Saved from Slavery, Intercepted to Freedom

Every morning Sam wakes up to a war that’s older than her.

Gunshots are heard in the middle of the night. Armed men are everywhere. Early in the morning, children flock not to school but to their farmland. They are pale and skinny; their ribs are showing. This is Mindanao, home to Sam and millions of Filipino children who were caught in crossfire between rebel Muslims and the Philippine government.

Sam and her family have been running away every time the government and rebel Muslims exchange fire. Her father is a farmer but since their frequent evacuation took its toll on their livelihood, they depended on relief goods to survive.

While some sympathized with them during these trying times, there were also those who took advantage in the disguise of helping them. They were being promised of a better life by working abroad. With the assurance that they will not spend single centavo, speedy process of their papers and higher income, many have fallen victim.

Among them was Sam, who was easily convinced to work abroad in order to help her family.

At 14, Sam left home to work as domestic helper in Kuwait. “My friends were already there that’s why I never had second thoughts,” Sam said.

“I was even excited,” she shared.

The promise of a high paying job and affluent working conditions convinced Sam that leaving home will give her family a better life. She was also told that an employer is already waiting for her in Kuwait. 

She got an instant passport and other pertinent documents needed to fly out of the country. “The only information that’s real was my photo. The rest were fabricated”, she said. They were also instructed where to fall in line and present their documents, which showed the collusion between the traffickers and airport personnel.

When Sam landed Kuwait, no employer showed up. Instead she was locked in a room together with other recruits from the Philippines. The room was hell-like, Sam remembers. “The room was very little and jam-packed. We could barely stretch our bodies. It has no proper ventilation and the smell was terrible,” she added.

The room was only opened when a potential employer came in. “They will just drop by and chose who they like,” says Sam. After days of waiting, an employer picked her up.

She was employed as domestic worker to a 3-story residential building. “It was a huge house but I was the only one who have to do all the tasks. I could barely sleep because I need to finish all the tasks that were assigned to me.” 

Through the slave-like working conditions, Sam decided to stay. She had nowhere else to go.

Sam was sold from one employer to another, always enduring the same condition. She even experienced sexual harassment. Worst, she was put into jail after being accused of stealing. Sam stayed behind bars for six months until the Philippine government repatriated her to the Philippines.

But Sam’s return was not without vain, as she discovered that her family’s condition got worse. Their house was burned during the conflict of warring families. And so despite all her tortuous experiences in working abroad, she decided to press her luck anew.

But this time, she was intercepted by the Anti-trafficking Task Force at the airport and brought to Visayan Forum Foundation for psychological intervention.  

While in the custody of VF, she underwent several trainings including skills development, information technology and life skills trainings.

Today, Sam still travels in and out of the country, not as a child domestic worker anymore but as a human trafficking advocate.

And she finally has her own, genuine passport.