Coming Back and Moving On: Life After Human Trafficking

Transcription

1 Coming Back and Moving On: Life After Human Trafficking International Labour Organization Economic and Social Empowerment of Returned Victims of Trafficking in Thailand and Philippines PHILIPPINES Manila CORPORATE RESPONSE How a variety of businesses became aware of human trafficking as an economic issue and how they committed to helping survivors or contributing to the elimination of the crime THE EMERGING GOOD PRACTICE: An employers association encourages the business sector to participate in the economic reintegration process of trafficking survivors and returned migrants by developing policies and services that will benefit them and by promoting survivors as deserving of corporate social responsibility attention. Employer involvement in the Philippines 1 THE INITIAL CHALLENGE: Iloilo Relative poverty and lack of income-earning opportunities at home are the major causes of labour migration. But abroad, many migrants end up in trafficking or abusive situations. Whether by choice or N repatriation, survivors return home, only to find themselves economically crippled. Financial issues facing the returnees (migrants as well) can be multifaceted and differ from Philippines one individual to another. Many trafficking survivors and returned migrants may return without savings or worse, they return with significant debt. The lack of employment opportunities that prompted them to leave Davao 1Employers Confederation of the Philippines. Actions that work: Engaging the business sector in the economic reintegration of returned victims of human trafficking. Draft report. (no date)

2 Coming Back and Moving On: Life After Human Traffick PHILIPPINES initially are still there. Even if work is available, their debts along with living costs could outweigh their earnings. If their families had been relying on their remittances, being out of work or earning a nominal income can be devastating to them and to their families. Income earning is a particularly important aspect of the reintegration process. Thus, for those opting to return to their respective communities, a local productive and remunerative employment or economic opportunity is imperative to address their financial as well as a degree of their psychosocial difficulties. The business sector has typically exercised its corporate social responsibility to provide services to children, the elderly, education, medical care, specific communities or even to the environment but rarely for issues such as human trafficking. Yet, the resources, services and technical expertise of the business sector should be tapped to provide economic assistance and empowerment to trafficking survivors.

3 ing Economic and Social Empowerment of Returned Victims of Trafficking in Thailand and Philippines THE RESPONSE: In 2008, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) expanded its corporate social responsibility initiative to focus on creating opportunities for trafficking survivors and returned migrants. It created an industry-matched capacity-building training programme so that participants were given specific competencies and skills in demand and other opportunities that can help trafficking survivors find a job or develop a livelihood. The ECOP officials believe that human trafficking is not only a social issue 3 but an economic concern as well and that the business or private sector can be actively involved in counter-trafficking efforts through targeted programmes or services. ECOP works to enlighten individuals within the business industry about the serious impact and social and economic cost of human trafficking. The ECOP is a membership-based organization that seeks to enhance labour management relations and ethical management practices as well as address socio-economic development issues through policy advocacy and tripartite consultation at the regional, national and international levels. The ECOP takes the lead in merging the interests of employers in matters pertaining to labour and socio-economic progress. It has about 560 individual companies, and 50 industry associations and chambers of commerce as its members. A major thrust of ECOP s agenda is to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) a voluntary initiative of the business sector to engage in programmes that will not only benefit the company and its employees but the entire community and with a larger impact. The ECOP established a Corporate Social Responsibility Department to encourage members to recognize and play a role in community development. Initially, the CSR Department created the Child-Friendly Committee in 2004 to advocate against child labour in the country. THE PROCESS: As an initial step towards mobilizing the business sector s support in the programme, the ECOP formed a technical working group with nine companies who had previously been awarded for their programmes on child labour prevention (CS Garments, Lopez Group, Central Azucarera don Pedro, Vitarich Corporation, Indophil, Sarmiento Foundation, Splash Corporation, Fujitsu and Mabuhay Vinyl Corp.). An orientation on trafficking and returning issues followed for the working group, named the CSR Committee, and eight local chambers of commerce in areas where the project focused. 2 International Labour Office. HSF AP technical progress report. Second report. July 2008 January 2009.

4 Coming Back and Moving On: Life After Human Traffick PHILIPPINES Through various advocacy and orientation activities, the working group s task was to encourage representatives from other corporations to become involved in the anti-trafficking cause. In consultation with the ILO s Human Trafficking Programme Coordinator, the working group and the ECOP s CSR Department designed a human trafficking orientation workshop for its members. Twenty-four middle-level managers and representatives of employers groups and business organizations participated. At the close of the workshop, they generated a set of recommendations on how to engage the business sector to support anti-trafficking initiatives. Mobilizing ECOP members and partners is not an easy task, especially with an issue so directly related to business. To maximize their effort and time, the ECOP tapped major businesses and corporations in eight areas identified by the ILO as provinces from where many people migrate, of whom many end up trafficked: Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Zamboanga and selected areas in the National Capital Region (NCR). The ECOP also took advantage of working with local chambers of commerce to have a wider reach in these areas. Representatives from those businesses in the eight areas were invited to participate in the trafficking workshop similar to the working group one. When approached to participate, businesses were presented with the case that assisting the fight against trafficking must be regarded as a strategic investment and the benefits of involvement need to be seen as outweighing the costs. Similarly, the commitment to an anti-trafficking policy could ensure the safe operation of the company and the irreproachable conduct of its personnel at all levels, thus guaranteeing the highest distinction for its corporate image. It would build trust and develop good working relations, especially contacts between multinationals and local communities. It also would create within its staff a feeling of pride in being part of a company that adheres to principles and values that protect the dignity of all human beings. Importantly, a company s responsible behaviour could also ultimately contribute to the maintenance of a sound economic environment. The major objective was to raise awareness and educate the business participants (and others from academia, faith-based organizations and local government units who were also invited) on the adverse impact of human trafficking. The participants in each of the eight provincial workshops were asked to examine how they could leverage their networks, tools and mechanisms to provide opportunities in skills training or, ideally, income earning to trafficking survivors. The ECOP s CSR Department staff then solicited commitment from the participating businesses to help in strengthening the economic reintegration opportunities for trafficking survivors.

