Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar growth industry because, unlike drugs, which are gone as soon as they are used, humans can be recycled. Because they can continue to be exploited, they’re a better investment for traffickers.
— Criminology professor Terry Coonan

MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — Human trafficking continues to be a nagging issue for the Philippine government despite the progress scored in efforts by the authorities to eradicate the problem.

According to France-based human rights advocate Zita Cabais, Filipino workers are vulnerable to labor trafficking because of widespread poverty and the lack of proper education.

Cabais, a recipient of the 2024 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO), is a trafficking survivor who has transformed her life of hardship into a powerful advocacy for workers' rights in France.

She was among the 13 honorees of the 2024 PAFIOO recognized by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for bringing pride to the Philippines and Filipinos overseas.

But the human rights advocate has downgraded the recognition, saying "I always say this is not recognizing my work but recognizing the crime that I am fighting."

"My fight today is to bring those people back to a normal life and that we, survivors, will be included in a roundtable to improve policies, to protect our country (and) all the people who are already impacted by this kind of crime," she pointed out.

Cabais was a former Filipino domestic worker from Bani, Pangasinan and she found her voice and ignited a passion for helping others after enduring exploitation from her abusive employer. She is now a key figure in the fight against labor exploitation and human trafficking.

Firm in her advocacy, she has championed the rights of her fellow migrant workers by helping many secure legal status while advocating for the ratification of essential labor conventions, and providing crucial support to victims of trafficking and abuse.

Her own experience pushed her to such advocacy to transform lives and advance the cause of Filipino domestic workers across Europe.

In recent months, the problem of human trafficking became even more prominent when hundreds of victims were rescued from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. has repeatedly promised to address the problems of illegal recruitment and human trafficking but during a meeting with International Labor Organization (ILO) delegation in Malacañan, he lamented that human trafficking remains as a plague besetting most southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

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