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{{Short description|none}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=December 2022}}
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{{cleanup-PR|date=June 2020}}
{{update|inaccurate=y|date=June 2020}}
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{{slavery}}
{{Violence against women}}
] and the ] has been a significant issue in the ], often controlled by organized crime syndicates.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6507495.stm
|date=April 1, 2007
|title='Chairman' reveals seedy world of trafficking
|work=BBC News
|access-date=November 25, 2007
|archive-date=October 16, 2007
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016124757/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6507495.stm
|url-status=live
}}</ref><ref name=r03103001 />
Human trafficking is a crime against humanity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.preventgenocide.org/law/icc/statute/part-a.htm#2|title=Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Articles 1 to 33)- Prevent Genocide International|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=May 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513134414/http://www.preventgenocide.org/law/icc/statute/part-a.htm#2|url-status=live}}</ref>


With the Philippines having a large migrant population, men are exploited in fishing, construction, and farming jobs. Whereas, women are exploited in more domestic and caretaker roles. Children are exploited for sex and ] trafficking.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitney |first=Chase |date=2022-03-15 |title=Human Trafficking in the Philippines |url=https://theexodusroad.com/human-trafficking-in-the-philippines/ |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=The Exodus Road |language=en-US}}</ref>
] and the ] is a significant issue in the ], often controlled by organized crime syndicates.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6507495.stm</ref><ref>http://www.preda.org/archives/2003/r03103001.html</ref>


In an effort to deal with the problem, in 2003, Philippines passed a tough law against human trafficking, sex tourism, sex slavery and child prostitution.<ref> http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html</ref> In an effort to deal with the problem, the Philippines passed R.A. 9208, the ], a penal law against human trafficking, ], ] and ].<ref name="chanrobles.com"/>
In 2006, enforcement was reported to be inconsistent.<ref name="IrishRevealed">{{cite web|title=Revealed: In Cities and Towns All Over the Philippines, Irishmen Pay to Have Sex with Children |url=http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=TribuneFTF&id=77709 |date=September 24, 2006 |work=] |publisher=Tribune Newspapers PLC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012191831/http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=TribuneFTF&id=77709 |archive-date=October 12, 2007 }}</ref> But by 2017, the U.S. State Department's ] had placed the country in ] (fully compliant with minimum standards of the U.S. ]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2017/271117.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628043920/https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2017/271117.htm|archive-date=June 28, 2017|title=Trafficking in Persons Report 2017: Tier Placements|website=www.state.gov|language=en-US|access-date=December 1, 2017}}</ref>
Enforcement of the law however is reported to be inconsistent.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4724760.stm</ref><ref>http://www.webcitation.org/5OzhDYYFa</ref>


==Statistics== ==Statistics==
An undated ] (Unicef) document estimated that 60,000 to 100,000 children in the Philippines were involved in prostitution rings as of 2009.<ref name=unicef-undated /> According to the ] (ILO) about 100,000 children were involved in prostitution {{as of|2009|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speroforum.com/a/19268/Philippines-Four-million-child-slaves|title=Philippines: Four million child slaves|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402173115/http://www.speroforum.com/a/19268/Philippines-Four-million-child-slaves}}</ref> There is a high incidence of child prostitution in tourist areas. An undetermined number of children are forced into exploitative labour operations.<ref name=unicef-undated> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081117130109/http://www.unicef.org/media/files/ipulocaltrafficking.doc |date=November 17, 2008 }},</ref>
A 1997 report put the number of child victims of prostitution at 75,000 in the Philippines.<Ref name=ILOPR98-31/>, with other estimates saying as many as 100,000.<ref>http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/mhvasia.htm</ref>


As of 2020, the Philippines is ranked as Tier 1 in the Trafficking in Persons Report of the United States (US) State Department after substantial efforts.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122030431/https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-in-persons-report/philippines/ |date=January 22, 2021 }}, U.S. Department of State.</ref>
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), prostitution was present in 37 provinces then. The major child prostitution dens were found in Manila, Angeles City, Puerto Galera, Davao City and Cebu City. The Philippines has reportedly become a favorite destination of pedophiles from the US, Australia and Europe. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has documented 8,335 cases of child abuse from 1991 to 1996.<ref>http://www.thenewstoday.info/2006/12/15/sad.truths.html</ref>


==Problem areas and history==
The Philippines is the fourth country with the most number of prostituted children, <ref>http://www.childprotection.org.ph/factsfigures/index.html</ref> and authorities have identified an increase in paedophiles travelling to the Philippines.<ref>http://www.ecpat.org.nz/whatsnew-pacific10122003.html</ref>
A report published in 2004 by the ] stated: The Philippines has a serious trafficking problem of women and children illegally recruited into the tourist industry for sexual exploitation. Destinations within the country are ], ] City, ] City, towns in ], ], ], ] and ] City and other sex tourist resorts such as ], ], ], and many beach resorts throughout the country. The promise of recruiters offers women and children attractive jobs in the country or abroad, and instead they are coerced and forced and controlled into the sex industry for tourists.<ref name=autogenerated4>Rev. Father Shay Cullen, MSSC, President of the ], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125210307/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/migrants/pom2004_96-suppl/rc_pc_migrants_pom96-suppl_cullen.html |date=November 25, 2021 }}, N° 96 (Suppl.), December 2004. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206111318/https://www.vatican.va/ |date=February 6, 2015 }}</ref>


===Puerto Galera===
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societys state that there are more than 1.5 million street children many of them living on the streets of major cities like Manila, Angeles City, Olongapo, Iloilo and Baguio. The children’s most common occupations are vending, cleaning, guarding automobiles, domestic work and, to a lesser extent, prostitution and drug trafficking.<ref>http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/03/03102401/</ref>
There are numerous cases of child molestation that have been reported in ], a beach resort on ] three hours south of Manila. The area is a favorite for foreign child molesters seeking children.<ref name=autogenerated4 /><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070331225609/http://www.philnews.com/2005/va.html |date=March 31, 2007 }}, September 21, 2005.</ref> Puerto Galera was described in 1997 as one of the Philippines top five spots for ].<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|title=PHILIPPINES-CHILDREN: Scourge of Child Prostitution|url=http://www.ipsnews.net/1997/10/philippines-children-scourge-of-child-prostitution/|date=October 12, 1997|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-date=December 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230231707/http://www.ipsnews.net/1997/10/philippines-children-scourge-of-child-prostitution/|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Angeles City===
==Trafficking in different areas==
In 1991 a volcanic eruption of ] forced an ] and destroyed much of the ], a major United States military facility located 40 miles (60&nbsp;km) northwest of Manila, which ] shortly thereafter. Most of the sex trade around the base closed at the same time due to the loss of the GI customers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,SOF_0904_Slavery1,00.html |title=The Modern Scourge of Sex Slavery |publisher=Soldier of Fortune Magazine |author=Martin Brass |year=2004 |access-date=June 11, 2013 |website=military.com |archive-date=May 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515123411/http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,SOF_0904_Slavery1,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Sex Sector: The Economic and Social Bases of Prostitution in Southeast Asia |author= Lin Lean Lim|year=1998|publisher=International Labour Organization|isbn=978-92-2-109522-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VFNKZbL1jWwC&q=%22prostitution%22+%22Angeles+City%22&pg=PA102|access-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref> Mayor Alfredo Lim proceeded to crack down on Manila's remaining sex industry, causing many of these businesses to relocate to Angeles City, which borders on the closed base, and was becoming a popular tourist destination especially with former GIs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/alrc/publications/reform/reform67/ALRCR67CONFRONTINGSEXUALE.html |title=ALRC Reform Issue 67 – Gender issues: CONFRONTING SEXUAL EXPLOITATION |access-date=February 4, 2007 |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719045712/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/alrc/publications/reform/reform67/ALRCR67CONFRONTINGSEXUALE.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
By the late 1990s, ] estimated that there are 60,000 ] in the Philippines, describing Angeles City brothels as "notorious" for offering sex with children.
In 1997, the BBC reported that UNICEF estimated many of the 200 brothels in the notorious Angeles City offer children for sex.<ref name=autogenerated7>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/news/08/0830/phil.shtml|title=BBC Politics 97|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=January 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125091928/http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/news/08/0830/phil.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>


The current{{clarify timeframe|date=December 2013}} trade is dominated by Australian bar operators<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cpcabrisbane.org/Kasama/2003/V17n3/Preda.htm|title=Australian charged with child abuse in Angeles City|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405183054/http://cpcabrisbane.org/Kasama/2003/V17n3/Preda.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2013}} and sustained by tourists seeking inexpensive sex.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Sociology of Tourism|author1=Yiorgos Apostolopoulos |author2=Stella Leivadi |author3=Andrew Yiannakis |year=1996|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-13508-5|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6C4QuDjrVToC&q=%22prostitution%22+%22Angeles+City%22&pg=RA4-PA271|access-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref>
A special report from the Vatican states: The Philippines has a serious trafficking problem of women and children illegally recruited into the tourist industry for sexual exploitation. Destinations within the country are Metro Manila, Angels City,Olongapo City, towns in Bulacan, Batangas, Cebu City, Davao and Cagayan de Oro City and other sex tourist resorts such as Puerto Galero, which is notorious, Pagsanjan, Laguna, San Fernando Pampanga, and many beach resorts throughout the country. The promise of recruiters offers women and children attractive jobs in the country or abroad, and instead they are coerced and forced and controlled into the sex industry for tourists.<ref>http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/migrants/pom2004_96-suppl/rc_pc_migrants_pom96-suppl_cullen.html</ref>
In bars catering mostly to foreign men, girls are sold for a "]".<ref name=autogenerated2 />
Conditions are sometimes brutal<ref name=time106430>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,106430,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070123175954/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,106430,00.html | archive-date=January 23, 2007 | magazine=Time | title=The Forgotten Angels | date=April 23, 2001 | access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref> Children and teenagers are lured into the industry from poor areas by promises of money and care, and are kept there by threats, ] and the fear of poverty.<ref name=time106430 />{{better source needed|date=August 2022}}
Angeles City is one of the largest sex tourist destinations in the world with just over 15 thousand women working in its various sex establishments (brothels, bars and videokes).<ref> (archived from {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006205934/http://www.renew-foundation.org/index.html?_ret_=return |date=October 6, 2008 }} on October 6, 2008)</ref>


In 2005, UNICEF reported evidence of growing ] production in Angeles City.<ref name="MalayaUNICEF">{{cite web
===Puerto Galera===
| url = http://www.malaya.com.ph/apr06/news4.htm
There are numerous cases of pedophilia that have been reported in ], a beach resort on ] three hours south of Manila. The area is a favorite for foreign pedophilles seeking children.<ref>http://www.philnews.com/2005/va.html</ref>
| title = Child exploitation growing
<ref>http://www.stairwaydanmark.dk/Stories/Aarsberetning2004.htm</ref>
| access-date = May 20, 2007
<ref>http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2004/02/17/PROV200402172607.html
| last = Lopez
</ref>
| first = JP |author2=Jumilla, Marilou |author3=Hachero, Ashzel
<ref>http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/migrants/pom2004_96-suppl/rc_pc_migrants_pom96-suppl_cullen.html</ref>
| date= April 6, 2005
<ref>http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:I0KRCBytsEQJ:www.cptcsa.org/newsletters/cptcsa_mar2004_newsletter.pdf+Puerto+Galera+pedophiles&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7</ref>
| work = Malaya News
Puerto Galera has been described as one of the Philippines top five spots for child prostitution<ref>http://www.ips.fi/koulut/199742/6.htm</ref><ref>http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/philippines.php</ref>
| publisher = People's Independent Media Inc
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050829023203/http://malaya.com.ph/apr06/news4.htm
| archive-date = August 29, 2005
| quote = Unicef executive director Carol Bellamy... said the UN study found extensive evidence of child pornography in the Philippines, particularly in tourist destinations like Pagsanjan in Laguna, Angeles City, Baguio City and Puerto Galera in Mindoro.... According to the study, the number of reported child pornography victims totaled nine in 2000; four in 2001; seven in 2002 and 13 in 2003. Child prostitution data listed 186 reported cases in 2000; 224 in 2001; 245 in 2002, and 247 in 2003.
}}</ref>
Children as young as ten years old have been rescued from ] in Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hopeinheavenfilm.com/production.htm|title=Hope in Heaven – The Production|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=March 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319082236/http://www.hopeinheavenfilm.com/production.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

] cases rose five times. The RHWC treated 1,421 cases in 2005, 2,516 cases in 2006 and 6,229 cases in 2007. Most of the afflicted were women.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080325-126402/Sisters-Plus-aids-Angeles-sex-workers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330011916/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080325-126402/Sisters-Plus-aids-Angeles-sex-workers|date=March 25, 2008 |archive-date=March 30, 2008|title='Sisters Plus' aids Angeles sex workers |author=Tonette Orejas |newspaper=] }}</ref>

