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The Philippines

The Philippines is a tourist paradise, offering beaches, rich cuisines and colorful festivals across its 7000 islands.

Human trafficking is prevalent in the island nation, a crisis fuelled largely by poverty and a booming tourism industry.

Population: 106M

Language: Filipino

TIP: Tier 1

Destiny Rescue is actively fighting child sex trafficking in the Philippines. Working in partnership with law enforcement, our agents find victims of child sex trafficking and coordinate sting operations to rescue children and bring perpetrators to justice.

 

Destiny Rescue Philippines is an augmented assistance program that provides resources and logistics to partnered law enforcement agencies and national government agencies for the purpose of rescuing children from sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Agencies include multiple divisions of the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

 

Sex trafficking
and exploitation

Philippines

 

Young girls, often from marginalised communities, can end up trapped in the sex industry while seeking employment. Lured in with the offer of waitressing at a bar, girls serve drinks and sit with male customers who touch them inappropriately and solicit them for sex.

While the girls may be experiencing hell on earth, they can be too afraid to return home or disclose their actual situation, fearing they will cast shame on their family or community for being a “former prostitute.”

The Philippines also currently ranks number one in the world in online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that OSEC cases in the country rose by 280% in 2022.

In 2023, Destiny Rescue’s work in the Philippines accomplished:

137

RESCUES

20

RAIDS

31

ARRESTS

Latest rescues in the country

18
Two simultaneous raids rescued seven girls and 11 women from sex trafficking.
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1
A 6-year-old girl was rescued from online sexual exploitation in the Philippines.
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5
Five girls between the ages of 14 and 16 were rescued in collaboration with law enforcement.
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“I’m here for you. You just don’t know it yet.”

Burn Rescue Agent, Philippines

 

Our work in the Philippines

Large-Scale Raids

Our rescue agents collaborate with law-enforcement teams to identify child sex trafficking victims and gather the evidence needed to build a legal case against their traffickers. We collaborate with multiple government agencies to coordinate a sting operation and free victims, arrest offenders and shut down establishments.

Post-Rescue

After a raid, our social workers work alongside government social workers to ensure that the survivors’ immediate needs are met including temporary housing, care and essential items.

Anti-trafficking Expertise

We have helped rescue children, and even adults, from various types of trafficking in the country such as labor and cybersex trafficking. Our team’s expertise is recognised, used, and valued by law enforcement.

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We operate rescue and reintegration programs in multiple countries across the world. Learn more about our mission to help end child sexual exploitation and trafficking in our lifetime.

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Stories from the Philippines