Beneath the Surface

For those of you who keep up with my other blog, you would have read that I was in the Philippines a few weeks ago. While there, we were sitting in a taxi on the way to the Philippines Manila LDS temple when we saw a group of girls clinging to a jeepney and traveling on a busy road. Totally legal!

It was quite a sight, and I hurriedly took a picture. In my mind, I thought the jeepney was just too crowded, and so they simply "hopped on" to the jeepney via this ingenious method. 

Until the taxi driver informed us that these girls were probably part of a larger criminal syndicate to exploit young children from poorer rural villages elsewhere in the Philippines. Syndicate members would go to these villages and "buy" these children, both boys and girls. Many of their parents think that they are giving their children a better life by agreeing to do so. These children would then be transported to larger cities, such as Manila, where they will be exploited as "cheap laborers" for the syndicates. 

The taxi driver then casually mentioned that when the girls were older, they would be sold into prostitution. 

It broke my heart. 

As we passed by the jeepney, one of them saw that I was taking their picture. Using one hand to cling to the jeepney and keep her balance, she used her other hand to make a "peace" sign as she smiled and posed for my camera. I have a picture that captures her innocence, but I can't bear to put it up. 

It just blows my mind that everything looked so casual and carefree, but underneath lies a story of exploitation and corruption. It is such a complex situation that goes back all the way to the rural villages and criminal syndicates, and the reality is that there is nothing I can do about it, except raise awareness about this situation. I really wish I could do something.