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150,000 Filipina women have been trafficked into prostitution in Japan. (Press
Statement, Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, "Open sale of little
girls at Tanbaza brothel," Daily Star, 2 July 1998)
150 Filipinas were sold into prostitution to night club operators in African
countries, particularly Nigeria. The women were bought for $5,000 each by
international syndicates. Four Filipinas were rescued by the Philippine Embassy
in Lagos, Nigeria after they sought help from officials. (Bureau of Immigration,
Lira S. Dalagin, "150 Pinays sold as sex slaves in Africa," Manila Chronicle,
31 May 1995)
In 1991, Filipinas were being sold in Japan, often to the Yakuza, at $2,400
to $18,000 each. (CATW - Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution
in the Asia Pacific)
In 1996, 492 of 3,776 reported cases of child abuse involved pornography,
prostitution, paedophilia and trafficking. There were 8,335 cases of child
abuse from 1991-1996, 96% of the victims were females. (Department of Social
Welfare and Development, "375,000 Filipino Women & Kids Are Into Prostitution,"
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 26 July 1997)
Philippine women are vulnerable to trafficking due to the Asian economic
crisis. Requests for entertainer visas for Japan did not decline in the first
six months of 1998. Travel to Japan increased 21% in the first half of this
year compared with the same period in 1997. The label "entertainer" sometimes
implies "sex worker." The women are vulnerable in Japan, not because they
lack skills, but because they are young, beautiful women in a hazardous or
vulnerable occupation. Trafficking laws exists but are not enforced. (Supalak
Ganjanakhundee, "Migrant workers booming as Asian economy declines," Kyodo
News, 23 September 1998)
Case
Four Chinese women suspected of being prostitutes were arrested by the Manila
Police in a karaoke bar. The club manager however, was not arrested. One of
the arresting officers is accused of raping one of the apprehended women.
These arrests brought the number to 23 Chinese women found to be working as
prostitutes in Manila clubs alone. (Dona Z. Pazzibugan, "4 More Chinese Girsl
Arrested in Karaoke Bars," Phillippine Daily Inquirer, 29 August 1997)
Policy and Law
The Philippine government emphasis on labor export to support its balance
of payment deficits has contributed to the trafficking of Filipinas to Japan.
3/4 of the trafficked Filipino women surveyed by IOM were repatriated to the
Philippines after being help in prostitution, suffering from various health
problems. (IOM, "Filipino Women in Japan Trapped in the Sex Business," IOM,
No. 792, 11 July 1997)
Official Response and Action
In 1995, the national government in Manila appointed a special prosecutor,
Dorentino Floresta. In his first year, 181 people were prosecuted for sexually
exploiting children. In 1996, 162 people were charged. Prior to that, trafficking
in children went unchallenged by local officials. (Edward A. Gargan, "Traffic
in children in Brisk (Legacy of the Navy?)," Olongapo Journal/ New York
Times, 11 December 1997)
Bride Trafficking
There have been 5,000 Filipina mail order brides entering the United States
every year since 1986, a total of 55,000 as of 1997. (Gabriela, Statistics
and the State of the Philippines, 24 July 1997)
There are 20,000 Filipina mail order brides in Australia. (Gabriela, Statistics
and the State of the Philippines, 24 July 1997)
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The number of prostituted persons in the Philippines is about the size of
the country's manufacturing workforce, according to Rene Ofreneo, a former
Philippine labor undersecretary and an expert on the sex trade. (Dario Agnote,
"Sex trade key part of S.E. Asian economies, study says," Kyodo News,
18 August 1998)
There are 400,000 to 500,000 prostituted persons in the Philippines. Prostituted
persons are mainly adult women, but there are also male, transvestite and
child prostitutes, both girls and boys. (International Labor Organization.
Dario Agnote, "Sex trade key part of S.E. Asian economies, study says," Kyodo
News, 18 August 1998)
In the Philippines, a recent study showed there are about 75,000 children,
who were forced into prostitution due to poverty. (Dario Agnote, "Sex trade
key part of S.E. Asian economies, study says," Kyodo News, 18 August
1998)
There are 400,000 women in prostitution in 1998, excluding unregistered,
seasonal prostitutes, overseas entertainers and victims of external trafficking.