===Pagsanjan, Laguna===
CNN stated in 2010 that "A decade ago, ], located about 60 miles south of Manila, became known as a popular location for men seeking homosexual prostitutes."<ref name=cnn960831>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/31/pedophile/index.html | work=CNN | title=Child sex trade plagues Filipino resort | access-date=May 4, 2010 | archive-date=October 5, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005081942/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/31/pedophile/index.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Pagsanjan began to attract an increasing number of child molesters. "In the '80s, Pagsanjan was declared by international gay publications as a paradise for them, a gay paradise, a haven for homosexuals", said Dr. Sonia Zaide, an activist who is particularly concerned by the expansion of the town's sex trade to include minors, mostly young boys.<ref name=cnn960831 /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1988/jun1988/gr_82544_1988.html|title=G.R. No. 82544|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130641/http://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1988/jun1988/gr_82544_1988.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1989-90-91-92/r9102031.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415172615/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1989-90-91-92/r9102031.htm|title=Preda Foundation, Inc. NEWS/ARTICLES: "Success Against Child Abuse (Harvey, Mark)"|archive-date=April 15, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Barker|first=Louis|title=Child rights center helps uncover Norwegian Pedophile ring – four charged in Oslo|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1999/r9902191.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620203003/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1999/r9902191.htm|archive-date=June 20, 2013|access-date=June 11, 2013|newspaper=Asian Report}}</ref>
''Time'' magazine reported in 1993 that Pagsanjan was a favorite destination for sex tourists seeking children.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978725-3,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118203612/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978725-3,00.html | archive-date=January 18, 2008 | magazine=Time | title=Prostitution: Defiling The Children | date=June 21, 1993 | access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref>
The Filipino government began a crackdown on the child sex industry in Pagsanjan and 23 people of varying nationalities were arrested.
Foreign child molesters take advantage of the poverty, with children often being used as sexual currency by their own parents.{{cn|date=November 2022|reason=see "Removal of apparently unreliable source" on the talk page}} The World Bank World Development Report for 1995 reported that the town of Pagsanjan through civic action had dramatically reduced child prostitution.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233332/http://www.caribbeanelections.com/eDocs/development_reports/wdr_1995.pdf |date=December 30, 2013 }}, The World Bank.</ref>

===Davao City===
October 5 has become the Day of No Prostitution Campaign in Davao City.
In 2005, the Philippine Information Agency reported documented cases of children as young as 10 years old forced into prostitution in Davao.
Davao provinces, along with the Caraga region, have become the favorites of child traffickers posing as tourists.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231010242/http://archives.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=reader&rp=1&fi=p051011.htm&no=3&date= |date=December 31, 2013 }} Philippine Information Sources, October 11, 2005</ref>

===Cebu===
In 2001, it was estimated there were 10,000 young girls trafficked into sex slavery in Cebu.<ref name=bbc1713865>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1713865.stm | work=BBC News | title=Radio helps sex industry victims | date=December 16, 2001 | access-date=May 4, 2010 | archive-date=June 23, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623071616/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1713865.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> "What has become very obvious is a growing market for child prostitutes," said Father Heinz, a Catholic priest who has been involved for more than a decade in initiatives to beat the pimps and child-traffickers.<ref name=bbc1713865 /> It was reported in 2009 that Cebu remained a destination, source and transit area for human trafficking, where women and children victims are brought to be "processed".<ref name="globalnation.inquirer.net">{{cite web|url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20091021-231421/Cebu-a--transit-point-for-child-trafficking|title=Cebu a transit point for child trafficking – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327091536/http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20091021-231421/Cebu-a--transit-point-for-child-trafficking|archive-date=March 27, 2012|access-date=March 15, 2015}}</ref> It was reported in 2005 that Cebu had been the destination of international and domestic ], aged from 11 to 17 years old.<ref>, Ecpat International, February 12, 2005.</ref>

===Pampanga===
More than a dozen of cybersex operations have been busted in the Pampanga province and Angeles City areas, this resulted in the rescue of hundreds of exploited women, most of them minors or below 18 years of age. Hundreds of computers sets have been seized, including sex toys and other gadgets used in the cybersex operations mostly maintained by foreigners.
A forum hosted by the Prosecution Law Enforcement and Community Coordinating Service (proleccs) discussed several factors that contribute to the human trafficking problem and these include poverty, the proliferation of underground cybersex through internet and sex tourism.<ref>{{cite news|title=Judiciary, PNP vow stop to human trafficking|newspaper=Sun.Star Pampagna|date=September 1, 2007}}</ref>

===Lucena City===
] ports have been identified by anti-human trafficking advocates as transit points used by syndicates engaged in the recruitment of innocent women from remote areas destined for prostitution dens in other parts of the country.<ref name=PDI20080122>{{cite news|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080122-114044/14-trafficked-women-rescued-in-Lucena|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917030759/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080122-114044/14-trafficked-women-rescued-in-Lucena|archive-date=September 17, 2008|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|title=14 trafficked women rescued in Lucena|date=January 22, 2008}}</ref>


===Subic Bay=== ===Subic Bay===
In 1988 a Naval Investigative undercover operation based in Subic Bay were offered children for sex as young as 4, 6, 12 and 13 years of age by Filipinos.<ref>http://www.preda.org/archives/1997/r9708011.htm</ref> In 1988 a Naval Investigative undercover operation based in ] were offered children for sex as young as four.<ref name="preda.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1997/r9708011.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415164225/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1997/r9708011.htm|title=Preda Foundation, Inc. NEWS/ARTICLES: "Paper to Child Labor Coalition, Washington"|archive-date=April 15, 2013 }}</ref>
Many of those involved in the prostitution of children have been brought to justice in the courts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fighting The Child Sex Trade|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2000/r00050801.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620202931/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2000/r00050801.html|archive-date=June 20, 2013|access-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Campaign Against Paedophiles|url=http://www.preda.org/main/work/campaigns/campaedo.htm|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607094237/http://www.preda.org/main/work/campaigns/campaedo.htm|archive-date=June 7, 2010}}</ref> Most of the 16,000 women estimated to have worked the bars around the largest overseas naval base were forced into the sex industry.<ref name=TT2003288614>{{cite web|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/01/12/2003288614|title=Speaking the truth on prostitution|date=January 12, 2006|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402161822/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/01/12/2003288614|url-status=live}}</ref>
Many of those involved in the prostitution of children have been brought to justice in the courts.
One 16-year-old child tells of her experience in Subic Bay: "She was locked in a room for a month, starved and force-fed drugs and alcohol to ensure she was addicted and could be more easily controlled. She was often beaten unconscious for refusing to have sex with customers."<ref name=TT2003288614 /> Pregnancy, abortion, the spread of disease and drug abuse were just some of the indignities imposed on Filipinas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/5768|title=Forgotten legacy of Subic Bay|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403025243/https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/5768|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref>http://www.preda.org/archives/2000/r00050801.html</ref>
Despite the US pull-out from Subic Bay in 1992, continues to fester, catering to a new generation of civilian sex tourists.<ref name=TT2003288614 /> The former naval base, and current visits by American military have been the subject of protests by welfare groups and activists in Subic. Brandishing placards and chanting slogans, members of ''WAIL'' and ] called for justice for all victims of human rights abuses.<ref>{{cite news|title=RP government seeks custody of six American marines|url=http://www.filipinoexpress.com/19/47_news.html|access-date=June 11, 2013|newspaper=The Filipino Express|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060206195111/http://www.filipinoexpress.com/19/47_news.html|archive-date=February 6, 2006}}</ref>
<ref>http://www.preda.org/campaedo.htm</ref>Most of the 16,000 women estimated to have worked the bars around the largest overseas naval base were forced into the sex industry.<ref>http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/01/12/2003288614</ref>
One 16 year old child tells of her experience in Subic Bay: ''She was locked in a room for a month, starved and force-fed drugs and alcohol to ensure she was addicted and could be more easily controlled. She was often beaten unconscious for refusing to have sex with customers''.
<ref>http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/01/12/2003288614</ref>Pregnancy, abortion, the spread of disease and drug abuse were just some of the indignities imposed on Filipinas.<ref>http://www.greenleft.org.au/1993/111/5627</ref>
Despite the US pull-out from Subic Bay in 1992, continues to fester, catering to a new generation of civilian sex tourists.<ref>http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/01/12/2003288614</ref>The former navel base, and current visits by American Military have been the subject of protests by welfare groups and activists in Subic. Brandishing placards and chanting slogans, members of WAIL and Gabriela called for justice for all victims of human rights abuses.<ref>http://www.filipinoexpress.com/19/47_news.html</ref>


===Angeles=== ===Olongapo===
Trafficking of Women and Children in ] was rampant during the time of the ] located close by.
{{main|Human trafficking in Angeles City}}
In 1988, the US Naval Investigative Service confirmed the existence of child prostitution in Olongapo City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aprnet.org/index.php?a=show&c=Conference%20on%20US%20Militarism%20and%20War%20on%20Terror%20in%20the%20Asia-Pacific&t=conferences&i=93|title=Asia Pacific Research Network|author=Asia Pacific Research Network|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=February 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208053530/http://www.aprnet.org/index.php?a=show&c=Conference%20on%20US%20Militarism%20and%20War%20on%20Terror%20in%20the%20Asia-Pacific&t=conferences&i=93|url-status=live}}</ref>
After the base closure a new child molesters clientele from countries such as Australia and Europe moved in.
Olongapo special prosecutor Dorentino Z. Floresta states, "Politicians do not want people to know that these things are happening in Olongapo," said Floresta.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1997/r9712111.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914090326/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1997/r9712111.htm|title=Preda Foundation, Inc. NEWS/ARTICLES: "Sailors Have Left, but Traffic in Children Is Brisk in Philippines "|archive-date=September 14, 2012 }}</ref>


===Pagsanjan=== ===Visayas===
] continues to be a source of women and children being sent to Metro Manila brothels and sweatshops. Department of Social Welfare and Development officials said the number of human trafficking cases was increasing.<ref name="newsinfo.inquirer.net">{{cite web|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20071205-105096/Human_trafficking_cases_in_E._Visayas_%91alarming%92|title=Human trafficking cases in E. Visayas 'alarming'|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222031857/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20071205-105096/Human_trafficking_cases_in_E._Visayas_%91alarming%92|archive-date=February 22, 2013|access-date=March 15, 2015}}</ref>
CNN states that "A decade ago, Pagsanjan, located about 60 miles south of Manila, became known as a popular location for men seeking homosexual prostitutes."<ref>http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/31/pedophile/index.html</ref> Pagsanjan began to attract an increasing number of pedophiles. "In the '80s, Pagsanjan was declared by international gay publications as a paradise for them, a gay paradise, a haven for homosexuals," said Dr. Sonia Zaide, an activist who is particularly concerned by the expansion of the town's sex trade to include minors, mostly young boys.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/31/pedophile/index.html</ref>
Leticia Corillo, DSWD regional director stated that the victims were mostly children and women.<ref name="newsinfo.inquirer.net"/>
<ref>http://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1988/jun1988/gr_82544_1988.html</ref>
Seventy percent are aged from 13 to 17 years old.<ref name="gmanews.tv">{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/74023/news/nation/solon-seeks-action-vs-human-trafficking-in-visayas|title=Solon seeks action vs human trafficking in Visayas|work=GMA News Online|date=December 24, 2007 |access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402110915/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/74023/news/nation/solon-seeks-action-vs-human-trafficking-in-visayas|url-status=live}}</ref> A DSWD report, said the Waray towns of Paranas and Jiabong and Calbayog City in Samar province and Mapanas and Las Navas in Northern Samar are considered as human trafficking "hotspots".<ref name="gmanews.tv"/>
<ref>http://www.preda.org/archives/1989-90-91-92/r9102031.htm</ref>
<ref>http://www.preda.org/archives/1999/r9902191.htm</ref>
Time Magazine reported in 1993 that pagsanjan was a favorite destination for sex tourists seeking children.
<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978725-3,00.html</ref>
The Filipino government began a crackdown on the child sex industry in Pagsanjan and 23 people of varying nationalities were arrested.
Foreign pedophiles take advantage of the poverty, with children often being used as sexual currency by their own parents.
<ref>http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:lEUvzdVmySoJ:www.jubileeaction.co.uk/reports/STREET%2520CHILDREN%2520IN%2520THE%2520PHILIPPINES.pdf+pagsanjan+child+prostitution+philippines&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8</ref>
Since then the town of Pagsanjan through civic action has dramatically reduced child prostitution.<ref>http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/1999/04/28/000009265_3961219103803/Rendered/INDEX/multi0page.txt</ref>


