During the observance of the National Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking (NDPAHT), Bishop Socrates Mesiona, the chairman of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, issued a statement that made an urgent appeal to the government to strengthen the laws and enforcement against human trafficking.
“With respect and urgency, we call on government institutions to continue strengthening the enforcement of anti-trafficking laws, enhance interagency coordination, protect victims, regulate recruitment systems, and address the root causes of trafficking such as poverty, inequality, and lack of decent employment,” the statement of Mesiona said.
The CBCP-ECMI head also asked their 87 dioceses to create their own Diocesan Committee Against Human Trafficking which would help coordinate, prevent, and protect people from being victimized by trafficking syndicates.
“Human trafficking remains a serious and persistent concern in the Philippines. Our country continues to be affected by various forms of exploitation, including illegal recruitment, forced labor, sexual exploitation, and the growing threat of online abuse, particularly involving children,” Mesiona said.
“Many Filipinos are deceived by false promises of employment and opportunity, both locally and abroad. Poverty, displacement, lack of access to education, armed conflict, natural disasters, and the misuse of digital platforms continue to heighten vulnerability, especially among migrants, women, children, and families in marginalized communities,” he added.
He added that those realities are not isolated incidents. They reflect deeper social conditions that demand urgent and sustained response.
He believes that the NDPAHT is a “shared national call” between the church and the government.
Human trafficking remains a persistent concern in countries like the Philippines because it is a complex issue that requires not just a whole of government approach, but also all of society as well, not just the church. Aside from addressing the threats coming from the traffickers, numerous social conditions such as poverty, lack of education, displacement, armed conflict, also contribute in making the marginalized more vulnerable. If the threat of human trafficking is to be completely eliminated, all these factors have to be decisively and sustainably addressed.
As long as the root causes of human trafficking remain, the Church will have to keep reminding the government to strengthen laws and enforcement against it. Only by truly working together can this scourge be eliminated.*