One fourth of them are children and each year 3,266 more children are forced
into the sex industry. (GABRIELA, Diana Mendoza, "RP Has 400,000 Prostitutes,"
TODAY, 25 February 1998)
There are 375,000 women and children in prostitution in the Philippines.
Most of them, aged 15 - 20, are from semi-rural and urban backgrounds and
have been victims of incest and sexual abuse. ("375,000 Filipino Women and
Kids Are Into Prostitution," Philippine Daily Inquirer, 26 July 1997)
There are 300,000 women and children in prostitution in the Philippines.
(Gabriela, Statistics and the State of the Philippines, 24 July 1997) There
are more than 60,000 children in prostitution. (Welfare officials estimates,
Abby Tan, "Sex Case Focuses Concern On Domestic Paedophilia," 21 March 1997)
40,000 Filipino children were involved in child prostitution. (Philippine
Foreign Ministry, Jill Serjeant, "Asia to launch joint crackdown on child
sex trade," Reuters, 1 April 1998)
There are reports of people prostituting for food or water. (CATW
- Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific)
Most of the men buying prostitutes in Pasay City are taxi drivers, laborers,
businessmen, foreigners and male teenagers’ eager to lose their virginity.
(Joel San Juan, "Poverty still behind world’s oldest profession," TODAY,
26 July 1998)
In Cebu, the number of registered prostitutes increased from 1,557 in 1992,
to 2,189 in June 1994, to 2.988 in June 1996. This number does not include
the estimated 1.500 non-registered prostitutes. (Gabriela, Statistics and
the State of the Philippines, 24 July 1997)
In Cebu City, the number of registered prostitutes rose from 1,500 in 1993
to 4,500 in 1997. In Davao City in 1993, there were 80 prostitution establishments,
by 1997 there were 135, which increased the number of registered prostitutes
by 2,000 and the number of unregistered by 2,000. (GABRIELA, Diana Mendoza,
"RP Has 400,000 Prostitutes," TODAY, 25 February 1998)
In Davao, there were 868 prostitutes in 1993 and 1,525 in the first half
of 1996. (Gabriela, Statistics and the State of the Philippines, 24 July 1997)
Of 500 prostitutes in Angeles City, 75% are children. (Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines
- Children: Scourge of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997)
The Philippines is fourth among 9 nations with the most children in prostitution,
with 60,000 - 100,000. The top five areas for child prostitution and sex tourism
are Metro Manila, Angeles City, Puerto Galera in Mindoro Province, Davao and
Cebu(UNICEF and non-governmental organizations, Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines
- Children: Scourge of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997)
40,000 Filipino children are in prostitution. (Philippines Foreign Minister,
Domingo Siazon, Robin Cook, "Clampdown on child sex tourism," BBC News
UK, 4 April 1998)
75% of the estimated 500 prostitutes in the "Area," a ghetto known for child
prostitution in Angeles City are children. (Susan Pineda, of Pro-Women Action,
"Scourge of Child Prostitution," Sol. F. Juvida, InterPress Service,
12 October 1997)
Filipinos are the main users of Filipinas in prostitution. (Women's Education,
Development, Productivity and Research Organisation, "Scourge of Child Prostitution,"
Sol. F. Juvida, InterPress Service, 12 October 1997)
Filipino men who buy prostitutes don't care if she is 15 or 25. ("Scourge
of Child Prostitution," Sol. F. Juvida, InterPress Service, 12 October
1997)
In 1984, there were 7 provinces with child sex rings. Today, they are present
in 37 provinces. (UNICEF, Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines - Children: Scourge
of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997)
Children, aged 11 to 15, in prostitution said relatives introduced them to
prostitution, or they were recruited by friends. (Institute for the Protection
of Children, Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines - Children: Scourge of Child Prostitution,"
IPS, 12 October 1997)
The increase in the exploitation of prostituted children is attributed to
the fear of HIV/AIDS. Some people believe children have less risk of having
the disease. The sex trade in chidlren is so well established, because of
the influx of sex tourists and the existence of sex tours catering to Japanese,
