Night Outreach in Cebu City

I recently joined outreach in one of our target barangays. Our objective was to track down clients and invite them to come to a free medical check-up that was being offered by one of our partner agencies. I had been in this area many times during the day to conduct human trafficking seminars, but the night life in the community was still largely unexplored, and although I knew that the living conditions were dire, I was still not prepared for what we encountered.

I set out with two of the staff from the center, along with one of our peer educators. We walked along an uneven cement path stepping carefully over dirty brown puddles, discarded food and trash. The heavy air held the stench of the city, sweaty bodies and pollution, with the additional odor of a community without any proper waste management. The majority of the buildings around us resembled sheds made of light materials, quickly thrown together with little planning or thought in regards to safety. Televisions blared from inside, but many people sat on the street where there was mild air circulation, card games and drinking circles. The path was crowded. Men walked around with their shirts off, women were chatting with friends or holding their babies, children ran all over laughing and playing games. There were nameless bodies everywhere. People sleeping outside and curled up in filthy places where you wouldn't expect a living person to reside.

The women we talked to had holes in their arms from injecting benzodiazepine and methamphetamine (I later found out that 51% of the intravenous drug users in this barangay are HIV positive).We gave each woman a small box that held three condoms and invited them to bring their children to have a free check-up. The women complained first and foremost asking for more condoms. One woman ran up to us in a dress that was soaking wet. She had just taken a bath outside. Further up the path I could see three women sitting in a line in front of a bucket rubbing water and soap hastily over their bodies, bathing in the street where anyone could watch. I could not even fathom living in such close quarters, with such limited privacy.

As we walked around, the darkness was filled with laughter, whispers and cigarette smoke. There were old computers and televisions set up in public spaces. Both had groups of people crowded around the screens. They were watching the NBA finals. 

We turned a corner to see a group of kids, who upon seeing me jumped out of their chairs and rushed over. I had three street children on each side of me holding my arms, saying things like, “What’s your name? Will you take me to Jollibee? You have beautiful eyes. Give me pesos.” The children’s hands were wet and their clothes dirty, but I answered their questions and let them hold on to me as long as they liked.

As we continued forward the kids eventually lost interest. In the darkness it was hard to maneuver on the faulty paths, I followed my coworkers, carefully stepping where they stepped. My counterpart began talking to a female pimp, telling her about the medical services we were offering for the girls. Then a taxi pulled up – a customer, and many pimps ran over to try and make their best offer. I was told that before the raids began the street walkers would surround the taxi and the customer could simply point at the girl of their choice. Now the prostituted women remain hidden but are easily contacted via text message.

I was grateful to have this deeper exposure in the work that we do and plan to spend more time doing outreach so that I can have a better understanding of what our client’s experience. Up until this point I have been able to focus on mobilizing the community and working with girls in job training who had already left this life behind. It’s clear to me now the importance of seeing and experiencing the reality of their previous lives in order to fully understand their background and help them maintain a successful reintegration back into the community.