questions. “We had to pass by DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) and I was given a birth certificate that said that I was nineteen years old. We got through.”
As she continues her story, she inhales sharply and repeatedly puts her long, layered hair behind her ears, as if trying to gather courage and finish. She fidgets from time to time as she nears the darker portion of the tale. She carries on saying that the moment she stepped on the pier, a family picked her up and restrained her hands. Lara knew something was terribly wrong.
“Before I could call for help, people were already leaving with their new bosses.”
There are three locations involved in human trafficking. In Lara’s case, she was deceived and transported from her source location, Davao del Sur, to the transit location where they waited for others and her destination, Manila, where her employers lived.
The agency asked for ten thousand pesos for their fee. It meant three months without pay. But after six months with the Chinese family that employed her, she received no salary. She tells me how she and her fellow helper were padlocked in a small room when the family would leave. The food given to them were leftovers. Sometimes, they had to force themselves to eat spoiled food. She and her companion were treated like animals.
“There wasn’t a day that you would not get hit or slapped, even if you did a good job. No questions were asked. We slept at midnight and started working at two in the morning. We were not allowed to have with contact anyone. It was just the two of us.”
Exploitation comes in different forms forced labor, holding a person captive, removal of organs and sexual exploitation, but in her case, domestic violence. I look at her arms and see lines and spots. I know better not to ask.
I know for sure these are bitter memories. Her face was expressionless. Her arms are moving faster than before. I imagine how hard she is wringing her hands under the table. The words coming out of her mouth seem strangled.
One day, her employer forgot the keys on top of the table. Lara knew it was her chance to escape. Without second thoughts, she took the keys to escape from the hellhole she was in. Her companion did not come with her, fearing the employer. Her request was that Lara would come back for her. Finally free, Lara ran until she found a policeman. She reported her case. Her employer and agency were called and both claimed they never heard of her. “My former employer was called to the police department. I was going to file a case. They offered me eight thousand pesos. I accepted it. I had nothing to start from.”
I ask how she found herself with Visayan Forum Foundation, an internationally recognized NGO that provides a safe haven for women and children that have similar experiences. She says someone suggested it to her. Lara starts to smile as we shift to a lighter topic.
Comparing herself now from before, she says she is more mature and has a value of self-worth. She is taking high school classes and helps in Visayan Forum. She plans to finish high school and dreams of attending college for Journalism. She contacts her family in Davao once in a while. I politely inquire if she has any regrets and she smiles wistfully.
“I don’t regret being caught in that ‘situation.’ I speak about this because I know I can help and prevent this from happening to others. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t enjoy my childhood. I didn’t have one.”
I am not the first person to interview Lara and it must hurt to constantly recount such experiences but she continues to do so for her advocacy against human trafficking. It takes immense courage and strength to be able to endure the same ordeal. “I think the reason why I had to go through all those is because there are so much more people out there who need help, my help. I am lucky to be where I am now.”
As she finishes her story, she jokes around with me. She freely gesticulates, her hands finally in the air. There is a twinkle in her eyes and her whole face lights up. Looking at her, one would not think she had been a trafficking victim. It is no wonder why Lara is a survivor.
Note:
This interview took place in Visayan Forum Foundation Inc, an NGO that is actively participating in the war against human trafficking and domestic violence. It is located in 18 12th Avenue, Barangay Soccoro, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City.
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