European and other Caucasian tourists. (Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines - Children:
Scourge of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997)
Prostitution and sex trafficking are pervasive in the countryside. According
to a study made by various non-governmental organizations led by the Women's
Education, Development, Productivity and Research Organization (WEDPRO), even
remote rural areas are becoming favorite sites for sex traffickers and prostitution
syndicates. Certain areas in Laoag, General Santos City, Negros, Southern
Tagalog provinces, Pinatubo area, and Pagadian, to name a few, have reported
increasing numbers of cases of prostitution, and where prostituted women are
no longer from other provinces, but are local women. ("Ex-streetwalkers fight
VFA: Form advocacy groups in urban centers," The Philippine Journal,
18 September 1998)
Teen-age girls are being forced into prostitution due to the Asian economic
crisis. In Davao City, the Philippines, there are more than 1,000 prostituted
teen-age girls; customers pay as little as from 50 cents to $2.50. This rise
in prostitution increases the spread of AIDS, especially as contraceptive
costs have gone up with the currency collapse and bankrupt government cuts
in distribution programs.( Tambayan Center for Abused Street Girls, "Asians
in unhealthy crisis Financial woes produce ill effects on depressed region's
poverty-stricken," Washington Times, 25 September 1998)
Prostitution Tourism
The Philippines is one of the favored destinations of paedophile sex tourists
from Europe and the United States. ("Global law to punish sex tourists sought
by Britain and EU," The Indian Express, 21 November 1997
A Philippine Adventure Tour costs $1,645, including round trip airfare, hotel
accommodations and guided tours to the bars where men purchase sex from prostitutes
for as little as US $24. Tour owner and operator Allan Gaynor promises that
customers "never sleep alone on this tour" and recommends that the customer
have sex with a different girl every day "two if you can handle it." (Demonstrators
at Los Angeles International Airport Target Sex Tour to the Philippines,"
18 April 1998)
Men from Australia and Great Britain are primary suspects as perpetrators
of child prostitution in the Philippines. Two of the three-pedophilia cases
recently decided by Philippine courts involved British nationals, although
there are reportedly more Australian suspects. (Philippines News Agency,
2 September 1997)
Many sex establishments in the Philippines are backed by Japanese capital.
(International Labor Organization, Elif Kaban, "UN labour body urges recognition
of sex industry," Reuters, 18 August 1998)
Prostitutuion tourists and the existence of sex tours catering to Japanese,
European and other Caucasian tourists help to keep child prostitution alive
in the Philippines. (End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT), "Scourge
of Child Prostitution," Sol. F. Juvida, InterPress Service, 12 October
1997)
Whether or not by choice, men on sex tours inevitably buy underage girls.
(New South Wales legislator Meredith Burgmann, "Aussie sex tours still flourishing,"
Associated Press, 1 October 1997)
13,000 Australians, second in number to Americans, a year visit Angeles City,
a center of prostitution surrounding the former Clark U.S. Air Force base
in the Philippines. (Cecilia Hofmann, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
- Asia Pacific, "Aussie sex tours still flourishing," Associated Press,
1 October 1997)
Health and Well-being
Prostituted children remain prisoners of their damaged psyche despite rehabilitation
efforts. The longer a child stays in the sex industry, the harder it is to
overcome the trauma. (Child rights activists, Dr. Norietta Calma of the Philippine
General Hospital’s Child Protection Unit, Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines - Children:
Scourge of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997)
There is "no evidence" that children in prostitution can ever rehabilitate.
"Few children rescued from brothels have been able to begin living anything
like a healthy life again. The wisdom of trying to end the prostitution of
children rather than attempting to assist the victims has been confirmed."