==Trafficking of Filipinas to overseas destinations==
===Pasay===
The US Department of State in July 2001, estimated that about 40,000 Filipino women were trafficked into the sex and entertainment industry in Japan using entertainment visas.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cameron |first1=Sally |last2=Newman |first2=Edward |title=Coalitions against Trafficking in Human Beings in the Philippines - Phase 1; Trafficking of Filipino Women to Japan: Examining the Experiences and Perspectives of Victims and Government Experts |journal=United Nations Global Programme Against Trafficking in Human Beings |page=6 |url=https://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/human_trafficking/Exec_summary_UNU.pdf |access-date=27 April 2022 |publisher=United Nations University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040722113658/https://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/human_trafficking/Exec_summary_UNU.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2004 }}</ref> A 2007 report by ] estimates the number of Filipinas trafficked into Japan for prostitution to be as high as 150,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fact Sheet About the Sex Trade in the Philippines |url=http://www.cbc.ca/thelens/heaven_facts.html |website=] |access-date=27 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124031620/http://www.cbc.ca/thelens/heaven_facts.html |archive-date=24 January 2007}}</ref> Club owners in Japan oblige Filipino entertainers to date their customers during daytime and, in some cases, force them into prostitution.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fujimoto |first1=Nobuki |title=Trafficking in Persons and the Filipino Entertainers in Japan |journal=FOCUS |date=March 2006 |volume=43 |url=https://www.hurights.or.jp/archives/focus/section2/2006/03/trafficking-in-persons-and-the-filipino-entertainers-in-japan.html |access-date=27 April 2022 |at=Filipino Entertainers in Japan |publisher=Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215210415/https://www.hurights.or.jp/archives/focus/section2/2006/03/trafficking-in-persons-and-the-filipino-entertainers-in-japan.html |archive-date=15 December 2010 }}</ref> Some of them were sold allegedly to the Yakuza for $2,400 to $18,000. A trafficker earns $3,000–$5,000 for each woman or girl sold in the international sex trade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.unpac.ca/economy/g_migration.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514045035/http://www.unpac.ca/economy/g_migration.html|title=Women & The Economy – Globalization & Migration<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=May 14, 2011}}</ref>


==Sex tourism==
In 1994, the Community Mobilization against Child Prostitution
An article in the newspaper ''Davao Today'' reports that, according to experts, the growth of tourism in the Philippines in places such as Cebu and Boracay, has given rise to the ] of women and children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://davaotoday.com/2006/february/13%20toursim%20windfall.php|title=Davao Today – Fair. In-Depth. Relevant.|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=August 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802083613/http://davaotoday.com/2006/february/13%20toursim%20windfall.php|url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2004 article, the People's Recovery, Empowerment Development Assistance Foundation (PREDA) reported in 2004 that ECPAT, which it describes as "a global network that campaigns against child prostitution", estimates that 300,000 sex tourists from Japan alone visit the Philippines every year. In the same article, PREDA reports, "many others are British."<ref>{{cite web
was founded to initiated to reduce the incidence of child prostitution in Pasay.<ref>http://www.childhope.org.ph/programs-and-projects.html</ref>Children as young as 14 and 15 year olds are child prostitutes in Pasay clubs.<ref>http://www.preda.org/archives/1993-94-95-96/r9406161.htm.</ref>
|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2004/r04062801.html
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620202955/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2004/r04062801.html
|archive-date=June 20, 2013
|title=In the clubs of the Filipino sex trade, a former RUC officer is back in business
|author=Kathy Marks
|author-link=Kathy Marks
|date=June 28, 2004
|access-date=June 10, 2013
}}</ref>
Local NGO Preda states that the majority of the "customers" (the word used by the children to describe their abusers) are local tourists and about ten percent are foreign tourists. The foreign customers, according to arrest figures compiled by ECPAT Manila rank in frequency as follows: American, Japanese, Australian, British, German, Swiss, other nationalities.<ref name="preda.org"/>


] noted that ] in the Philippines is the highest incidence of child prostitution in a tourist area.<ref name="ecpatinternational.com">{{Cite web|url=http://ecpatinternational.com/EI/Resource_newsclippings.asp?id=928|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116103319/http://ecpatinternational.com/EI/Resource_newsclippings.asp?id=928|title=Child trafficking in RP unstoppable – DSWD<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=January 16, 2016}}</ref>
===Makati===
In 2003, Makati Mayor Jejomar C. Binay ordered a crackdown against
prostitution following reports that some prostitutes are linked to criminal syndicates.<ref>http://www.makati.gov.ph/portal/news/view_news.jsp?news_id=130</ref>33 women were rescued from a sex trafficking operation in Makati City by a team of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents.<ref>http://captivedaughters.org/2006/05/33-women-rescued-from-sex-den-in.html</ref>


==Efforts to Control== ==Sex trafficking==
{{Main|Sex trafficking in the Philippines}}
Despite government warnings, more and more Asians go to other countries for economic reasons. The number of entertainers who go abroad has increased tremendously.
Sex trafficking in the ] is a significant problem. Filipina women and girls have been forced into prostitution and been physically and psychologically abused.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://untvweb.com/news/victims-of-human-trafficking-in-ph-spike-to-over-700000-global-slavery-index/|title=Victims of human trafficking in PH spike to over 700,000 – Global Slavery Index|date=December 6, 2018|website=UNTV|access-date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=February 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220230327/https://untvweb.com/news/victims-of-human-trafficking-in-ph-spike-to-over-700000-global-slavery-index/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/06/world/asia/freedom-fighter-victims/index.html|title=Victims endure lives degraded by traffickers|date=May 16, 2013|website=CNN|access-date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018140319/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/06/world/asia/freedom-fighter-victims/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.net/nation-world/world/facebook-used-to-kidnap-girls-for-sex-slaves/article_53358eb6-2ac7-5103-8f5d-08143cfdb29f.html|title=Facebook used to kidnap girls for sex slaves|date=October 29, 2012|website=Standard-Examiner|access-date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729003036/https://www.standard.net/nation-world/world/facebook-used-to-kidnap-girls-for-sex-slaves/article_53358eb6-2ac7-5103-8f5d-08143cfdb29f.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Foreign child molesters==
NGOs have complained that the local political and legal establishments protect pedophiles, sometimes even including law enforcement. <ref>http://www.preda.org/archives/1997/r9704151.htm</ref>
The Philippines continued to assist U.S. law enforcement authorities in the transfer to U.S. custody of Americans who sexually exploited children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/philippines|title=HumanTrafficking.org – Philippines|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315043207/http://humantrafficking.org/countries/philippines|archive-date=March 15, 2015}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2013}} Foreign child molesters are a major problem in a country like the Philippines. Some foreign child molesters are very well connected and have positions in industry and politics. Profile studies of these child molesters show they come mostly from Europe and are usually well off, married and with children of their own.
<ref>http://iwraw.igc.org/publications/countries/philippines.htm</ref>
Some foreign child molesters arrange with bribes and corrupt practices to get the children out of the country and abuse them in another country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1989-90-91-92/r9010011.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620202946/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1989-90-91-92/r9010011.htm|title=Preda Foundation, Inc. NEWS/ARTICLES: "The Abusers"|archive-date=June 20, 2013 }}</ref> The problem of foreign child molesters continues to be reported in the press.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/hl/wvb.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230143953/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/hl/wvb.html|title=Preda Foundation, Inc. Headlines News: "Worlds Vilest Brits"<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=December 30, 2010}}</ref> It was reported in 1999 that foreign child molesters have operated openly in the Philippines.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103131526/http://www.redress.org/downloads/country-reports/WILSON-UN-868-1999.pdf |date=November 3, 2013 }}, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022034853/http://www.redress.org/ |date=October 22, 2012 }}.</ref>
The United States Embassy in the Philippines states that some officials condone a climate of impunity for those that exploited trafficked women and children<ref>http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhrep4.html</ref>


In 2008, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned of a new modus operandi of foreign child molesters in the Philippines, saying "The child molesters usually meet the mothers, sometimes even the grandmothers, of possible victims online and make them their girlfriends. The women usually let the economically better-off foreigners into their lives and their homes, not knowing that the men would later pounce on their young children."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080707-147031/Pedophiles-courting-mothers-online-to-get-to-children|title=Pedophiles courting mothers online to get to children – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111924/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080707-147031/Pedophiles-courting-mothers-online-to-get-to-children|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
Department of Justice records show that from June 2003 until January 2005 there were 65 complaints received for alleged trafficking in persons violations in the entire nation. <ref>http://www.doj.gov.ph/news_06-07-05.html</ref>


It was reported in 2007 that in Angeles, Pampanga (characterized as a hotspot for trafficking and sex trade), child molesters were increasingly using the Internet to lure other child molesters to come to the Philippines. Live video streaming on the Web was reported to show children being sexually abused. Other child molesters were reported to browse personal profiles or lurk in chat rooms to find their victims.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wfsphil.com/own/labels/technology.html |title=OWN!<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=December 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106175950/http://www.wfsphil.com/own/labels/technology.html |archive-date=January 6, 2009 }}</ref>
Microsoft has awarded over US$1 million through its Unlimited Potential grants to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across six Asian countries, including the Philippines. The latest round of grants will deliver IT training courses specifically for people in human-trafficking hot spots across the region.<Ref>
{{cite news
| title = Microsoft Partners With Asian NGOs To Fight Human Trafficking
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/asia/presscentre/20060616b.aspx
| publisher = ChinaCSR.com
|date= 2006-06-19
| accessdate = 2006-12-19
}}</Ref>


==Mail-order bride trafficking==
Unicef executive director Carol Bellamy stated, The Philippines is among the few countries that are making a dent in the fight against the trafficking of women and children. She also stated, "This is not going to be easy, Bellamy said. "We are dealing with criminals and they are not stupid. There are lots of money to be made and they will go to any length to continue harming and exploiting children in this awful way".<ref>http://www.globalmarch.org/clns/clns-april-2005-details.php#8-2</ref>
Republic Act 6955 declares as unlawful "the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail order basis."<ref name="Chanrobles Law Library">{{cite web
| url = http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno6955.html
| title = An act to declare unlawful the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail-order basis and other similar practices including the advertisement, publication, printing or distribution of brochures, fliers and other propaganda materials in furthurance &#91;sic&#93; thereof and providing penalty therefor
| access-date = December 19, 2006
| publisher = Chanrobles Law Library
| archive-date = January 14, 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070114114858/http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno6955.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref name="humantrafficking.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.humantrafficking.org/government_law/45|title=HumanTrafficking.org – Philippines: Government Laws – Mail-Order Bride Law (Republic Act No. 6955)|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402191306/http://www.humantrafficking.org/government_law/45|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>
It is also unlawful under the R.A. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, a penal law against human trafficking, sex tourism, sex slavery and child prostitution.<ref name="chanrobles.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html|title=REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9208 – AN ACT TO INSTITUTE POLICIES TO ELIMINATE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS ESPECIALLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN, ESTABLISHING THE NECESSARY INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR THE PROTECTION AND SUPPORT OF TRAFFICKED PERSONS, PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR ITS VIOLATIONS, AND FOR OTHER|author=RONALD ECHALAS DIAZ, Office Manager|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330044008/http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Philippines Government first outlawed bride agencies in 1990 after being alarmed at reports of widespread abuse of Philippine women in other countries.<ref name="nostatusquo.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nostatusquo.com/ACLU/anderson/brides/pg1.html|title=Mail Order Brides and the Abuse of Immigrant Women|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=February 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220154018/http://nostatusquo.com/ACLU/anderson/brides/pg1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


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.<ref>{{cite web|title=United States|url=http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/usa1.php|work=Factbook|publisher=Coalition Against Trafficking in Women|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050106234822/http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/usa1.php|archive-date=January 6, 2005}}</ref>
==Action by Foreign Governments==
Matibag, an assistant professor of the Department of Sociology at the Iowa State University, said browsing for potential brides on websites is as easy as shopping for a shirt. Each woman is assigned a catalogue number.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mail-order submission|url=http://www.asianpacificpost.com/portal2/c1ee8c441c4e2701011c52b1ec0701c6_Philippines_News_Template_2008.do.html|access-date=June 11, 2013|newspaper=Asian Pacific Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825201514/http://www.asianpacificpost.com/portal2/c1ee8c441c4e2701011c52b1ec0701c6_Philippines_News_Template_2008.do.html|archive-date=August 25, 2010}}</ref> Maria Regina Angela Galias, head of the Migrant Integration and Education Division of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), stated that South Korea and Japan have become the top destinations of Filipina mail-order brides.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/10/211_53320.html |title=Filipina Mail-Order Brides Vulnerable to Abuse<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=October 11, 2009 |access-date=February 5, 2010 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017094132/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/10/211_53320.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Numerous overseas countries have introduced legislation<ref>http://scaletext.law.gov.au/html/comact/8/4393/top.htm</ref> which enables them to prosecute their nationals for crimes against children overseas, only a few pedophilles who have comitted offences in the Philippines are charged and convicted back in their own countries for the offences.<ref>http://www.ecpat.org.nz/whatsnew-pacific10122003.html</ref>
Over 70% of Philippine women live in poverty, thus making them particularly vulnerable to the mail-order industry.<ref name="nostatusquo.com"/>
The Australian Government set up the "Australian Federal Police's Transnational Sexual Exploitation Trafficking Team" which investigates pedophilles in places such as the Philippines.
Some countries from which sex tourism originates, including Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States, have passed legislation which criminalizes sex tourism.
In the United States, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 makes travel with intent to engage in any sexual act with a juvenile punishable by up to ten years' imprisonment.<ref>http://www.equalitynow.org/english/actions/action_1201_en.html</ref>


