A bar girl’s journey

Last Part

‘VICTIMS TOO ’

DO recruiters, bar owners, and prostitution den operators need rescue as well?

The International Justice Mission (IJM) says their focus is on trafficking victims.

“We have no program to assist (traffickers). What we hope will assist them is information about other traffickers who have gone to jail. We hope that will assist them in reassessing,” said IJM-Philippine national director and lawyer Andrey Sawchenko.

Without forgetting the dignity of a person, Sawchenko said it is important to note that traffickers commit violence and take advantage of others.

He said traffickers are not as receptive to the programs and interventions by IJM.

“Our service to traffickers, primarily, is to make them see that law enforcement activities would be distributed broadly and that it could be them next (apprehended) so they should stop,” Sawchenko said.

“The person who can stop trafficking is not actually the law enforcer, although the law enforcer has a lot to do about it. It’s certainly not the victim, it’s not the NGO. It’s really the traffickers who have to decide themselves to stop trafficking,” Sawchenko said.

Some who survive, like Victoria, still hope for more than a full stop.

“Sa mga traffickers, kahibalo ko nga usa sad sila ka biktima. Unta, hunahunaon nila nga biktima na sila, dili na sila mamiktima,” Victoria said.

(I know that traffickers are also victims. I hope they realize this and that therefore they shouldn’t victimize others.)

“I hope nga mahimo pud sila nga usa ka advocate (against trafficking).”

(I hope they become advocates too against trafficking.)

*For this story, CDN agreed not to use the real name of the woman interviewed to protect her privacy.  /Correspondent Jose Santino S. Bunachita