(EPCAT coordinator Ron O’Grady, Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines - Children: Scourge
of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997)
Gonorrhea is the most common STD among children in prostitution. "They drink
water with a bit a TIDE detergent in the belief this would prevent gonorrhea."
(Louie Orpea a street educator, Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines - Children: Scourge
of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997) [catwlog9710c]
Cases
Sharon, a 13-year-old girl was kidnapped and sold as a virgin for US$30.
In a brothel, she was raped by 8 to 15 men every night, even when she had
her menstrual period or was running a fever, and by the time she escaped with
a customer's help in February 1997, she had 'serviced' more than 1,500 men.
("Scourge of Child Prostitution," Sol. F. Juvida, InterPress Service,
12 October 1997)
Former Congressman Manolet Lavides, promised 30 dollars, for sexual favors,
to four 15 year old girls - enough for a new pair of shoes one of the girls
said she needed. (Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines - Children: Scourge of Child
Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997)
Policy and Law
The tourism program of the government which aims to project the Philippines
as a major tourist destination has increased the number of prostituted women.
As more and more areas of the country are targeted for tourism, more and more
women are driven to prostitution in desperation to ensure their family's survival.
("Women Evaluate the State of the Nation," GABRIELA, 24 July 1997)
The Philippines is the first Asian country to pass an anti-child abuse law.
(Lawyer Jose Vener Ibarra, Advocacy for Children's Rights, "Scourge of Child
Prostitution," Sol. F. Juvida, InterPress Service, 12 October 1997)
In 1997 the Philippines signed anti-pedophilia cooperation agreements with
Great Britain and Australia. (Philippines News Agency, 2 September
1997)
Government policies favor the export of entertainers and domestic helpers
that put women at risk. (CATW - Asia Pacific,
Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific)
The Philippines 2000 development plan has increased violence against Filipino
women. It has not solved the problem of poverty but only worsened prostitution,
violence against migrant women, and increased the vulnerability of women to
violence. ("Women (D)Evaluate the State of the Nation," GABRIELA, 24
July 1997)
The Philippines is the first Asian country to pass an Anti-Child Abuse law.
158 cases of child abuse - including sexual exploitation - were filed from
1994 - 1996. Five led to convictions. (Records at the social welfare department,
Lawyer Jose Vener Ibarra of the Advocacy for Children’s Rights, Sol. F. Juvida,
"Philippines - Children: Scourge of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October
1997)
Official Response and Action
British police experts gave a training course in Manila for Filipino police
officers on how to deal with child and female victims of abuse. Twenty-one
participants spent four weeks learning the latest methods of investigating
cases of child abuse and domestic violence, dealing with child victims, and
searching and forensic techniques. (British Embassy, AFP, 9 November
1997)
In a month-long campaign against prostitution in July 1998, more than 70
suspected prostitutes, 70 "guest relations officers" working without permits
in various clubs, 4 nude performers and 9 maintainers of "prostitution dens"
were arrested. Most prostitutes were illiterate, from rural areas when "white
slavery syndicates" lured them under false pretenses of decent jobs in Manila,
and then forced them into prostitution. (Pasay City police, Supt. Arturo Cacdac
chief of police, Joel San Juan, "Poverty still behind world’s oldest profession",
TODAY, 26 July 1998)
Although according to law, prostitutes can receive 30 days imprisonment,
and procurers a minimum of six months to six years imprisonment, most are
only fined. (Joel San Juan, "Poverty still behind world’s oldest profession",
TODAY, 26 July 1998)
Many victims of foreign paedophiles say they regret reporting the offense,
because they often see the paedophile post bail or flee the country. (Sol.