5 ing Economic and Social Empowerment of Returned Victims of Trafficking in Thailand and Philippines In this process, the ECOP has become a bridge between the business sector and service providers (NGOs and government units) geared towards helping trafficking survivors. For example, the ECOP facilitated the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Splash Foundation (a beauty and cosmetics company) and three ILO NGO partners (Development Action for Women s Network (DAWN), the Batis Center for Women, the Batis AWARE Women s Organization and the Overseas Workers Welfare Association) to provide a cosmetology skills training programme for trafficking survivors. The training program is free but participants and NGOs must adhere to conditions set in the memorandum of agreement, such as complete attendance of the participants in all sessions and daily staff supervision from the NGOs. This is to ensure the full cooperation of the participants and to fully monitor the actual training. The Splash Foundation presents a certificate to the participants upon completion of the course as well as a start-up kit to help them continue applying the skills they gained. The graduates are also monitored the NGOs after two months to see how they are progressing. The NGO or government agency partners match trafficking survivors and returned migrants with either a skills training programme or a job placement scheme. The project team developed a basic catalogue of skills and livelihood training programmes. This catalogue has been transformed into a database which can also be accessed on line through the DSWD website. Women looking to apply for either a job or training programme are then interviewed by an NGO first to see who is interested and willing to participate in a training and then by the corporation offering the opportunity. Initially, the matching was done with corporations as they committed to the cause and expressed their needs. Eventually, the ECOP began to use a survey form to map out available training programmes and job placement services from other business representatives as well who attended a provincial workshop. This part of the process is still in draft form, but the data will be used to create a catalogue of skills and livelihood training programmes. The ECOP solicited commitments from business participants in their CSR agenda in the areas of prevention programmes by educating their employees about human trafficking and directly providing opportunities to survivors through in-house skills training or employment. 3 International Labour Office HSF AP Technical Progress Report. Second Report. July 2008 January 2009.

6 Coming Back and Moving On: Life After Human Traffick PHILIPPINES OUTCOMES: A total of 220 participants (mostly CEOs, human resource managers, training managers, general managers and medical staff) from the business sector as well representatives from academia and faith-based organizations from eight targeted areas attended a workshop (eight individual workshops) and learned about human trafficking. Business representatives committed to various anti-trafficking or 3 reintegration support, such as: I. The advocacy workshop with the Cavite Chamber of Commerce and Industry members resulted in pledges to provide employment or livelihood opportunities. Of them, a garment manufacturer committed to offer an apprenticeship programme to trafficking survivors (one person is preparing for that training). ii. At the workshop with the Bulacan Chamber of Commerce and Industries members, Pascual Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company, pledged to incorporate an orientation on human trafficking on the company s exit interview procedures. Many of its employees were recruited for overseas employment. As part of the exit procedures, the company interviews the employees before they depart for their employment abroad. As a result of the workshop, the company committed to provide those employees with information on trafficking in persons and illegal recruitment so they will not become victims. And a college institution vowed to include human trafficking issues in its business administration curriculum. iii. In the Pangasinan provincial workshop, there was a rich discussion on how hotels, restaurants, internet shops and travel industries should be on guard against human trafficking. A large machine shop and foundry expressed commitment to include human trafficking in its training programme for new staff. iv. In the Nueva Ecija workshop, the city councillor pledged to set up a technical working group to elevate the issue of human trafficking at the City Council level and to set up a fund that returning migrants and trafficking survivors could draw upon for economic reintegration opportunities. A total of 35 women (receiving assistance from three NGO partners) participated in the Splash Foundation s six-day cosmetology skills training course. Fifteen of them went on set up their own salon with support from the DAWN NGO. According to some of the women who participated in the training, such an opportunity gave them both hope to become economically productive and restored their sense of self-worth, trust in themselves and their skills and courage to face challenges and adversities.

7 ing Economic and Social Empowerment of Returned Victims of Trafficking in Thailand and Philippines Although the trafficking workshops under the project have ended, ECOP has committed to include trafficking issues in its CSR agenda. LESSONS LEARNED: Documentation of the commitments and pledges of the business sector can motivate other corporations to recognize human trafficking as an important economic and social issue. It is equally important that commitments are transformed into action and tangible outputs. It is essential to allocate time to follow-up the pledges and monitor and record the activities. Mobilizing the business community to help trafficking victims is an important step because they have the resources to provide various forms of assistance to trafficking victims. And they are increasingly motivated by corporate social responsibility expectations. Corporations should be directed towards groups like trafficking survivors, a sector not traditionally noticed by companies. However, other business issues such as the financial crisis and recession also pose a challenge to high-level management and could affect the priorities of a business to implement CSR programmes and services. Interest on the issue of human trafficking continues to be a challenge among the business sector. Time to educate them to maximize their resource is an important element in the process.

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