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“It smells bad, but it’s so delicious!” exclaims Luce, fondly recalling the taste of durian, the infamous fruit from her home province of Davao del Sur. It’s been more than a decade since Luce lived there as a four-year-old girl, but the smell evokes a powerful emotional memory. Durian, notorious for its pungent smell and sweet taste, is a lot like the stories of the trafficking survivors who now live under the care of Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF), scarred by trauma and inspired by hope.
Luce is one of fifteen young women, aged 14 to 18 years, currently living, learning, healing and now gaining ICT skills at VFF’s headquarters in Cubao, Metro Manila. In addition to daily computer training courses, Luce and other residents can be found in classrooms, learning to sew bags they hope to eventually sell, or in the kitchen preparing meals of adobo and rice for each other. They are a learning community. VFF’s holistic treatment program has incorporated ICT to promote psychological healing via community building and self-expression, job training and social inclusion.
Migrant labor and the risk of human trafficking
Luce has not seen her family since she left her home province. She is not certain how she was separated, but she knows that around the age of four she was passed to Davao City, then to General Santos, and then trafficked to Manila where she was recruited under false pretenses as a domestic cook. Just over a year ago VFF’s network of local law enforcement and other front line interceptors who are vigilant for “red flags” found her. Luce was working from 4am to midnight without pay. Physical abuse was a daily reality until VFF coordinated a legal intervention. Her experience is typical of those, like her, living at the VFF safe house.
Migration for work in the Philippines is a common reality. The combination of minimal rural opportunities and many stories of people that have migrated and found employment drives people to the cities. The culture is intertwined with mobility, however low social status, lack of education, and few reliable information sources leave workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation from unscrupulous employers and human traffickers. Criminal networks prey on these populations. In the words of one anti-trafficking advocate: “The people moving to the city looking for work take what they can get. Like anyone visiting a strange new place, they need help. They need guides. And traffickers oblige, using trickery, coercion and deception to capitalize on the migrants’ desperation. That’s how they make their money.” They promise jobs. But these jobs often entail exploitation, violence, poor working conditions and little hope for improvement.
Using technology to support women and children
VFF, a prominent anti-trafficking organization, recognized that after-care services for survivors represented an important gap in their overall programming. They also recognized a desire among participants to attend computer classes and began d