FR.SHAY CULLEN TESTIFIES BEFORE US CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE

FR.SHAY CULLEN TESTIFIES BEFORE US CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE

On Wed. April 22nd, Shay Cullen testified before the U.S. Congress to the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. The purpose of this hearing is to provide input to the US State Department’s Annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

See link for US Annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

<http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/index.htm>

Fr.Shay Cullen attended the hearing at 1.30 PM and in his verbal presentation, illustrated with photographs pointed to his 46 years experience in the Philippines working for the dignity and rights of Filipino women and children and he focused on the trafficking and abuse of children in brothels, on the street and the jailing of street kids used by criminal begging syndicates and drug pushers. He highlighted the suffering of children in some government detention centers and how the Internet spreads the human trafficking by promoting sex tourism.

He presented photos of children, some victims of trafficking in detention centers in sub-human conditions and entered them as authentic evidence on the sworn congressional record .He said some misguided Philippine government officials said they were inauthentic.

He pointed out that the Internet server providers do not obey the anti-child pornography law and many  US nationals are investors in these companies. The Philippine Government does not implement the anti-child pornography law of 2009.He said.

He pointed out the positive successful efforts of President Aquino and the Department of Justice to combat corruption and human trafficking but much more had to be done. Local government, he said has to curb human trafficking by reducing the sex tourism business.

He said grave social inequality was at the heart of the problem as well as the foreign demand.  Death squads were mentioned as protecting human traffickers where journalists and human rights workers felt threatened.

The full text of Fr.Shay’s presentation is available at www.preda.org.

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