F. Juvida, "Philippines - Children: Scourge of Child Prostitution," IPS,
12 October 1997)
A 6-member task force was formed to conduct an investigation into sex trafficking
and prostitution especially for pedophiles in La Union. (Philippines News
Association, 16 January 1998)
Britain and the Philippines are cooperating to stop child sex tourism, through
a pact signed by the two countries in August 1997 that provides for co-operation
between police forces. British police have provided training for Filipino
officers in Manila in identifying and countering child prostitution and pornography
and have run similar courses in Thailand and Sri Lanka. (Jill Serjeant, "Asia
to launch joint crackdown on child sex trade," Reuters, 1 April 1998)
NGO Action
6,000 people peacefully protested the VFA at the Philippine palace gates
on September 16, 1998. The protest coincided with the seventh anniversary
of a Philippine Senate vote in 1991 rejecting the extension of U.S. leases
on military bases in the former American colony. A women's group involved
in the protest was concerned about the social implications of the agreement,
saying it would worsen prostitution. ("Thousands protest U.S.-Philippine military
accord," Reuters, 16 September 1998)
Protest of the VFA came from the Coalition
Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific (CATW-AP). CATW said that the
approval of the VFA "could aggravate prostitution and will open doors to increased
sexual exploitation of our women and children." Under the proposed agreement,
about 10,000 US military servicemen will have access to 22 docking ports all
over the country. CATW fears the unlimited number of US troops allowed entry
and their indefinite length of stay will result in an increase in the number
of prostituted women and children. Pedophilia, unwanted Amerasian children,
and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS virus are also
expected to increase due to the presence of US troops. Military prostitution,
it added, has always been a problem in the past when the US bases were still
in the country. Past experience clearly showed that the security of the Filipino
people, especially women and children, from the US military was never taken
into account. ("Ex-streetwalkers fight VFA: Form advocacy groups in urban
centers," The Philippine Journal, 18 September 1998)
The International Labor Organization’s call for governments to recognize
the sex industry was protested by Filipino advocacy groups. Groups based in
Angeles City, Olongapo City, Davao and the National Capital region including
Buklod Center, Nagkakaisang Kababaihan in Angeles City, Bukal, and the Davao-based
Lawig made statements at a press conference. Participants included former
prostituted women. Statements include:
- "Legalizing prostitution is not an assurance that violence and other
forms of sexual abuses will not be committed. What it will do is to legalize
the abuses of paying customers since you are now bound by a ‘legal contract’,"
explained Pearly Bulawan of the Buklod Center.
- What women engaged in prostitution need, the survivors of prostitution
said, is economic assistance in the form of jobs as well as livelihood
training and educational opportunities. "We cannot accept the term ‘sex
worker’ to describe us."
- "You can never legalize profession or a job if it violates the rights
of women and degrades them," they added. Aida Santos of the Women's Education,
Development Productivity and Research Organization (WEDPRO) explained
that legalizing prostitution will further aggravate the already serious
gender inequality problem experienced by the women. Prostitution, she
said, has to be viewed in the context of political, economic and social
issues on a gender structure and system that oppress women. "One consistent
factor we have observed in the course of our research and studies on prostitution
is men's unchanging behavior toward women," she revealed, adding that
"even now, most males regard women as inferiors."
- The women are asking for the decriminalization of prostitution and the
formulation of a law that will punish the owners of the prostitution establishments,
recruiters, pimps, traffickers, and the clients.
- They appealed to law enforcers to stop taking advantage of women during
police raids, adding that these men in uniform are also in the habit of
exploiting the women by allowing full-blown media coverage to the prejudice
of the women, at the same time sparing their (male) clientele.
"We need to reorient the people that prostitution is a violation of human
rights and that it's not okay to use or pay women for sex." ("Ex-streetwalkers
fight VFA: Form advocacy groups in urban centers," The Philippine Journal,
18 September 1998)
Case
Philippine courts last year sentenced two Britons to up to 17 years in jail
for paedophilia. (AFP, 9 November 1997)
The mother of a 15-year-old girl was sentenced to 10 years in jail for forcing
her daughter to become an "exotic dancer." (Sol. F. Juvida, "Philippines -
Children: Scourge of Child Prostitution," IPS, 12 October 1997)
Mail-order-brides
Filipina women have been pimped and prostituted by their German and Australian
"husbands." (CATW - Asia Pacific, Trafficking
in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific)
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