Unicef noted that child trafficking in the Philippines is the highest incidence of child prostitution in a tourist area.
Wikipedia
I often wonder how different my life would be if my dad and his family not left the Philippines to pursue a better life in the US. I grew up hearing their stories of survival. For example, my uncle carried his baby brother to anyone willing to breastfeed him. The sad truth is that poverty is still prevalent today. 1 out of 4 filipinos live in extreme poverty meaning they don’t have the income for basic necessities.
When I visited the Philippines for the first time this year I loved it. It felt like home. However it was jarring to see modern buildings directly next to rickety shacks.
The exploitation of women and children
Cebu is a hub for human trafficking. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinas are sent overseas in the international sex trade. And 300,000 sex tourists from Japan alone visit every year exploiting both women and children (source: wikipedia). “Unicef noted that child trafficking in the Philippines is the highest incidence of child prostitution in a tourist area.”
I’ve become obsessed with what I could do to help. I don’t yet have an answer but I want to highlight those who are doing something now.
Enter Sam and his team at Regensys. I first heard about his story through my work at Seattle Pacific University. He founded Regenesys specifically to help survivors get out of their predicament by providing them with job training, therapy, support and a community to escape to. I recommend you watch their story on YouTube. It brought me to tears. I met with Sam in person during my visit to Cebu. And I was just as excited to find out that they were filming a follow-up video immediately after my meeting with him. I hope to share his mission with as many people as possible. It was promising to hear his plans for the future but also distressing to learn about the traumas they have been through.
