Crossing the line

Father Shay Cullen is an Irish Columban missionary who has worked in the Philippines since 1969. In 1974, he founded the Preda Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to protecting the rights of women and children and campaigning for freedom from sex slavery and human trafficking.

He is a regular contributor to UCA News and this issue includes his best articles related to topics such as modern-day slavery, human trafficking and protection of minors and women.

Human trafficking is among the most evil of crimes. Women and children are the most vulnerable to this modern-day slavery. They are abused and exploited for money. Laws enacted to protect the dignity and life of minors and women are not implemented properly. This leads to the denial of justice to victims.

The Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to an increase in sexual abuse and exploitation of minors. Father Cullen says that although arrivals of international child sex tourists have fallen in the Philippines due to the pandemic, resident foreign pedophiles are still abusing children.