Justice for victims of all forms of Trafficking!
Malaya Movement USA statement for Anti-Trafficking Month
In recognition of Anti-Trafficking Month, Malaya Movement USA asserts our steadfast commitment to the defense of human rights for all, including victims and survivors of human trafficking. The Philippines has one of the largest numbers of trafficking victims in the world, with an “estimated 784,000 people living as modern-day slaves” with between 60,000 and 100,000 Filipino children being victims according to The Exodus Road. These modern day slaves are forced to live in unsafe conditions as either victims of human or sex trafficking.
Our Workers Rights are Human Rights campaign sheds light on the dangerous and exploitative conditions of Filipino workers enabled by the long-standing problems of landlessness, corruption, and foreign intervention in the country. These dire conditions force millions of Filipinos to take on any jobs just to live and support their families, including precarious and unreliable ones that often turn out to be trafficking cases.
One such case is that of the Florida 15 (F15) who are Filipino labor trafficking survivors that have been fighting for justice and accountability since 2008 from their trafficker, Jose “Jojo” Villanueva, for wage theft and forced labor in the hotel and hospitality industry. After a decade of evading justice in hiding, Villanueva is finally being prosecuted in Philippine courts. Since July 2024, the F15 have been testifying in virtual court hearings (VCH) at the Philippine Consulate in NYC, but are being forced by the Philippine government to pay exorbitant fees in order to participate in the hearings. Instead of supporting the survivors, the Philippine government has created barriers in their fight for justice by refusing to waive survivors’ fees so that they may testify in their trafficker’s case.
More recently, off the shores of Washington State, the United 6, a group of Filipino fishermen who, along with 24 other fishermen, were abandoned on their fishing boats for 3 months by the US-based McAdams fishing company and Philippine-based Pescadores hiring agency. The fishermen were victims to restriction of movement, isolation, intimidation and threats, withholding of wages, debt bondage, and other clearly abusive violations of their workers rights.
Now over a year later, the United 6 still have not received adequate response from the Philippine government for their blatant trafficking case. After several months of filing official complaints, the Department of Migrant Workers dragged their feet in making a ruling for the United 6, and the Philippine consulate was slow, ineffective, and dismissive in offering any real support to their case– delaying the investigation by requesting that the United 6 resubmit their documents for the fourth time, and giving lip service to their traffickers. So far, each United 6 member has received only $530 (30,000 PHP) in AKSYON funds– a measly amount compared to the over 6 months of stolen wages they're owed by Pescadores and McAdams.
For the Florida 15 and the United 6 campaigns, we echo the demands for accountability from the Philippine government until true justice is served.
Donate to the F15 Legal Fund: tinyurl.com/DonateF15
Learn more about the F15: linktr.ee/Justice4Florida15
Learn more about the United6: linktr.ee/justiceforunited6
Learn more about our Workers Rights are Human Rights Campaign: malayamovement.com/workersrights
Get involved with Malaya Movement USA: bit.ly/JoinMalaya