==Debt bondage==
On September 15, 2003 , the US Department of Labor / Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) / International Child Labor Program signed a collaborative agreement with the Philippines government, and contributed US$5 million, on a Timebound Program.
Debt bondage is a criminal offence under the R.A. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003<ref name="chanrobles.com"/>
The Timebound Program covers sexual exploitation and trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation. The program was geared towards working in various parts of the Philippines. <ref>http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/philippines/</ref>
According to ], the practice of "debt bondage" among sexual traffickers is routine, and women often find that their so-called debts only increase and can never be fully repaid.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2000/02/21/international-trafficking-women-and-children|title=International Trafficking of Women and Children – Human Rights Watch|date=February 21, 2000|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124821/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2000/02/21/international-trafficking-women-and-children|url-status=live}}</ref>
Recruiters sometimes buy children and sell them into prostitution. Most often the children have either been stolen from their villages or sold off by their poor families.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.american.edu/TED/philippine-traffic.htm|title=TED Case Study Template|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100351/http://www1.american.edu/TED/philippine-traffic.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Woolf|first=Linda M.|title=Forced Labor and Debt Bondage|url=http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/forcedlabor.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010724081248/http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/forcedlabor.html|archive-date=July 24, 2001}}</ref>


==Child-organ trafficking==
THE UNITED STATES government provided a grant of 179,000 dollars to help a Philippine non-governmental organization expand its halfway house operations to help victims of human trafficking, according to a statement by the US Embassy in Manila.<ref>http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metroregions/view_article.php?article_id=6842</ref>
In 2008, the National Bureau of Investigation alerted the public over the rampant ] of ] in the Philippines. The NBI said smugglers are now targeting children who are kidnapped and taken abroad where their organs are sold to foreign nationals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Philippines.htm|title=Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery – Philippines|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402161229/http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Philippines.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/08/24/08/nbi-raises-alarm-child-organ-trafficking |title=NBI raises alarm on child-organ trafficking {{!}} ABS-CBN News<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=June 10, 2013 |archive-date=June 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605172259/http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/08/24/08/nbi-raises-alarm-child-organ-trafficking |url-status=live }}</ref>
The World Health Organization has identified the Philippines as one of the five organ trafficking hotpots.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-organs-transplant-hotspots-idUSL0142628820070806 | title=FACTBOX: Five organ trafficking hotspots | date=August 6, 2007 | work=Reuters | access-date=July 5, 2021 | archive-date=January 20, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120114433/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-organs-transplant-hotspots-idUSL0142628820070806 | url-status=live }}</ref> However, a 2008 proclamation by President ] has markedly decreased the frequency and ease of the commercial ] industry in the Philippines.<ref>Delmonico, Francis L. 2009. "The implications of Istanbul Declaration on organ trafficking and transplant tourism." Current Opinion In Organ Transplantation 14, no. 2: 116–119.</ref>


== Online scams ==
The British Embassy in Manila organised a two-week course led by Scotland Yard detectives into techniques to investigate cases of child abuse.
In May 2023, Philippine authorities rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims. The victims were lured by job postings on social media that promised good paying jobs where they would then be trapped with armed guards that prevented them from leaving. The victims worked 18 hours a day performing cryptocurrency scams. The victims would meet people on Facebook and dating apps to then pretend to fall in love and take their money.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-05 |title=More Than 1,000 Trafficking Victims Rescued, Philippines Authorities Say |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/more-than-1-000-trafficking-victims-rescued-philippines-authorities-say-/7080533.html |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=VOA |language=en}}</ref>
Subsequently, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation set up an anti-child abuse division - the first squad dedicated to fighting child abuse in the country.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/news/08/0830/phil.shtml</ref>


==The Victims== ==Efforts to control==
Philippine law defines the worst forms of ] as all forms of ] or practices similar to slavery; any use of a child in prostitution, ], or pornographic performances; any use of a child for illegal or illicit activities; and work that is hazardous, including nine hazardous categories. The law criminalizes trafficking of children for ], including trafficking for sex tourism, prostitution, pornography, forced labor, and the recruitment of children into armed conflict. The law establishes the penalty of life imprisonment and a fine for trafficking violations involving children and provides for the confiscation of any proceeds derived from trafficking crimes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=topic&tocid=4565c22535&toid=4565c25f42b&docid=4aba3ec735&skip=0|title=Refworld – 2008 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor – Philippines|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|work=Refworld|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402125032/http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=topic&tocid=4565c22535&toid=4565c25f42b&docid=4aba3ec735&skip=0|url-status=live}}</ref>


Ani Saguisag, a lawyer with the child protection group, ECPAT, identifies lax enforcement of RA 76/10 (sic—actually ]) as a major reason why so few offenders end up behind bars.<ref name=bbc1713865 />
Those involved in the kidnapping of children occasionally make video tapes of children being sexually abused.<ref>
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=65569</ref>


Department of Justice records show that from June 2003 until January 2005 there were 65 complaints received for alleged trafficking in persons violations in the entire nation.<ref> (archived from {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304124414/http://www.doj.gov.ph/news_06-07-05.html |date=March 4, 2008 }} on March 4, 2008)</ref>
A 13 year old child Sharon tells how she was forced to service more than 1,500 clients before she escaped. ''My back ached and I bled,'' she said, ''I tried to run away but the guard at the door blocked my way and pushed me back into the room. I cried and cried all night.''
<ref>http://www.ips.fi/koulut/199742/6.htm</ref>


In November 2009 The Philippine government signed into law of Republic Act 9775, also known as the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. This landmark legislation provides the full legal armor against producers, transmitters, sellers and users of child pornography in whatever form and means of production, dissemination and consumption, in public and private spaces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=21346|title=PHILIPPINES: Govt enacts law against child pornography|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=June 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613160915/http://crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=21346|url-status=live}}</ref>
The UN paper says there are also cases in which the children are "kidnapped, trafficked across borders or from rural to urban areas, and moved from place to place so that they effectively disappear".<ref>
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/50/101.html.</ref>


Gemma Gabuya, chief of the DSWD's Social Technology Bureau, said the national government in a bid to address the problem had formed the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) in 2003 in partnership with civil society organizations and other stakeholders of PACT.<ref name="ecpatinternational.com"/>
Children are at risk of hiv/aids from pedophiles.
<ref>http://www.catw-ap.org/patri.htm</ref>


] has awarded over US$1 million through its Unlimited Potential grants to ]s (NGOs) across six Asian countries, including the Philippines. The latest round of grants will deliver IT training courses specifically for people in human-trafficking hot spots across the region.<ref>
A 1999 survey in Angeles found 12% syphilis among female sex workers, 26% had gonorreha, and 38% had chlamydia<ref>
{{cite news
http://www.remedios.com.ph/fhtml/mk1q2006_2ihb.htm</ref>
| title = Microsoft Partners With Asian NGOs To Fight Human Trafficking
It is illegal in the Philippines to force somebody to take an AIDS test, so there is no way of knowing how many children have been infected with hiv/aids.<ref>
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/asia/presscentre/20060616b.aspx
http://www.amrc.org.hk/4707.htm</ref>
| publisher = ChinaCSR.com
|date= June 19, 2006
| access-date = December 19, 2006
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080118010816/http://www.microsoft.com/asia/presscentre/20060616b.aspx| archive-date = January 18, 2008}}</ref>


Unicef executive director Carol Bellamy stated, The Philippines is among the few countries that are making a dent in the fight against the trafficking of women and children.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global March Against Child Labour – From Exploitation to Education|url=http://www.globalmarch.org/clns/clns-april-2005-details.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223075807/http://www.globalmarch.org/clns/clns-april-2005-details.php|archive-date=December 23, 2005}}</ref>
Women and children involved in prostitution are vulnerable to rape, murder, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
<ref>http://cpcabrisbane.org/Kasama/2005/V19n1/Swagman.htm</ref>
Some men said that it served them right to be infected by men.<ref>http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/mhvbt.htm</ref>


==Protection by politicians and police==
Some local politicians, mayors and their business cronies continue to allow the operation of clubs and bars where children are used as sexual commodities along with young women. Many women will tell how they were recruited as young as 13 and 14. They issue permits and licences for all establishments and harass and threaten those trying to rescue the children, gather evidence and bring charges against them.<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|last=Cullen|first=Father Shay|title=Paper to Child Labor Coalition, Washington|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1997/r9708011.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415164225/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1997/r9708011.htm|archive-date=April 15, 2013|access-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref> The United States Embassy in the Philippines states that some officials condone a climate of impunity for those that exploit trafficked women and children<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27786.htm
|title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2003
|date=February 25, 2004
|publisher=Embassy of the United States in Manila
|access-date=April 26, 2008
|journal=
|archive-date=March 30, 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330143446/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27786.htm
|url-status=live
}}</ref>


==Prevention==
Women and children who become pregnant after being raped are forced into backyard abortion clinics because abortion is illegal in the Philippines. Unsafe abortions render women vulnerable not only to infections and other health complications, but even to death. Because these abortions are carried out in backyard abortion clinics there is no record of how many women and children die each year as a result.<ref>http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/mhvbt.htm</ref>
In 2007, the government's Interagency Council Against Trafficking established its first anti-trafficking task force at Manila's international airport to share information on traffickers and assist victims.
In 2006 the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) issued new employment requirements for overseas Filipino household workers to protect them from widespread employer abuse and trafficking.<ref name=State2007-82806>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2007/82806.htm|title=Country Narratives – Countries H through P|work=U.S. Department of State|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516200232/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2007/82806.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>


The Interagency Council Against Trafficking and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas set up a trafficking hotline. The hotline received 2,487 calls which led to the identification of 18 victims and 34 trafficking cases. All victims were referred to services and law enforcement.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Philippines |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/philippines/ |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US}}</ref>


In December 2022, the Fourth National Strategic Plan Against Trafficking in Persons 2023-2027 was approved.<ref name=":0" />
According to ECPAT chair Ron O'Grady, the chances of full rehabilitation are slim for children who have been sexually abused repeatedly.He adds: "We know that those children who are kept in brothels die quite young. (They) die in many cases before they have had a chance to live. We know they die from AIDS, from drugs and from committing suicide."<ref>http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/50/101.html</ref>
What sex tourism really means to the "real girls" is reflected in Poppy's words, captured by Ron O'Grady in his book, The Child and the Tourist:
''I found myself dancing at a club at the age of 11... I have had different kinds of customers, foreigners and Filipinos. I tried suicide but it didn't work so I turned to drugs. I want to die before my next birthday''.<ref>http://www.equalitynow.org/english/actions/action_1201_en.html</ref>


==Non-governmental organizations==
The Philippine government continues to rely heavily on ] (NGOs) and international organizations to provide services to victims.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
The Department of Social Welfare and Development operated 42 temporary shelters for victims throughout the country. Thirteen of these shelters were supported by a non-profit charity organization.
Philippines law permits private prosecutors to prosecute cases under the direction and control of a public prosecutor. The government has used this provision effectively, allowing and supporting an NGO to file 23 cases in 2007.<ref name=State2007-82806 />


The Philippine campaign against Child Trafficking (PACT) is an anti-child trafficking campaign that was launched by ECPAT Philippines to raise awareness on the ] phenomena in the country.
In the exploitative system of prostitution, bar owners and pimps make the most profit while the women are exposed to abuse, physical, emotional and psychological trauma.
The campaign also aims to encourage local mechanisms for the prevention and protection of children against Child Trafficking as well as other programs which are unified with the intensification of the ] of children such as the holistic recovery and reintegration of child victims of trafficking.<ref>{{cite news|title=ECPAT Philippines launches the anti-child trafficking campaign in the Philippines|url=http://www.childprotection.org.ph/whatshappening/whtbits1_decjanfeb04.html|access-date=June 11, 2013|date=February 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040228164806/http://www.childprotection.org.ph/whatshappening/whtbits1_decjanfeb04.html|archive-date=February 28, 2004}}</ref>
The absence of punitive measures for the male customers enables them to abuse the women in prostitution.
The problem is compounded by the fact that society, even the church, discriminates against women in prostitution.<ref>http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2005/03/29/SCTY2005032931647.html</ref>


Stairway Foundation, a child protection NGO, came up in 2009 with its third animation film called ''Red Leaves Falling'' which is about child sex trafficking and pornography under the Break the Silence Campaign. The said film is being used by numerous government and non-government organizations to raise awareness on the issue of trafficking.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stairwayfoundation.org/stairway/index.php/Animation-Film-Toolkits/red-leaves-falling-a-story-of-child-sex-trafficking.html|title=Red Leaves Falling – A Story of Child Sex Trafficking|author=Monica|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151219/http://www.stairwayfoundation.org/stairway/index.php/Animation-Film-Toolkits/red-leaves-falling-a-story-of-child-sex-trafficking.html|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>


In 2010, the Office of the ] signed a memorandum of agreement with select cause-oriented groups – the ] (VFF), Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC), and the ] (IJM) – so that they could help in the collective fight against human trafficking.<ref>{{cite news|title=Groups unite against human trafficking|url=http://www.philstar.com/good-news/555272/groups-unite-against-human-trafficking|access-date=June 11, 2013|date=March 7, 2010|archive-date=June 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627033704/http://www.philstar.com/good-news/555272/groups-unite-against-human-trafficking|url-status=live}}</ref>
CATW, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women lists numerous issues and adversities faced by women and girls in prostitution:


VFF has rescued and helped more than 32,000 victims and potential victims of trafficking since it was established in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://share.america.gov/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731072329/http://www.america.gov/st/hr-english/2009/January/20090128141723ajesrom0.1934473.html&distid=ucs|title=Connect with America|website=ShareAmerica| archive-date=July 31, 2012 }}</ref>
Problems Related to Health include: lack of comprehensive health services, not just on sexual health; women’s lack of knowledge of health issues; fear of doctors or medical professionals; and or risky health practices; drug use and risk from drugged client expensive and compulsory check-ups for issuance of health certificates; compulsory HIV tests and the lack of pre-test and post-test counseling, as well as the violation of confidentiality (publicly announced results) or no results given; lack of funds for hospitalization and health emergencies; forced intake of contraceptive pills and unsafe abortions.
VFF works with the Philippine coast guard, the government's Port Authority, and shipping company, Aboitez, to keep monitor arriving boats in the main ports, looking for possible traffickers traveling with groups of children.
The organization has operations in four main ports serving Manila, and says it rescues between 20 and 60 children a week.<ref name="www1.voanews.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-child-trafficking-prevalent-throughout-southeast-asia-67390462/382777.html|title=Child Trafficking Prevalent Throughout Southeast Asia|work=VOA|date=October 29, 2009 |access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402091712/http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-child-trafficking-prevalent-throughout-southeast-asia-67390462/382777.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


However, foreign sex traffickers and child molesters often harass Catholic and other groups by lodging multiple libel and other suits.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fighting the Child Sex Industry |url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2000/r00012901.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620202938/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2000/r00012901.html |archive-date=June 20, 2013 |newspaper=Manila Times |access-date=June 11, 2013 }}</ref>


In 1999 the PREDA Foundation, through the International League of Action, was able to bring to justice a group of Norwegians who were trafficking children from one town in the Philippines and bringing them to Oslo for sexual abuse. The youngest of these children were six and seven years old.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gonzalez |first=Ramon |title=Priest sets children free |url=http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2000/0515/frshaycullen051500.shtml |access-date=June 11, 2013 |newspaper=Western Catholic Reporter |date=May 15, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216071422/http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2000/0515/frshaycullen051500.shtml |archive-date=December 16, 2007 }}</ref>
Problems Related to the Law or the Legal System
· Abusive, discriminatory conduct of raids, including arrests, maltreatment during raids or while in custody, extortion for release.


