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.

We stand in solidarity with the 24 Filipino fisherfolk who were abandoned by their employers at a port in Washington state for months. It is shameful that US based company McAdams and PH based recruitment agency, Pescadores, endangered the lives of our kababayan, leaving them with little access to communication, food and water, and no clear path to return home. As an organization committed to defend human rights, it is imperative we amplify issues faced by Filipino workers who are especially vulnerable to maltreatment and unsafe working conditions.