I have a voice

I Have a Voice: Trafficked Women — In Their Own Words” reveals to us the life stories of young women who all experienced various forms of violence in their lives. They have undergone healing. We are grateful to them for their openness to share these stories. The very act of retelling is healing, but at the same time, the process is painful.

The publication is a very helpful one on many levels; so we are very grateful to the editors, Angela Reed, RSM, and Marietta Latonio. Angela has been a member of the Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans. She had been a teacher in inner-city schools in Melbourne. She also worked for seven years “as coordinator of Mercy Care, a safe house for women escaping from family violence in Victoria.” For her degree in doctor of philosophy, “her research focused on giving a voice to Filipino women who had been trafficked for sexual exploitation in order to hear their unique insights.”

Marietta Latonio was Angela’s bi-cultural research assistant. “Mayet is a lifelong advocate for the rights of children. She dreams of the day that all children can enjoy all their human rights. She had worked with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for more than 20 years. She is currently employed as the Monitoring and Evaluation officer at the Good Shepherd Welcome House in Cebu, which provides support to the trafficked women.”

The beautiful visuals which accompany the stories were works of Sr. Venus Marie Pegar “a Filipino sister of the Congregation of St. Francis Xavier.”

One of the reasons I find the book very useful is the set of questions after each personal narrative. Riza’s story and all other stories are accompanied by a set of questions for reflection: “What is your response to Riza’s story? Riza was victimized and bullied as a result of being raped. Can you think of other situations in which the victim is blamed? Riza’s mother told her that she was a ‘survivor.’ What does the term ‘survivor’ mean to you? If you had a soundtrack, like a movie, what songs would you include? Why? Complete this sentence: ‘I wish all children could experience…’” Because of the arrangement of parts, the book can be used for various learning experiences in school.

The foreword written by Teresa (Tess) Banaynal Fernandez includes: “As those experiences, and these stories, illustrate, both victims and perpetrators originate in families. If we wish to fight trafficking, we must start with the home. We must be prepared to undertake a massive effort to remind families, especially parents, of the value of every family member, to urge them to respect each individual’s dignity (especially the children and others who are vulnerable), recognizing their basic needs of survival, safety, and protection from all forms of abuse.” This is a very important guide for groups assisting families or involved with those beginning to build their families.

In the conclusion, Angela declares: “The aim of this book, and the study on which it is based, is to give voice to trafficked women about their experiences. In doing so, structural and ideological barriers have been exposed. Research from this perspective becomes an instrument for improving women’s daily lives and influencing public policies and opinion. We see this research as an instrument of transformation, speaking directly to oppressive structures and ideologies, be they economic or socio-political oppressions. It is fitting that we conclude this book by leaving the last words to a woman who knows best the experience of being trafficked for sex.”

“My life was so uneasy, just like a jungle. You survive. It’s very difficult, but you are there to fight, to learn every day, to stand every day. My life is amazing because not everyone has experienced what I experienced as a teenager—I am a survivor.”

The material is actually a very effective tool for raising awareness. In between the personal narratives, there are processing discussions. Before the stories of the young women’s childhood there are observations on the patterns, similarities in their separate lives. First noticed was the abandonment by parents of young children as well as the absence due to death. Then “being born to poverty” is clarified from the local and global perspective. The recourse to domestic labor as a common recourse for young females who are seeking to end poverty is observed.

The struggle for education as well as peer support have also been discussed.

Violence and sexual abuse have been noted and examined. They point out that: “Most women in this sex trafficking research experienced sexual abuse as a child. This combined with other factors, made them vulnerable to further sexual exploitation as adolescents.” “Clinical psychologists Abu Ali and Al-Bahar offer further insights, suggesting that ‘for children who have been sexually exploited, the definition and value of self becomes equated with sexuality. Hence child victims attempt to re-engage in sexualized behaviors to validate their presence and the only self-worth with which they are familiar.”

The publication is very instructive regarding the Kamagayan area of our city, the raids of bars and the use of illegal drugs such as shabu. Several women pointed out that other females taught them to use shabu in order to be able to bear the violations on their persons experienced as prostituted women providing sexual pleasures for sale.

The publication affected me both intellectually and emotionally. So I will surely be using “I Have a Voice: Trafficked Women — In Their Own Words” in the learning sessions with my adolescent students.