==Action by foreign governments==
· Women held in debt bondage.
Numerous overseas countries have introduced ] (e.g. the {{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|num_act|cstaa1994346|Crimes (Child Sex Tourism) Amendment Act 1994}}) which enables them to prosecute their nationals for ] against children overseas, only a few child molesters who have committed offences in the Philippines are charged and convicted back in their own countries for the offences.<ref name=autogenerated8>{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=Padraic|title=Journey to despair|url=http://www.ecpat.org.nz/whatsnew-pacific10122003.html|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070118011636/http://www.ecpat.org.nz/whatsnew-pacific10122003.html|archive-date=January 18, 2007}}</ref>
The Australian Government set up the "Australian Federal Police's Transnational Sexual Exploitation Trafficking Team" which investigates child molesters in places such as the Philippines.
Some countries from which sex tourism originates, including Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States, have passed legislation which criminalizes sex tourism.
In the United States, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 makes travel with intent to engage in any sexual act with a juvenile punishable by up to ten years' imprisonment.<ref name=autogenerated5>{{cite web|url=http://www.equalitynow.org/take_action/sex-trafficking_action121|title=Sex Tourism: "Real sex with real girls, all for real cheap"|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=March 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322011906/http://www.equalitynow.org/take_action/sex-trafficking_action121|url-status=live}}</ref>


On September 15, 2003, the US Department of Labor / Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) / International Child Labor Program signed a collaborative agreement with the Philippines government, and contributed US$5 million, on a Timebound Program.
· Restriction of movement.
The Timebound Program covers sexual exploitation and trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation. The program was geared towards working in various parts of the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/philippines/|title=HumanTrafficking.org – Philippines|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315043207/http://humantrafficking.org/countries/philippines|archive-date=March 15, 2015}}</ref>


The United States government provided a grant of 179,000 dollars to help a Philippine non-governmental organization expand its halfway house operations to help victims of human trafficking, according to a statement by the US Embassy in Manila.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metroregions/view/20060627-6842/NGO_gets_$179,000-US_grant_for_human_trafficking_victims|title=NGO gets $179,000-US grant for human trafficking victims – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=March 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307020227/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metroregions/view/20060627-6842/NGO_gets_$179,000-US_grant_for_human_trafficking_victims|url-status=live}}</ref>
· Anti-vagrancy laws are unconstitutional, i.e. they violate equal protection and are classist and sexist in their enforcement.


The British Embassy in Manila organised a two-week course led by ] detectives into techniques to investigate cases of ].
Problems Related to Services
Subsequently, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation set up an anti-child abuse division – the first squad dedicated to fighting child abuse in the country.<ref name=autogenerated7 />
· Lack of education, especially in the areas of literacy, rights awareness, and peer education.


The United States has taken action under the 2003 PROTECT Act with a number of indictments.<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. Getting Tougher on Child Sex Tourism|url=http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2004/Nov/24-569238.html|access-date=June 11, 2013|date=November 23, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041127145727/http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2004/Nov/24-569238.html|archive-date=November 27, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/87yearold-man-jailed-for-sex-tourism/2005/03/29/1111862365237.html?oneclick=true|title=87-year-old man jailed for sex tourism|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=March 29, 2005|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924193700/http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/87yearold-man-jailed-for-sex-tourism/2005/03/29/1111862365237.html?oneclick=true|url-status=live}}</ref>
· Women have the status of criminals.


The United States embassy in the Philippines involves itself in the prevention, prosecution, and protection of persons trafficked in the Philippines. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports the work of local organizations throughout the Philippines through training frontline workers, providing legal assistance to victims, and creating dialogue around the topic to raise awareness.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manila |first=U. S. Embassy |date=2021-03-31 |title=Fact Sheet: U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Partners to Combat Trafficking in Persons |url=https://ph.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-u-s-embassy-in-the-philippines-partners-to-combat-trafficking-in-persons/ |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=U.S. Embassy in the Philippines |language=en-US}}</ref>
· Inadequate support systems in the areas of counseling and legal assistance, as well as child care.


==Corruption==
· The need for skills development, such as organizational and management skills, leadership, negotiation and documentation.
] have been known to guard brothels and even procure children for prostitution.<ref>{{cite web|title=Child Sex Tourism|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/sextour.html|work=Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section|publisher=U.S. Department of Justice|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041029024519/http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/sextour.html|archive-date=October 29, 2004}}</ref> NGOs have complained that the local political and legal establishments protect child molesters, sometimes even including law enforcement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1997/r9704151.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100518103543/http://www.preda.org/main/archives/1997/r9704151.htm|title=Preda Foundation, Inc. NEWS/ARTICLES: "Baby Rape and Sex Tourism"<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=May 18, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://iwraw.igc.org/publications/countries/philippines.htm|title=IWRAW Home Page|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182128/http://iwraw.igc.org/publications/countries/philippines.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
The United States Embassy in the Philippines states that some officials condone a climate of impunity for those that exploited trafficked women and children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27786.htm|title=Philippines|work=U.S. Department of State|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=March 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330143446/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27786.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>


==The victims==
Problems Related to Violence Against Women
{{essay-like|section|date=June 2020}}
· Trafficking in women by syndicates that practice active, deceptive recruitment.


Those involved in the kidnapping of children have occasionally made video tapes of children being sexually abused.{{cn|date=August 2022}}
· Economic abuse, i.e. no work, no food and poverty.


The UN paper{{clarify|date=August 2022}} says there are also cases in which the children are "kidnapped, trafficked across borders or from rural to urban areas, and moved from place to place so that they effectively disappear".<ref>{{cite web|
· A high rate of rape.
url=http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/50/101.html|title=Losing the Fight Against Child Sex Trade|website=hartford-hwp|date=July 10, 1998}}</ref>{{better source needed|daate=August 2, 2022|reason=see and .|date=August 2022}}


Children are at risk of HIV/AIDS from child molesters.<ref>{{cite web|title=Patriarchy, Poverty, Prostitution And Hiv/Aids: The Philippine Experience|url=http://catw-ap.org/patri.htm|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908103015/http://catw-ap.org/patri.htm|archive-date=September 8, 2007}}</ref>
· Domestic violence.


The prevalence of gonorrhea and chlamydia was 18.6% and 29.1% respectively.<ref></ref>
· Violence caused by barangay (village) officials (fees, competition, harassment).
Philippine law provides for compulsory HIV testing in some circumstances, and of course people may voluntarily be tested for AIDS. The Philippine government has provided a mechanism for anonymous HIV testing and guarantees anonymity and medical confidentiality in the conduct of such tests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8504.htm|title=PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES & CODES – CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=December 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221094623/http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8504.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>


· Harmful physical, emotional, and psychological effects on the women. In the exploitative system of prostitution, bar owners and pimps make the most profit while the women are exposed to abuse, physical, emotional and psychological trauma.
The absence of punitive measures for the male customers enables them to abuse the women in prostitution.
The problem is compounded by the fact that society, even the church, discriminates against women in prostitution.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2005/03/29/SCTY2005032931647.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330181243/http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2005/03/29/SCTY2005032931647.html|title=:: Welcome to Manila Bulletin Online ::<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=] |archive-date=March 30, 2007}}</ref>


Pimps bend the girls to their will, drug them. Degrading and humiliating the girls is at the discretion of their international clients. After two, three years the girls have lost their health and beauty. From then on, they are on offer at bargain price to local clients. The humiliation these girls have to go through often drives them into self-destruction. With no self-esteem their lives are on a dead-end journey. With drug addiction, unwanted pregnancies, venereal disease and AIDS the girls go to rack and ruin.<ref>{{cite web|title=Girls' rehabilitation in Cebu City – Philippines|url=http://www.k-i-d-s.org/project.php?subid=3|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929070317/http://www.k-i-d-s.org/project.php?subid=3|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref>
· The “salvaging” or summary execution, especially of sick women.<ref>http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/mhvbt.htm</ref>


At least 90 percent of HIV positive people in Angeles City were female sex workers, according to a study of the Training, Research and Information for Development Specialists Foundation Inc. (Tridev).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080418-131104/Angeles-City-gets-priority-in-funding-program-for-AIDS|title=Angeles City gets priority in funding program for AIDS – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926011952/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080418-131104/Angeles-City-gets-priority-in-funding-program-for-AIDS|archive-date=September 26, 2012}}</ref>
==Organized Crime of Child Trafficking==

==Organized crime of child trafficking==
A special BBC investigation exposes the organized crime syndicates that control the child sex slavery trafficking in the Philippines. A special BBC investigation exposes the organized crime syndicates that control the child sex slavery trafficking in the Philippines.
The investigation shows there could be 100,000 Philippine children involved in the local sex slavery trade. This crime gang has a system similar to that of the Sicilian Mafia, Yakuza and Triads. They often start as a trainee field recruiter, to running individual brothels, and then to overseeing an entire network - an underworld association.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6507495.stm</ref>Local NGO`S refer to the the organized crime syndicates as the sex mafia.<ref>http://www.preda.org/archives/2003/r03103001.html</ref> The investigation reported there could be as many as 100,000 Philippine children involved in the local sex trade. This crime gang has a system similar to that of the ], ] and ]. They often start as a trainee field recruiter, to running individual brothels, and then to overseeing an entire network an underworld association.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6507495.stm | work=BBC News | title='Chairman' reveals seedy world of trafficking | date=April 1, 2007 | access-date=May 4, 2010 | archive-date=December 25, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225171757/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6507495.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> Local NGO`S refer to the organized crime syndicates as the sex mafia.<ref name=r03103001>{{cite web|title=Quick Facts: Human Trafficking in the Philippines|date=December 21, 2013 |url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/340851/newstv/reeltime/quick-facts-human-trafficking-in-the-philippines|access-date=December 21, 2013|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924134141/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/340851/newstv/reeltime/quick-facts-human-trafficking-in-the-philippines|url-status=live}}</ref>
From the Philippines, girls are delivered to prison-like brothels in the North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.<ref>http://www.protest4.com/content/blogsection/4/32/9/45/</ref> From the Philippines, girls are delivered to prison-like brothels in the North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/218/46329.html|title=Sex Slavery: International Steps are Needed|author=Administrator|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403082846/https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/218/46329.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The organizers of the trade are varied, as well: it's a strange alliance of the Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triad, Russian and Italian Mafia, eastern European gangsters, Albanian kingpins, Latin American cartels, Nigerian warlords, Asian businessmen and American financiers and subcontractors.<ref>http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/inequal/0710sexslavery.htm</ref>


==Legality== ==Legality==

===Revised Penal Code Article 202=== ===Revised Penal Code Article 202===


Line 188: Line 284:


For the purposes of this article, women who, for money or profit, habitually indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct, are deemed to be prostitutes. For the purposes of this article, women who, for money or profit, habitually indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct, are deemed to be prostitutes.

