The flash of colored lights, the intense pulse of a dance track’s bass beat, damp tropical air: these are the trappings of what could be considered a good party. But for some teenage attendees in the Philippines, their experience was anything but a good time.
Traffickers were selling these girls, most of them minors still in school, for sexual services at parties and in private karaoke bar rooms. The adult female and male perpetrators advertised on social media, detailing the kinds of services that partygoers could demand from the vulnerable teenagers.
Despite their young age, these girls could not hope for any mercy from the traffickers who exploited them. One of the teenagers was pregnant; her traffickers demanded that she continue servicing clients anyway. If the girls wanted protection to avoid infection, the traffickers deducted a fee for each condom from their already meager pay.
As The Exodus Road’s team in the Philippines reviewed the social media advertisements, they could tell that these girls were likely underage — and could not consent to the sexually exploitative events. Meticulous investigation confirmed our suspicions.
Our team, working in support of multiple partner law enforcement agencies, crashed the illicit parties. They moved on a few sites where the girls were being forced to entertain. Traumatized and confused, the girls were scared, unsure if they were in trouble. But government social workers were there to reassure and bring them to shelters to be safely interviewed and cared for.
Law enforcement arrested five perpetrators on charges of trafficking. Even as they processed the traffickers’ statements, police learned that their work wasn’t yet complete: pieces of a network still exist to this day. They will continue diligently pursuing others in the criminal ring who are exploiting other girls.
Thank you for diligently supporting safety for girls like these survivors in the Philippines!
