The Philippines declares war on modern slavery and sexual exploitation

The Philippines is a leading source of migrant workers, with more than nine million Filipinos living overseas and sending funds back to their families.

Many people are forced to seek work far from their homes, due to the lack of education and employment opportunities that the Philippines has to offer.

Studies show that the Philippines has around 1.8 overseas workers, with women making up 60 per cent of the sector.

Desperate for work in an unknown place, these people are often left vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation and abuse.

In 2020, it was estimated that around 784,000 Filipinos were living in modern slavery.

This year, 2023, a global index report that tracked populations' vulnerability to modern slavery, found that around eight out of 1,000 Filipinos are "modern slaves".

From these results, it was estimated that in 2023, the number of people bound by modern slavery in the Philippines has risen to 859,000.

The most recent global index report also notes that Manila, the capital of the Philippines, ranked second in the Asia-Pacific region of the globe in terms of the authorities' response to modern slavery.

The UK authorities have topped the list of countries worldwide for taking the "most action" in fighting modern slavery, while North Korea took the "least action" – according to the latest global index report.

The UK's Migration and Modern Slavery Envoy, Andrew Patrick, revealed: "In the UK, around 200,000 Filipinos make a huge contribution to British society, including the 30,000 healthcare workers in the National Health Service who provide such outstanding care and comfort to their patients."

"Unfortunately, however, Filipinos migrating overseas in other contexts have sometimes been victim to trafficking and other forms of exploitation," Mr Patrick added.

Mr Patrick also spoke of the increase in child exploitation in the Philippines since the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: "The UK works closely with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippines National Police Force to help build the capacity to combat the online sexual exploitation of children, a terrible crime which has no place in our societies. But one which has sadly been on the rise since the onset of the pandemic."

The Philippines received a massive demand for child sex content each year – specifically from their neighbouring region, Australia.

"A lot of the Philippines population speak English quite well which makes it easy for the offenders to communicate and to text and negotiate," Detective Senior Constable Natalie Roesler explained.

Many children in the Philippines are often put on online webcams by their parents and are essentially sold for sexual reasons. Records show that children as young as just 12 months old have been sexually exploited online by their own mothers, to please the several male customers in the West.

A Filipino mother, who is currently serving a life-long prison sentence for facilitating her children's abuse, told reporters: "You have not been there, what we've been through to stay alive. Maybe when you're in my situation, you would understand me."

Jessa Lazarte, a Social Worker with International Justice Mission, explained that the "rescue operations are often very stressful for survivors, especially very young survivors who may not understand right away why they are being separated from their parents".

In 2022, it was estimated by the DH Philippines report and press brief, that at least two million children were subjected to online sexual abuse and exploitation in the past year alone.

The Filipino government have since declared a war on sexual exploitation and modern slavery.

Project bids and proposals that set out to abolish all forms of modern slavery in the Philippines are now being welcomed by the British Embassy in Manila.

Bidders have been advised to limit their proposals up to £27,000. Proposals that cover more than one objective, would also be appreciated.