<br/>
Any person found guilty of any of the offenses covered by this articles shall be punished by arresto menor or a fine not exceeding 200 pesos, and in case of recidivism, by arresto mayor in its medium period to prison correccional in its minimum period or a fine ranging from 200 to 2,000 pesos, or both, in the discretion of the court.<Ref name=rpc2>{{cite web Any person found guilty of any of the offenses covered by this articles shall be punished by arresto menor or a fine not exceeding 200 pesos, and in case of recidivism, by arresto mayor in its medium period to prison correccional in its minimum period or a fine ranging from 200 to 2,000 pesos, or both, in the discretion of the court.<ref name=rpc2/>
| url=http://www.chanrobles.com/revisedpenalcodeofthephilippinesbook2.htm
| title = Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, Book 2
| accessdate = 2006-12-19
| publisher = Chanrobles Law Library
}}</Ref>
}} }}


===Revised Penal Code Article 341=== ===Revised Penal Code Article 341===
Penal Code article 341 imposes a penality to any person who “shall engage in the business or shall profit by prostitution or shall enlist the services of any other person for the purpose of prostitution."<Ref name=rpc2/> Penal Code article 341 imposes a penalty to any person who "shall engage in the business or shall profit by prostitution or shall enlist the services of any other person for the purpose of prostitution."<ref name=rpc2>{{cite web
| url = http://www.chanrobles.com/revisedpenalcodeofthephilippinesbook2.htm
| title = Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, Book 2
| access-date = December 19, 2006
| publisher = Chanrobles Law Library
| archive-date = October 2, 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091002063041/http://www.chanrobles.com/revisedpenalcodeofthephilippinesbook2.htm
| url-status = live
}}</ref>


===Republic Act 9208=== ===Republic Act 9208===


Section 4 of Republic Act 9208, otherwise known as the "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003," deems it unlawful for any person, natural or juridical, to commit any of the following acts: Section 4 of Republic Act 9208, otherwise known as the "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003", deems it unlawful for any person, natural or juridical, to commit any of the following acts:


{{Quotation| {{Quotation|
Line 209: Line 308:
(b) To introduce or match for money, profit, or material, economic or other consideration, any person or, as provided for under Republic Act No. 6955, any Filipino women to a foreign national, for marriage for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling or trading him/her to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage; (b) To introduce or match for money, profit, or material, economic or other consideration, any person or, as provided for under Republic Act No. 6955, any Filipino women to a foreign national, for marriage for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling or trading him/her to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;


(c) To offer or contract marriage, real or simulated, for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling, or trading them to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor or slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage; (c) To offer or contract marriage, real or simulated, for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling, or trading them to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor or slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;


(d) To undertake or organize tours and travel plans consisting of tourism packages or activities for the purpose of utilizing and offering persons for prostitution, pornography or sexual exploitation; (d) To undertake or organize tours and travel plans consisting of tourism packages or activities for the purpose of utilizing and offering persons for prostitution, pornography or sexual exploitation;
Line 219: Line 318:
(g) To recruit, hire, adopt, transport or abduct a person, by means of threat or use of force, fraud deceit, violence, coercion, or intimidation for the purpose of removal or sale of organs of said person; and (g) To recruit, hire, adopt, transport or abduct a person, by means of threat or use of force, fraud deceit, violence, coercion, or intimidation for the purpose of removal or sale of organs of said person; and


(h) To recruit, transport or adopt a child to engage in armed activities in the Philippines or abroad.<Ref> (h) To recruit, transport or adopt a child to engage in armed activities in the Philippines or abroad.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html
{{cite web
| url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html
| title = Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 | title = Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003
| accessdate = 2006-12-19 | access-date = 2006-12-19
| publisher = Chanrobles Law Library | publisher = Chanrobles Law Library
| archive-date = March 30, 2019
}}</Ref>
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190330044008/http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
}} }}


{{anchor|RA7610}}<!-- convenience anchor -- referenced elsewhere in this article -->
===Republic Act 7610 - Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act===

===Republic Act 7610 – Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act===


{{Quotation| {{Quotation|
Sec. 5. Child Prostitution and Other Sexual Abuse. - Children, whether male or female, who for money, profit, or any other consideration or due to the coercion or influence of any adult, syndicate or group, indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct, are deemed to be children exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse. Sec. 5. Child Prostitution and Other Sexual Abuse. Children, whether male or female, who for money, profit, or any other consideration or due to the coercion or influence of any adult, syndicate or group, indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct, are deemed to be children exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse.
<br/> <br />
The penalty of reclusion temporal in its medium period to reclusion perpetua shall be imposed upon the following: The penalty of reclusion temporal in its medium period to reclusion perpetua shall be imposed upon the following:
:(a) Those who engage in or promote, facilitate or induce child prostitution which include, but are not limited to, the following: :(a) Those who engage in or promote, facilitate or induce child prostitution which include, but are not limited to, the following:
Line 243: Line 346:
:(c) Those who derive profit or advantage therefrom, whether as manager or owner of the establishment where the prostitution takes place, or of the sauna, disco, bar, resort, place of entertainment or establishment serving as a cover or which engages in prostitution in addition to the activity for which the license has been issued to said establishment. :(c) Those who derive profit or advantage therefrom, whether as manager or owner of the establishment where the prostitution takes place, or of the sauna, disco, bar, resort, place of entertainment or establishment serving as a cover or which engages in prostitution in addition to the activity for which the license has been issued to said establishment.


Sec. 6. Attempt To Commit Child Prostitution. - There is an attempt to commit child prostitution under Section 5, paragraph (a) hereof when any person who, not being a relative of a child, is found alone with the said child inside the room or cubicle of a house, an inn, hotel, motel, pension house, apartelle or other similar establishments, vessel, vehicle or any other hidden or secluded area under circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the child is about to be exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse. Sec. 6. Attempt To Commit Child Prostitution. There is an attempt to commit child prostitution under Section 5, paragraph (a) hereof when any person who, not being a relative of a child, is found alone with the said child inside the room or cubicle of a house, an inn, hotel, motel, pension house, apartelle or other similar establishments, vessel, vehicle or any other hidden or secluded area under circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the child is about to be exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse.
<br/> <br />
There is also an attempt to commit child prostitution, under paragraph (b) of Section 5 hereof when any person is receiving services from a child in a sauna parlor or bath, massage clinic, health club and other similar establishments. A penalty lower by two (2) degrees than that prescribed for the consummated felony under Section 5 hereof shall be imposed upon the principals of the attempt to commit the crime of child prostitution under this Act, or, in the proper case, under the Revised Penal Code.<Ref> There is also an attempt to commit child prostitution, under paragraph (b) of Section 5 hereof when any person is receiving services from a child in a sauna parlor or bath, massage clinic, health club and other similar establishments. A penalty lower by two (2) degrees than that prescribed for the consummated felony under Section 5 hereof shall be imposed upon the principals of the attempt to commit the crime of child prostitution under this Act, or, in the proper case, under the Revised Penal Code.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7610.html
{{cite web
| url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7610.html
| title = Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act | title = Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act
| accessdate = 2006-12-19 | access-date = 2006-12-19
| publisher = Chanrobles Law Library | publisher = Chanrobles Law Library
| archive-date = December 16, 2006
}}</Ref>
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061216133640/http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7610.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
}} }}


===Republic Act 6955 - Mail Order Brides=== ===Republic Act 6955 Mail-order brides===


RA 6955 basically declares as unlawful "the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail order basis."<Ref> RA 6955 basically declares as unlawful "the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail order basis."<ref name="Chanrobles Law Library"/><ref name="humantrafficking.org"/>
{{cite web
| url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno6955.html
| title = An act to declare unlawful the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail-order basis and other similar practices including the advertisement, publication, printing or distribution of brochures, fliers and other propaganda materials in futherance thereof and providing penalty therefor
| accessdate = 2006-12-19
| publisher = Chanrobles Law Library
}}</Ref>


===Republic Act 8042 - Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act=== ===Republic Act 8042 Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act===
RA 8042 (Long title: ''An Act to Institute the Policies of Overseas Employment and Establish a Higher Standard of Protection and Promotion of The Welfare of Migrant Workers, Their Families and Overseas Filipinos in Distress, and for Other Purposes.'') The act contains provisions which regulate the recruitment of overseas workers; mandate establishment of a mechanism for free legal assistance for victims of illegal recruitment; direct all embassies and consular offices to issue travel advisories or disseminate information on labor and employment conditions, migration realities and other facts; regulate repatriation of workers in ordinary cases and provide a mechanism for repatriation in extraordinary cases; mandate establishment of a Migrant Workers and Other Overseas Filipinos Resource Center to provide social services to returning worker and other migrants; mandate the establishment of a Migrant Workers Loan Guarantee Fund to provide pre-departure and family assistance loans; establishes a legal assistance fund for migrant workers; and other provisions related to Filipino migrant workers. The act, approved on June 7, 1995, mandates that pursuant to the objectives of deregulation the ] (DOLE) shall, within a period of five (5) years, phase-out the regulatory functions of the ] (POEA).<ref>{{cite web
{{Expandsect|date=January 2007}}
| url = http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8042.htm
<Ref>
{{cite web
| url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8042.htm
| title = Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 | title = Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995
| publisher = Chanrobles Law Library | publisher = Chanrobles Law Library
| access-date = December 19, 2006
}}</Ref>
| archive-date = February 3, 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070203151654/http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8042.htm
| url-status = live
}}</ref>


===Senate Hearing=== ===House Resolution No. 779===
] ] (CIBAC) Reps. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva and Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales, on September 24, filed House Resolution No. 779 to intensify the fight against human trafficking on all levels, from legislation, policy formulation, enforcement and prosecution, to rehabilitation and support for victims. Villanueva said: "Human trafficking is fast becoming a major transnational crime next only to the illegal drugs trade and illegal arms trade. Most of the victims of trafficking are being exploited as commercial sex workers, forced laborers and even unwilling organ donors. We must consider the reports of the victims that lack of funds and resources are key problems in the full implementation of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act, including the necessary support and protection." The National Bureau of Investigation (Philippines) reported "more than 400,000 persons from both government and non-government organizations who are victims of trafficking and almost 100,000 of these victims are children." Cruz-Gonzales said: "As of last year, only a little over a thousand cases were officially reported."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/122523/news/nation/lawmakers-want-house-probe-on-rising-human-trafficking-incidents-in-rp|title=Lawmakers want House probe on rising human trafficking incidents in RP|work=GMA News Online|date=September 24, 2008 |access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103813/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/122523/news/nation/lawmakers-want-house-probe-on-rising-human-trafficking-incidents-in-rp|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Crimes against humanity===
On September 15, 2004, the first hearing was held on escort services. followed by a second hearing on September 22, 2004, attended by well-known movie personalities and a third hearing, attended by representatives from KTVs.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has designated human Trafficking as a crime against humanity.<ref name="unodc.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html|title=What is Human Trafficking?|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=November 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101055423/https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="childtrafficking.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.childtrafficking.org/cgi-bin/ct/main.sql?file=view_document.sql&TITLE=-1&AUTHOR=-1&THESAURO=-1&ORGANIZATION=-1&TOPIC=-1&GEOG=-1&YEAR=-1&LISTA=No&COUNTRY=-1&FULL_DETAIL=Yes&ID=2312|title=Child Trafficking|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-date=September 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202735/http://www.childtrafficking.org/cgi-bin/ct/main.sql?file=view_document.sql&TITLE=-1&AUTHOR=-1&THESAURO=-1&ORGANIZATION=-1&TOPIC=-1&GEOG=-1&YEAR=-1&LISTA=No&COUNTRY=-1&FULL_DETAIL=Yes&ID=2312}}</ref><ref name="japan2.usembassy.gov">{{cite web|url=http://japan2.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20080123-03.html|title=Japan's Fight against Modern-Day Slavery (Part I)|last=Hansen|first=Scott|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308152916/http://japan2.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20080123-03.html|archive-date=March 8, 2013|access-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref><ref name="globalnation.inquirer.net"/>
In 2002, the ] (ICC) was established in ] (Netherlands) and the ] provides for the ICC to have jurisdiction over ]. For the purpose of this Statute, "crime against humanity" means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack:<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513134414/http://www.preventgenocide.org/law/icc/statute/part-a.htm#2 |date=May 13, 2015 }} Article 7: Crimes against humanity.</ref>


{{Quotation|
:(a) ];
:(b) ];
:(c) Enslavement;
:(d) Deportation or forcible transfer of population;
:(e) ] or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;
:(f) ];
:(g) ], sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced ], ], or any other form of ] of comparable gravity;
:(h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, ], national, ethnic, ], ], ] as defined in paragraph 3, or other grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;
:(i) ] of persons;
:(j) The ];
:(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.}}

==See also==
*]
*]


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
<References/>



==External links== ==External links==
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Human trafficking and the prostitution of children has been a significant issue in the Philippines, often controlled by organized crime syndicates. Human trafficking is a crime against humanity.

With the Philippines having a large migrant population, men are exploited in fishing, construction, and farming jobs. Whereas, women are exploited in more domestic and caretaker roles. Children are exploited for sex and child labor trafficking.

In an effort to deal with the problem, the Philippines passed R.A. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, a penal law against human trafficking, sex tourism, sex slavery and child prostitution. In 2006, enforcement was reported to be inconsistent. But by 2017, the U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons had placed the country in "Tier 1" (fully compliant with minimum standards of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act).

Statistics

An undated United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) document estimated that 60,000 to 100,000 children in the Philippines were involved in prostitution rings as of 2009. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) about 100,000 children were involved in prostitution as of 2009. There is a high incidence of child prostitution in tourist areas. An undetermined number of children are forced into exploitative labour operations.

As of 2020, the Philippines is ranked as Tier 1 in the Trafficking in Persons Report of the United States (US) State Department after substantial efforts.

