2021
As a country, we have endured many types of collective trauma brought by health and economic crises and natural and man-made disasters, but I’ve seen Filipinos come together and rise each time. With your support and partnership, I expect to witness the power of a renewed sense of resilience and collective action as we move forward. remain healthy, present, and focused.
The year 2021 marks Voice of the Free’s 30th year in the fight against human trafficking. Regrettably, the ripple effects of the pandemic have magnified pre-existing problems in the Philippines such as displacement, unemployment, labor issues, and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, making the fight against trafficking an arduous journey. However, ihas also challenged us to rethink our strategies.
We at Voice of the Free vow to continue combining partnership and movement building, prevention efforts, protective care services, and policy and advocacy to combat human trafficking and modern slavery in the country. But global issues such as modern slavery are something we cannot resolve in isolation — we must continue working in collaboration with other changemakers and social innovators to achieve fundamental social impacts. And so, I express my deep gratitude to our stakeholders for the relentless support, service, and commitment to the slavery movement for the past three decades.
In the Philippines, thousands of local and migrant workers have lost their jobs and livelihoods, bringing more families closer to poverty and vulnerable to trafficking. A 264% increase in incident reports of Online Sexual Exploitation Cases (OSEC) was recorded during the first three months of government-imposed lockdowns. The same upward trend is likewise observed in domestic abuse and violence cases. The pandemic has brought major setbacks in multi-stakeholder anti-trafficking efforts, leading to rising of other forms of human trafficking and new challenges to monitoring forced labor cases.
Still, Voice of the Free is committed to empowering Filipinos from all forms of modern-day slavery through Protection, Partnerships, Prevention, and Policies.
There’s still plenty of work to do, but we continue looking for ways to improve our strategies and bring every Filipino closer to freedom.
Voice of the Free implemented multiple strategies to alleviate the impacts of the pandemic on food and job security, especially in vulnerable groups.
The Covid-19 pandemic is more than a health crisis — it’s a struggle for food, income, and security, especially for socioeconomically vulnerable families.
Through the support of the Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation and Skoll Foundation, VF has provided emergency food packs, hygiene kits, and primers on COVID-19 safety and human trafficking to 4,600 families to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and natural disaster - Typhoon Vamco.
These efforts ensure that these communities access information and basic needs, alleviating their vulnerability to abuse, exploitation, and trafficking.
Work Skills Connect PH is an online community platform created by Voice of the Free to respond to the massive displacement of local and migrant workers. It aims to connect displaced migrant and local workers to decent work and livelihood opportunities in their area. Job seekers can access helpful information on available government services and decent opportunities to reduce their vulnerability to unsafe migration and human trafficking.
The program was piloted in Negros Occidental, a province in Western Visayas, where it has reached 1,519 job seekers since the WSC's launch in August 2020.
Voice of the Free partnered with government agencies and civil society organizations including Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), PESO Offices, and the Overseas Filipino Worker Federation of Negros Occidental to offer comprehensive assistance to displaced workers.
Voice of the Free amplified its efforts against Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSAEC) by partnering with community pantries and community kitchens in identified OSAEC hotspots within Metro Manila in June 2021.
Give what you can, take what you need.
Community pantries are community-led food banks that operate by the idea ‘Give what you can, take what you need’ where people can donate food supplies to provide to those in need. VF partnered with four volunteer organizations running community pantries to supplement their food supply and distribute informational flyers on human trafficking, OSAEC, and helplines. An estimated 2,200 benefited from the donations coursed through VF.
I am now living with my family, and I am thankful for the psychosocial support — from counseling to livelihood assistance— VF has continued to offer. Recently, I completed a one-month social entrepreneurship training. The training gave me the chance to look for other ways to earn when I became unemployed due to the pandemic. I started a small food business which became my primary source of income during that time. Online counseling has also always been useful in helping me understand myself better. And now, thankfully, things are slowly going back to normal. I am employed as customer support in the online store and at the same time attending school.
Center of Hope gave me so many opportunities that equipped me with skills and knowledge that have helped me cope and live my life. Everything I’ve learned led me to better opportunities.
What began as tennis training is now a full sports program at the Center of Hope including tennis, karate, and volleyball.
Crazy About Sports (CAS) is a group that aims to nurture children's passion for sports. In 2020, the group offered scholarship grants to girls who have shown potential and dedication in sports. Scholarships have so far been given to four survivors. Three scholars are currently in college while one is finishing her studies under the Alternative Learning System education program.
All survivors under Voice of the Free's care are encouraged to join at least one activity to foster their physical strength, social skills, and discipline. Center of Hope also offers other non-CAS strength training and physical fitness activities such as boxing and ballet.
The pandemic has tested our individual and collective resilience. Despite the overwhelming challenges, Voice of the Free has remained committed to protecting and empowering the most vulnerable. We adopted new methods and strategies to provide essential services to our beneficiaries and the people needing our interventions during this trying time.
The impact that we have accomplished is all thanks to our hardworking and dedicated staff. Thank you for your outstanding service and dedication. I would also like to thank our Board of Trustees for their expertise and guidance. On behalf of the Voice of the Free team and survivors, I express our sincerest gratitude to our donors, partners, and volunteers — our allies in the fight against human trafficking — for supporting our programs. Your contributions enabled us to sustain our work, helping us reach more individuals, families, and communities and mitigate their vulnerabilities to all forms of abuse during this crisis.
And finally, to our beneficiaries, the survivors, and communities we work with, thank you for being paragons of change and hope. As we steadily regain our footing as an organization, we aim to help more individuals in the years to come.
Along with our pillar programs, we’ve also lodged anti-human trafficking efforts into disaster response initiatives, community-led projects, and various online activities.
Phone: (02) 570 6994
Email: info@voiceofthefree.org.ph
