In The Exodus Road’s first-ever operation in the Philippines, 9 girls and 2 young women have been liberated!
The two traffickers who offered sexual services from minors online have been arrested.
An estimated 60,000 to 100,000 children are involved in commercial sexual exploitation in the Philippines. This is one of the reasons The Exodus Road began working there in the spring of 2021. Since that time, our Filipino staff have been building trust and relationships with law enforcement and NGOs, which led directly to this case.
In this operation, The Exodus Road collaborated with another NGO to gather evidence of 2 pimps grooming young girls for sex trafficking and advertising them on Facebook for sexual services. After investigations, our operatives delivered a target package to local law enforcement that was actionable for human trafficking crime.
In sting operations at a cock-fighting venue and motel, The Exodus Road operatives and law enforcement were able to catch the traffickers in the crime. By arresting these traffickers, they will begin to halt the ugly cycle of human trafficking in this community.
The girls and women removed from the hands of the traffickers are receiving care from a government aftercare center.
Their healing process will be a long one.
As Buddy Bartido, Philippines Country Director, says, “Victims, most of them women and children, are subjected to repeated physical and emotional abuse, threats to self and family, rape, coercion, and loss of dignity and honor.”
The long-term goal of Buddy and this dedicated team in the Philippines is to restore the dignity, or “Sanghaya” in Tagalog, to survivors of human trafficking.
Thank you for partnering with us in honoring and upholding the dignity of the women and children who are vulnerable to exploitation in the Philippines!
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