Problem areas and history

A report published in 2004 by the Vatican stated: The Philippines has a serious trafficking problem of women and children illegally recruited into the tourist industry for sexual exploitation. Destinations within the country are Metro Manila, Angeles City, Olongapo City, towns in Bulacan, Batangas, Cebu City, Davao and Cagayan de Oro City and other sex tourist resorts such as Puerto Galera, Pagsanjan, San Fernando Pampanga, and many beach resorts throughout the country. The promise of recruiters offers women and children attractive jobs in the country or abroad, and instead they are coerced and forced and controlled into the sex industry for tourists.

Puerto Galera

There are numerous cases of child molestation that have been reported in Puerto Galera, a beach resort on Mindoro Island three hours south of Manila. The area is a favorite for foreign child molesters seeking children. Puerto Galera was described in 1997 as one of the Philippines top five spots for child prostitution.

Angeles City

In 1991 a volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo forced an evacuation and destroyed much of the Clark Air Base, a major United States military facility located 40 miles (60 km) northwest of Manila, which closed shortly thereafter. Most of the sex trade around the base closed at the same time due to the loss of the GI customers. Mayor Alfredo Lim proceeded to crack down on Manila's remaining sex industry, causing many of these businesses to relocate to Angeles City, which borders on the closed base, and was becoming a popular tourist destination especially with former GIs. By the late 1990s, UNICEF estimated that there are 60,000 child prostitutes in the Philippines, describing Angeles City brothels as "notorious" for offering sex with children. In 1997, the BBC reported that UNICEF estimated many of the 200 brothels in the notorious Angeles City offer children for sex.

The current trade is dominated by Australian bar operators and sustained by tourists seeking inexpensive sex. In bars catering mostly to foreign men, girls are sold for a "bar fine". Conditions are sometimes brutal Children and teenagers are lured into the industry from poor areas by promises of money and care, and are kept there by threats, debt bondage and the fear of poverty. Angeles City is one of the largest sex tourist destinations in the world with just over 15 thousand women working in its various sex establishments (brothels, bars and videokes).

In 2005, UNICEF reported evidence of growing child pornography production in Angeles City. Children as young as ten years old have been rescued from brothels in Angeles.

STD cases rose five times. The RHWC treated 1,421 cases in 2005, 2,516 cases in 2006 and 6,229 cases in 2007. Most of the afflicted were women.

Pagsanjan, Laguna

CNN stated in 2010 that "A decade ago, Pagsanjan, located about 60 miles south of Manila, became known as a popular location for men seeking homosexual prostitutes." Pagsanjan began to attract an increasing number of child molesters. "In the '80s, Pagsanjan was declared by international gay publications as a paradise for them, a gay paradise, a haven for homosexuals", said Dr. Sonia Zaide, an activist who is particularly concerned by the expansion of the town's sex trade to include minors, mostly young boys. Time magazine reported in 1993 that Pagsanjan was a favorite destination for sex tourists seeking children. The Filipino government began a crackdown on the child sex industry in Pagsanjan and 23 people of varying nationalities were arrested. Foreign child molesters take advantage of the poverty, with children often being used as sexual currency by their own parents. The World Bank World Development Report for 1995 reported that the town of Pagsanjan through civic action had dramatically reduced child prostitution.

Davao City

October 5 has become the Day of No Prostitution Campaign in Davao City. In 2005, the Philippine Information Agency reported documented cases of children as young as 10 years old forced into prostitution in Davao. Davao provinces, along with the Caraga region, have become the favorites of child traffickers posing as tourists.

Cebu

In 2001, it was estimated there were 10,000 young girls trafficked into sex slavery in Cebu. "What has become very obvious is a growing market for child prostitutes," said Father Heinz, a Catholic priest who has been involved for more than a decade in initiatives to beat the pimps and child-traffickers. It was reported in 2009 that Cebu remained a destination, source and transit area for human trafficking, where women and children victims are brought to be "processed". It was reported in 2005 that Cebu had been the destination of international and domestic trafficking of children, aged from 11 to 17 years old.

Pampanga

More than a dozen of cybersex operations have been busted in the Pampanga province and Angeles City areas, this resulted in the rescue of hundreds of exploited women, most of them minors or below 18 years of age. Hundreds of computers sets have been seized, including sex toys and other gadgets used in the cybersex operations mostly maintained by foreigners. A forum hosted by the Prosecution Law Enforcement and Community Coordinating Service (proleccs) discussed several factors that contribute to the human trafficking problem and these include poverty, the proliferation of underground cybersex through internet and sex tourism.

Lucena City

Lucena ports have been identified by anti-human trafficking advocates as transit points used by syndicates engaged in the recruitment of innocent women from remote areas destined for prostitution dens in other parts of the country.

Subic Bay

In 1988 a Naval Investigative undercover operation based in Subic Bay were offered children for sex as young as four. Many of those involved in the prostitution of children have been brought to justice in the courts. Most of the 16,000 women estimated to have worked the bars around the largest overseas naval base were forced into the sex industry. One 16-year-old child tells of her experience in Subic Bay: "She was locked in a room for a month, starved and force-fed drugs and alcohol to ensure she was addicted and could be more easily controlled. She was often beaten unconscious for refusing to have sex with customers." Pregnancy, abortion, the spread of disease and drug abuse were just some of the indignities imposed on Filipinas. Despite the US pull-out from Subic Bay in 1992, continues to fester, catering to a new generation of civilian sex tourists. The former naval base, and current visits by American military have been the subject of protests by welfare groups and activists in Subic. Brandishing placards and chanting slogans, members of WAIL and GABRIELA called for justice for all victims of human rights abuses.

Olongapo

Trafficking of Women and Children in Olongapo was rampant during the time of the Subic Naval Base located close by. In 1988, the US Naval Investigative Service confirmed the existence of child prostitution in Olongapo City. After the base closure a new child molesters clientele from countries such as Australia and Europe moved in. Olongapo special prosecutor Dorentino Z. Floresta states, "Politicians do not want people to know that these things are happening in Olongapo," said Floresta.

Visayas

Eastern Visayas continues to be a source of women and children being sent to Metro Manila brothels and sweatshops. Department of Social Welfare and Development officials said the number of human trafficking cases was increasing. Leticia Corillo, DSWD regional director stated that the victims were mostly children and women. Seventy percent are aged from 13 to 17 years old. A DSWD report, said the Waray towns of Paranas and Jiabong and Calbayog City in Samar province and Mapanas and Las Navas in Northern Samar are considered as human trafficking "hotspots".

Trafficking of Filipinas to overseas destinations

The US Department of State in July 2001, estimated that about 40,000 Filipino women were trafficked into the sex and entertainment industry in Japan using entertainment visas. A 2007 report by CBC News estimates the number of Filipinas trafficked into Japan for prostitution to be as high as 150,000. Club owners in Japan oblige Filipino entertainers to date their customers during daytime and, in some cases, force them into prostitution. Some of them were sold allegedly to the Yakuza for $2,400 to $18,000. A trafficker earns $3,000–$5,000 for each woman or girl sold in the international sex trade.

Sex tourism

An article in the newspaper Davao Today reports that, according to experts, the growth of tourism in the Philippines in places such as Cebu and Boracay, has given rise to the sexual exploitation of women and children. In a 2004 article, the People's Recovery, Empowerment Development Assistance Foundation (PREDA) reported in 2004 that ECPAT, which it describes as "a global network that campaigns against child prostitution", estimates that 300,000 sex tourists from Japan alone visit the Philippines every year. In the same article, PREDA reports, "many others are British." Local NGO Preda states that the majority of the "customers" (the word used by the children to describe their abusers) are local tourists and about ten percent are foreign tourists. The foreign customers, according to arrest figures compiled by ECPAT Manila rank in frequency as follows: American, Japanese, Australian, British, German, Swiss, other nationalities.

Unicef noted that child trafficking in the Philippines is the highest incidence of child prostitution in a tourist area.

Sex trafficking

Main article: Sex trafficking in the Philippines

Sex trafficking in the Philippines is a significant problem. Filipina women and girls have been forced into prostitution and been physically and psychologically abused.

Foreign child molesters

The Philippines continued to assist U.S. law enforcement authorities in the transfer to U.S. custody of Americans who sexually exploited children. Foreign child molesters are a major problem in a country like the Philippines. Some foreign child molesters are very well connected and have positions in industry and politics. Profile studies of these child molesters show they come mostly from Europe and are usually well off, married and with children of their own. Some foreign child molesters arrange with bribes and corrupt practices to get the children out of the country and abuse them in another country. The problem of foreign child molesters continues to be reported in the press. It was reported in 1999 that foreign child molesters have operated openly in the Philippines.

In 2008, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned of a new modus operandi of foreign child molesters in the Philippines, saying "The child molesters usually meet the mothers, sometimes even the grandmothers, of possible victims online and make them their girlfriends. The women usually let the economically better-off foreigners into their lives and their homes, not knowing that the men would later pounce on their young children."

It was reported in 2007 that in Angeles, Pampanga (characterized as a hotspot for trafficking and sex trade), child molesters were increasingly using the Internet to lure other child molesters to come to the Philippines. Live video streaming on the Web was reported to show children being sexually abused. Other child molesters were reported to browse personal profiles or lurk in chat rooms to find their victims.

Mail-order bride trafficking

Republic Act 6955 declares as unlawful "the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail order basis." It is also unlawful under the R.A. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, a penal law against human trafficking, sex tourism, sex slavery and child prostitution. The Philippines Government first outlawed bride agencies in 1990 after being alarmed at reports of widespread abuse of Philippine women in other countries.

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. Matibag, an assistant professor of the Department of Sociology at the Iowa State University, said browsing for potential brides on websites is as easy as shopping for a shirt. Each woman is assigned a catalogue number. Maria Regina Angela Galias, head of the Migrant Integration and Education Division of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), stated that South Korea and Japan have become the top destinations of Filipina mail-order brides. Over 70% of Philippine women live in poverty, thus making them particularly vulnerable to the mail-order industry.

Debt bondage

Debt bondage is a criminal offence under the R.A. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 According to Human Rights Watch, the practice of "debt bondage" among sexual traffickers is routine, and women often find that their so-called debts only increase and can never be fully repaid. Recruiters sometimes buy children and sell them into prostitution. Most often the children have either been stolen from their villages or sold off by their poor families.

Child-organ trafficking

In 2008, the National Bureau of Investigation alerted the public over the rampant smuggling of human organs in the Philippines. The NBI said smugglers are now targeting children who are kidnapped and taken abroad where their organs are sold to foreign nationals. The World Health Organization has identified the Philippines as one of the five organ trafficking hotpots. However, a 2008 proclamation by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has markedly decreased the frequency and ease of the commercial organ trade industry in the Philippines.

Online scams

In May 2023, Philippine authorities rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims. The victims were lured by job postings on social media that promised good paying jobs where they would then be trapped with armed guards that prevented them from leaving. The victims worked 18 hours a day performing cryptocurrency scams. The victims would meet people on Facebook and dating apps to then pretend to fall in love and take their money.

Efforts to control

Philippine law defines the worst forms of child labor as all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery; any use of a child in prostitution, pornography, or pornographic performances; any use of a child for illegal or illicit activities; and work that is hazardous, including nine hazardous categories. The law criminalizes trafficking of children for exploitation, including trafficking for sex tourism, prostitution, pornography, forced labor, and the recruitment of children into armed conflict. The law establishes the penalty of life imprisonment and a fine for trafficking violations involving children and provides for the confiscation of any proceeds derived from trafficking crimes.

Ani Saguisag, a lawyer with the child protection group, ECPAT, identifies lax enforcement of RA 76/10 (sic—actually RA7610) as a major reason why so few offenders end up behind bars.

Department of Justice records show that from June 2003 until January 2005 there were 65 complaints received for alleged trafficking in persons violations in the entire nation.

In November 2009 The Philippine government signed into law of Republic Act 9775, also known as the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. This landmark legislation provides the full legal armor against producers, transmitters, sellers and users of child pornography in whatever form and means of production, dissemination and consumption, in public and private spaces.

Gemma Gabuya, chief of the DSWD's Social Technology Bureau, said the national government in a bid to address the problem had formed the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) in 2003 in partnership with civil society organizations and other stakeholders of PACT.

Microsoft has awarded over US$1 million through its Unlimited Potential grants to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across six Asian countries, including the Philippines. The latest round of grants will deliver IT training courses specifically for people in human-trafficking hot spots across the region.

Unicef executive director Carol Bellamy stated, The Philippines is among the few countries that are making a dent in the fight against the trafficking of women and children.

Protection by politicians and police

Some local politicians, mayors and their business cronies continue to allow the operation of clubs and bars where children are used as sexual commodities along with young women. Many women will tell how they were recruited as young as 13 and 14. They issue permits and licences for all establishments and harass and threaten those trying to rescue the children, gather evidence and bring charges against them. The United States Embassy in the Philippines states that some officials condone a climate of impunity for those that exploit trafficked women and children

Prevention

In 2007, the government's Interagency Council Against Trafficking established its first anti-trafficking task force at Manila's international airport to share information on traffickers and assist victims. In 2006 the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) issued new employment requirements for overseas Filipino household workers to protect them from widespread employer abuse and trafficking.

