ASIA - Religious deception in human trafficking: Victims passed off as "pilgrims" and "missionaries"

Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) – There is a new, insidious stratagem used by human traffickers in organizing trafficking, preparing, and involving victims, in order to evade airport controls: passing themselves off as missionaries, especially Christians, traveling for religious reasons, or using the definition of "pilgrims" traveling for reasons of faith. This is a phenomenon that the Philippine and Thai police have revealed after investigations and wiretaps, which documented various episodes in which the "religious cover" had been uncovered.
The Philippine police reported that three women (aged 23, 25, and 50) were attempting to board a flight to Singapore, with a stopover in Thailand, identifying themselves as "missionaries," "volunteers belonging to the Catholic Church, for missionary work in Thailand." Due to certain inconsistencies in their documents, and after further investigations and questioning, the truth was revealed: the older woman, who claimed to be a "preacher," was one of the organizers of an illegal trafficking of women to Thailand. Seduced by "a teaching job," the two young women allegedly fell into a criminal network and ended up fueling prostitution. The police explained the system whereby a regular traveler, acting as a smuggler, accompanies groups of passengers under false pretenses, who become victims of trafficking. Coordinated police action across the borders of Southeast Asian countries (the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia) led to the arrest of smugglers involved in trafficking networks.
In its end-of-2024 report, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration reported 998 victims of human trafficking during the year and identified several activities and schemes such as fake pilgrimages, arranged marriages, and surrogacy. Often, victims, lured, particularly through social media, end up employed in slave labor in the so-called "scam cities" in Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
The Catholic Foundation PREDA (People's Recovery, Empowerment, and Development Assistance), founded in the Philippines by Father Shay Cullen, an Irish Catholic missionary and member of the Missionary Society of St. Columbanus, has denounced the fact that many young Filipino women were lured by fake, well-paid job offers and transported to Burma, where they faced threats and abuse and were forced to work in slave-like conditions. In the Philippines, the Philippine Interfaith Movement Against Human Trafficking (PIMAHT)—which brings together representatives of the major Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist communities—praised the efforts of the police and government and reaffirmed their commitment to combating child trafficking and sexual exploitation. Father Bryand Restituto, Assistant to the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, strongly condemned individuals and trafficking networks that exploit vulnerable populations and use language, clothing, and presumed religious practices to commit criminal acts.
In Thailand, among the nuns committed to the fight against trafficking, Sister Marie Agnes Buasap of the Hospitaller Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres, as coordinator of the Talitha Kum Thailand network, promotes awareness among young people, families, teachers, and educators. Talitha Kum is also involved in the reception and reintegration of victims. Catholic communities in Southeast Asian nations, where the phenomenon of human trafficking is particularly widespread and deep-rooted, renewed their commitment on the Day of Prayer and Commitment against Human Trafficking, which the Church celebrates on February 8, the feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita. Catholic associations are promoting innovative strategies, especially in schools, by integrating anti-trafficking education into the curriculum. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 9/4/2025)

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