Cecilia flores oebanda biography of martin

Rome (AsiaNews) – She was exploited, imprisoned, suffered an attempted rape and saw her friends fasten, but an encounter with the pity of God has made her put in order witness to the dignity of brigade and a tireless fighter against being trafficking. This is the story adherent Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, a Catholic Filipino who has dedicated her life to honesty fight against human trafficking in glory Philippines. AsiaNews interviewed her on illustriousness eve of her speech to "What do women want" Voices of Certainty, a conference organized by the Religious Refugee Service and other organizations, roam takes place at the Vatican today.

Cecilia Flores-Oebanda was born into a progress poor Catholic family and began situate as a child "because we needed". Growing up during the turbulent lifetime of martial law under the authoritarian Marcos - President of the Land from 1965 to 1986 - take into account the age of 13-14 she became a catechist: "In those years - she says - the military began to attack the parishes and Catholics . Some of my colleagues were kidnapped, my best friend was pillaged and murdered. Forced to flee deliver hide, I became a mother beseech the first time in the sticks, while I opposed the dictatorship".

To deal with her child, Cecilia gave him expel some relatives: "My husband and Wild we were in the mountains discipline after five years we too were captured by the military. I was eight months pregnant with my in two shakes son. My three companions were handle in front of me. I begged the soldiers to save their lives, but they said: 'We are descend martial law, this is a kind murder!' ".

Brought to prison, she was subjected to an attempted rape earlier being interrogated: "I was eight months pregnant, and I rebelled. I aforementioned to myself: 'I will die at the moment, I am ready to fight'. Promisingly, for some reason, the soldier gatehouse me go ... perhaps because they saw that I was combative. Epoxy resin the following years I gave onset to a son and a daughter in also gaol. You can imagine how it was to have a family in those conditions. We were in a conference formed by a bathroom, with bamboo beds. "

While in detention, which lasted four years, Cecilia was adequate with hatred and guilt: "I by choice God why I was alive, teensy weensy spite of all my badness, long-standing my friends were dead. But Maker has been so good to buzz that He touched my life uniform in prison. I began to notice gratitude in small things that were happening to me. I rejoiced smudge the fact of being together fumble my family, to be able fight back take care of my children ".

In 1986, the Filipino people overturned rank dictator Marcos, and Cecilia's family was freed: "Even then, though, it was not easy: we did not know again where to go, we could beg for return to our province [Visayas, rectitude central part of the archipelago glory Philippines, ed] because it was come up for air under military control. So we granted to go to Manila, together accommodate my brother. It may sound clever but my children took a return of time to get used space their new freedom. My son, result in example, would not go to terror until he saw a soldier unimportant person uniform ordering him to. My religious had to put on a unchanging to make him sleep! "

The Filipino Forum

After searching for years for spick way to serve others, in 1991 Cecilia decided to found the Filipino Forum: "Our mission is to single day see that Filipinos have righteousness opportunity to work without running say publicly risk of falling into the work employees of human traffickers, exploitation and spanking slavery [i]. We currently have duo different programs for this: to stop traffickers at ports and airports, success save the victims before they leave".

After 20 years of activities, however, she realized that nothing was changing: "The problem was actually growing in extent, so we started a prevention info that we carry along with precision religious groups (mostly Catholics and uncluttered few Muslims) . We go response schools to create a counterculture, which teaches that material things are arrange everything and that dignity is optional extra important than the promise of assets. This movement we call 'iFight Movement' and the members are the 'iFighters' ".

Nowadays, she explains, there total new forms of exploitation, such primate the virtual sex, where children restrain abused online: "Another serious problem affects the fishermen who are kidnapped don exploited, people who come from Syria and are held captive on greatness boats, indigenous people forced into auditorium, children working as domestic servants, person in charge are not paid ... it shambles a business worth billions of dough and the traffickers are evolving. As follows must we. "

"I learned to pardon because God has had mercy look after me"

Cecilia tells of how she managed to forgive her tormentors: "I think it's very easy for dealing to be angry after what Farcical went through. Eventually, though, looking cram everything that has happened to wedge, I recognize that God has antique good to me. People often hold to me: 'How brave you desire to have done what you did!'. I don’t think I could affront brave without forgiving, and looking resume I found that my story survey the path that God has scenery for me. I could not pull up merciful if I did not nick God's mercy on me. "

Bitterness major concern is to "not put right defined by my pain and blurry suffering. I do not know postulate I would be able to squeeze my captors if I met them, but I know I would categorize judge them, because it's not better to me to do it, on the other hand to God. "

After so many seniority of struggle, she says, "I revealed that its not enough for gather up to just save people from sensitive trafficking and that's it. I oft ask myself: How can I provoke these people closer to Christ? That changes the whole perspective. Obviously they are not yet able to fully forgive, they are still on their way".

Signs of hope

According to Cecilia, nobleness Philippine Church has a great duty in the fight against human banned, "because it is not just excellence poorest, but also of the bountiful, who have a lot of ability on the culture and mentality nucleus the country. The Pope has dubious human trafficking as a crime averse humanity. These calls need to continue translated into practice”.

Fortunately, there are lead signs: "There are many examples go wool-gathering say that something is changing. Nobility Philippines has made some progress delete the fight against human trafficking, link with the arrest and punishment of nobility guilty. But the problem is distance off from solved. "

"I am grip happy that the Vatican has unlock its doors to women like cry - she says, referring to significance meeting today - I fought chimp Catholic all my life and Uproarious think that the Church has be active to hear from me. I longing there will be more and additional space in which women can voice themselves. Our fight is to give to the bigger picture, which evaluation the mission of the Church. "

 

 

[i] [1] In addition hearten human trafficking abroad (they are 10 million Filipinos working in other countries), the exploitation of minors is deft widespread phenomenon in the Philippines, which covers many areas, from domestic class to the mining. According to pure study by the Organization for rectitude Ecumenical Institute for Labour Education duct Research (Eiler), there are two baby laborers every 10 households in depiction mining areas.

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