The Interagency Council Against Trafficking and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas set up a trafficking hotline. The hotline received 2,487 calls which led to the identification of 18 victims and 34 trafficking cases. All victims were referred to services and law enforcement.

In December 2022, the Fourth National Strategic Plan Against Trafficking in Persons 2023-2027 was approved.

Non-governmental organizations

The Philippine government continues to rely heavily on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations to provide services to victims. The Department of Social Welfare and Development operated 42 temporary shelters for victims throughout the country. Thirteen of these shelters were supported by a non-profit charity organization. Philippines law permits private prosecutors to prosecute cases under the direction and control of a public prosecutor. The government has used this provision effectively, allowing and supporting an NGO to file 23 cases in 2007.

The Philippine campaign against Child Trafficking (PACT) is an anti-child trafficking campaign that was launched by ECPAT Philippines to raise awareness on the Child Trafficking phenomena in the country. The campaign also aims to encourage local mechanisms for the prevention and protection of children against Child Trafficking as well as other programs which are unified with the intensification of the human rights of children such as the holistic recovery and reintegration of child victims of trafficking.

Stairway Foundation, a child protection NGO, came up in 2009 with its third animation film called Red Leaves Falling which is about child sex trafficking and pornography under the Break the Silence Campaign. The said film is being used by numerous government and non-government organizations to raise awareness on the issue of trafficking.

In 2010, the Office of the Ombudsman signed a memorandum of agreement with select cause-oriented groups – the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF), Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC), and the International Justice Mission (IJM) – so that they could help in the collective fight against human trafficking.

VFF has rescued and helped more than 32,000 victims and potential victims of trafficking since it was established in 1991. VFF works with the Philippine coast guard, the government's Port Authority, and shipping company, Aboitez, to keep monitor arriving boats in the main ports, looking for possible traffickers traveling with groups of children. The organization has operations in four main ports serving Manila, and says it rescues between 20 and 60 children a week.

However, foreign sex traffickers and child molesters often harass Catholic and other groups by lodging multiple libel and other suits.

In 1999 the PREDA Foundation, through the International League of Action, was able to bring to justice a group of Norwegians who were trafficking children from one town in the Philippines and bringing them to Oslo for sexual abuse. The youngest of these children were six and seven years old.

Action by foreign governments

Numerous overseas countries have introduced legislation (e.g. the Crimes (Child Sex Tourism) Amendment Act 1994 (Cth)) which enables them to prosecute their nationals for crimes against children overseas, only a few child molesters who have committed offences in the Philippines are charged and convicted back in their own countries for the offences. The Australian Government set up the "Australian Federal Police's Transnational Sexual Exploitation Trafficking Team" which investigates child molesters in places such as the Philippines. Some countries from which sex tourism originates, including Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States, have passed legislation which criminalizes sex tourism. In the United States, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 makes travel with intent to engage in any sexual act with a juvenile punishable by up to ten years' imprisonment.

On September 15, 2003, the US Department of Labor / Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) / International Child Labor Program signed a collaborative agreement with the Philippines government, and contributed US$5 million, on a Timebound Program. The Timebound Program covers sexual exploitation and trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation. The program was geared towards working in various parts of the Philippines.

The United States government provided a grant of 179,000 dollars to help a Philippine non-governmental organization expand its halfway house operations to help victims of human trafficking, according to a statement by the US Embassy in Manila.

The British Embassy in Manila organised a two-week course led by Scotland Yard detectives into techniques to investigate cases of child abuse. Subsequently, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation set up an anti-child abuse division – the first squad dedicated to fighting child abuse in the country.

The United States has taken action under the 2003 PROTECT Act with a number of indictments.

The United States embassy in the Philippines involves itself in the prevention, prosecution, and protection of persons trafficked in the Philippines. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports the work of local organizations throughout the Philippines through training frontline workers, providing legal assistance to victims, and creating dialogue around the topic to raise awareness.

Corruption

Police in the Philippines have been known to guard brothels and even procure children for prostitution. NGOs have complained that the local political and legal establishments protect child molesters, sometimes even including law enforcement. The United States Embassy in the Philippines states that some officials condone a climate of impunity for those that exploited trafficked women and children.

The victims

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Those involved in the kidnapping of children have occasionally made video tapes of children being sexually abused.

The UN paper says there are also cases in which the children are "kidnapped, trafficked across borders or from rural to urban areas, and moved from place to place so that they effectively disappear".

Children are at risk of HIV/AIDS from child molesters.

The prevalence of gonorrhea and chlamydia was 18.6% and 29.1% respectively. Philippine law provides for compulsory HIV testing in some circumstances, and of course people may voluntarily be tested for AIDS. The Philippine government has provided a mechanism for anonymous HIV testing and guarantees anonymity and medical confidentiality in the conduct of such tests.

In the exploitative system of prostitution, bar owners and pimps make the most profit while the women are exposed to abuse, physical, emotional and psychological trauma. The absence of punitive measures for the male customers enables them to abuse the women in prostitution. The problem is compounded by the fact that society, even the church, discriminates against women in prostitution.

Pimps bend the girls to their will, drug them. Degrading and humiliating the girls is at the discretion of their international clients. After two, three years the girls have lost their health and beauty. From then on, they are on offer at bargain price to local clients. The humiliation these girls have to go through often drives them into self-destruction. With no self-esteem their lives are on a dead-end journey. With drug addiction, unwanted pregnancies, venereal disease and AIDS the girls go to rack and ruin.

At least 90 percent of HIV positive people in Angeles City were female sex workers, according to a study of the Training, Research and Information for Development Specialists Foundation Inc. (Tridev).

Organized crime of child trafficking

A special BBC investigation exposes the organized crime syndicates that control the child sex slavery trafficking in the Philippines. The investigation reported there could be as many as 100,000 Philippine children involved in the local sex trade. This crime gang has a system similar to that of the Sicilian Mafia, Yakuza and Triads. They often start as a trainee field recruiter, to running individual brothels, and then to overseeing an entire network – an underworld association. Local NGO`S refer to the organized crime syndicates as the sex mafia. From the Philippines, girls are delivered to prison-like brothels in the North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Legality

Revised Penal Code Article 202

Vagrants and prostitutes; penalty. — The following are vagrants:

1. Any person having no apparent means of subsistence, who has the physical ability to work and who neglects to apply himself or herself to some lawful calling;
2. Any person found loitering about public or semi-public buildings or places or trampling or wandering about the country or the streets without visible means of support;
3. Any idle or dissolute person who ledges in houses of ill fame; ruffians or pimps and those who habitually associate with prostitutes;
4. Any person who, not being included in the provisions of other articles of this Code, shall be found loitering in any inhabited or uninhabited place belonging to another without any lawful or justifiable purpose;
5. Prostitutes.

For the purposes of this article, women who, for money or profit, habitually indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct, are deemed to be prostitutes.

Any person found guilty of any of the offenses covered by this articles shall be punished by arresto menor or a fine not exceeding 200 pesos, and in case of recidivism, by arresto mayor in its medium period to prison correccional in its minimum period or a fine ranging from 200 to 2,000 pesos, or both, in the discretion of the court.

Revised Penal Code Article 341

Penal Code article 341 imposes a penalty to any person who "shall engage in the business or shall profit by prostitution or shall enlist the services of any other person for the purpose of prostitution."

Republic Act 9208

Section 4 of Republic Act 9208, otherwise known as the "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003", deems it unlawful for any person, natural or juridical, to commit any of the following acts:

(a) To recruit, transport, transfer, harbor, provide, or receive a person by any means, including those done under the pretext of domestic or overseas employment or training or apprenticeship, for the purpose of prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;

(b) To introduce or match for money, profit, or material, economic or other consideration, any person or, as provided for under Republic Act No. 6955, any Filipino women to a foreign national, for marriage for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling or trading him/her to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;

(c) To offer or contract marriage, real or simulated, for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling, or trading them to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor or slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;

(d) To undertake or organize tours and travel plans consisting of tourism packages or activities for the purpose of utilizing and offering persons for prostitution, pornography or sexual exploitation;

(e) To maintain or hire a person to engage in prostitution or pornography;

(f) To adopt or facilitate the adoption of persons for the purpose of prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;

(g) To recruit, hire, adopt, transport or abduct a person, by means of threat or use of force, fraud deceit, violence, coercion, or intimidation for the purpose of removal or sale of organs of said person; and

(h) To recruit, transport or adopt a child to engage in armed activities in the Philippines or abroad.

Republic Act 7610 – Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act

Sec. 5. Child Prostitution and Other Sexual Abuse. – Children, whether male or female, who for money, profit, or any other consideration or due to the coercion or influence of any adult, syndicate or group, indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct, are deemed to be children exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse.
The penalty of reclusion temporal in its medium period to reclusion perpetua shall be imposed upon the following:

(a) Those who engage in or promote, facilitate or induce child prostitution which include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Acting as a procurer of a child prostitute;
(2) Inducing a person to be a client of a child prostitute by means of written or oral advertisements or other similar means;
(3) Taking advantage of influence or relationship to procure a child as prostitute;
(4) Threatening or using violence towards a child to engage him as a prostitute; or
(5) Giving monetary consideration goods or other pecuniary benefit to a child with intent to engage such child in prostitution.
(b) Those who commit the act of sexual intercourse of lascivious conduct with a child exploited in prostitution or subject to other sexual abuse; Provided, That when the victims is under twelve (12) years of age, the perpetrators shall be prosecuted under Article 335, paragraph 3, for rape and Article 336 of Act No. 3815, as amended, the Revised Penal Code, for rape or lascivious conduct, as the case may be: Provided, That the penalty for lascivious conduct when the victim is under twelve (12) years of age shall be reclusion temporal in its medium period; and
(c) Those who derive profit or advantage therefrom, whether as manager or owner of the establishment where the prostitution takes place, or of the sauna, disco, bar, resort, place of entertainment or establishment serving as a cover or which engages in prostitution in addition to the activity for which the license has been issued to said establishment.

Sec. 6. Attempt To Commit Child Prostitution. – There is an attempt to commit child prostitution under Section 5, paragraph (a) hereof when any person who, not being a relative of a child, is found alone with the said child inside the room or cubicle of a house, an inn, hotel, motel, pension house, apartelle or other similar establishments, vessel, vehicle or any other hidden or secluded area under circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the child is about to be exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse.
There is also an attempt to commit child prostitution, under paragraph (b) of Section 5 hereof when any person is receiving services from a child in a sauna parlor or bath, massage clinic, health club and other similar establishments. A penalty lower by two (2) degrees than that prescribed for the consummated felony under Section 5 hereof shall be imposed upon the principals of the attempt to commit the crime of child prostitution under this Act, or, in the proper case, under the Revised Penal Code.

Republic Act 6955 – Mail-order brides

RA 6955 basically declares as unlawful "the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail order basis."

Republic Act 8042 – Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act

RA 8042 (Long title: An Act to Institute the Policies of Overseas Employment and Establish a Higher Standard of Protection and Promotion of The Welfare of Migrant Workers, Their Families and Overseas Filipinos in Distress, and for Other Purposes.) The act contains provisions which regulate the recruitment of overseas workers; mandate establishment of a mechanism for free legal assistance for victims of illegal recruitment; direct all embassies and consular offices to issue travel advisories or disseminate information on labor and employment conditions, migration realities and other facts; regulate repatriation of workers in ordinary cases and provide a mechanism for repatriation in extraordinary cases; mandate establishment of a Migrant Workers and Other Overseas Filipinos Resource Center to provide social services to returning worker and other migrants; mandate the establishment of a Migrant Workers Loan Guarantee Fund to provide pre-departure and family assistance loans; establishes a legal assistance fund for migrant workers; and other provisions related to Filipino migrant workers. The act, approved on June 7, 1995, mandates that pursuant to the objectives of deregulation the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shall, within a period of five (5) years, phase-out the regulatory functions of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

House Resolution No. 779

House of Representatives of the Philippines Citizen's Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Reps. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva and Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales, on September 24, filed House Resolution No. 779 to intensify the fight against human trafficking on all levels, from legislation, policy formulation, enforcement and prosecution, to rehabilitation and support for victims. Villanueva said: "Human trafficking is fast becoming a major transnational crime next only to the illegal drugs trade and illegal arms trade. Most of the victims of trafficking are being exploited as commercial sex workers, forced laborers and even unwilling organ donors. We must consider the reports of the victims that lack of funds and resources are key problems in the full implementation of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act, including the necessary support and protection." The National Bureau of Investigation (Philippines) reported "more than 400,000 persons from both government and non-government organizations who are victims of trafficking and almost 100,000 of these victims are children." Cruz-Gonzales said: "As of last year, only a little over a thousand cases were officially reported."

Crimes against humanity

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has designated human Trafficking as a crime against humanity. In 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in The Hague (Netherlands) and the Rome Statute provides for the ICC to have jurisdiction over crimes against humanity. For the purpose of this Statute, "crime against humanity" means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack:

(a) Murder;
(b) Extermination;
(c) Enslavement;
(d) Deportation or forcible transfer of population;
(e) Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;
(f) Torture;
(g) Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity;
(h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender as defined in paragraph 3, or other grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;
(i) Enforced disappearance of persons;
(j) The crime of apartheid;
(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.

See also

References

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