Exploitation of Children in the Philippines

Today I want to share what I have learned about Human Trafficking.I apologize that formatting seems to not be working...the infor is in one large block rather than nice neat paragraphs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG27J9YouOw&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 "Youtube Slide/Power Point Presentation"

THE PROBLEM: Exploitation of children in the Philippines is primarily due to poverty. Unfortunately, it covers sexual, domestic workers and agricultural fields. In this presentation we will deal with Cybersex exploitation of children, which has become a way of life for many families in the Philippines. Some of the parents have actually convinced themselves it's OK because nobody is actually touching the child except themselves; to themselves or children one to another. The perpetrator or client, requesting the "show" is often many thousands of miles away. We know sexual exploitation is not right because it damages the child's psyche. However the parents are looking at a way of supporting their family without having (some are economically not able to do so) to leave the Philippines to do it. That it is against the law means little to a starving family.

 The following are some documents which tell us what is happening but only on rare occasion do the documents address the fact of why it's happening. "Police say the Philippines has emerged as the key hub of a billion-dollar cybersex industry where most of the victims are under 18 but some are as young as two...A Philippine National Police report said the streaming is being done inside hotel rooms, private houses and shanties in impoverished areas of 31 Philippine provinces, including the island of Cebu, a cybersex hotspot where several child pornography rings have been identified and disrupted with scores of children rescued..operating next to a nursery in a secluded village on Cebu..." (Linsay Murdock; Fairfax Media, July 2014) [Emphasis mine] Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/philippine-children-exploited-in-billiondollar-webcam-paedophilia-industry-20140708-zszsd.html#ixzz3CBjqnfJc

"Department of Social and Welfare Development (DSWD) recorded 361 child pornography cases from 2009 to 2012. See more at: http://diversityhuman.com/hollywood/index.php/Editorials/child-pornography-in-philippines-prevalent-child-sex-abuse-poor-children#sthash.vdDlsLdf.dpuf "Fathers and mothers would bring their children here to, and would get paid by the owner of the house," he said. He explained the property owner forced her own children to "perform" for foreigners using a webcam. Other people in the community who heard there was money to be made then brought their children too." (Angus Crawford; BBC News,Jan 15, 2014) http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-25729140# "

According to the US labor department, Filipino children, “primarily girls, are trafficked from rural to urban areas for forced domestic service and commercial sex exploitation. There are no reports of children in the government Armed Forces in the Philippines, but child soldiering is a problem among anti-government and terrorist organizations.“ http://angelroar.com/b-child-abuse-news/philippines-has-some-of-the-worst-cases-of-child-abuse

What Is Being Done About The Problem There are a safe houses where a child can find assistance from social workers, teachers, churches and from concerned private citizens. Below are some links to different agencies helping battle this problem on the front lines. There are many many more with a simple search of " sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines". A special task force has been installed that investigates and makes arrests of exploiters. The task force works with other countries to attempt to prevent sexual exploitation from foreign tourists. The most exciting development is the street teacher program. It is providing homeless or street children with an education even if they can't attend schools. It's similar to what we want to do in the north of Luzon. Those children don't have access to this street education program available in the larger cities.

More Solutions At this point in time the children in our target area are trafficked in two ways: as agriculture workers and as beggars. They are referred to as beggar children. There is a large problem with drug usage by their parents and their older siblings. The plan is to provide a means of legal income for the parents; adequate to care for their families and allow the children time off to go to school. We will teach English to the children so that they can be successful in school because only English is allowed in the school system. We will also offer English as a second language (ESL) classes and vocational skills/appropriate level schooling to the adults allowing them to be better equipped for the job market. We realize until we actually get there and observe the situation and learn the customs of the local people, our ideas are just that; theories. However, some middle class people have set aside land to build a small school, and have volunteered to help in whatever capacity they can. I wanted to do the research for this assignment on where we plan to be in order to understand what why and how. I have found that it's much worse than I ever imagined or have been told about from my friends in the Philippines. That only makes it more critical we get there to do something.

This site has the current law for the Philippines which is called The Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. The penalties are severe, yet many sources identify the Philippines as the worst offender world wide. The question is not that it is but why is it so? "...the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation set up an anti-child abuse division - the first squad dedicated to fighting child abuse in the country. www.congress.gov.ph/download/ra_08/Ra07610.pdf The bill was passed in 1991. "...the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation set up an anti-child abuse division - the first squad dedicated to fighting child abuse in the country...Two of the three foreigners so far convicted for child abuse in a Philippine government get-tough policy have been British. Steven Mitchell, 44, is serving 17 years for sexual activities with small boys and Michael Clarke, 50, is serving 16 years for organising sex tours...UK police pass on warnings when known and suspected paedophiles and other serious criminals travel to the Philippines." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/news/08/0830/phil.shtml "Street Educators are the frontline field workers who reach out to street children and conduct education sessions on life skills, ethics, vocational training etc. They conduct sessions five-days-a-week (Tuesdays to Saturdays, 4pm-9pm). They are professionally-trained social workers or teachers." http://childhope.hope.org.ph/projects--activities.html

Public Programs Against Human Trafficking: http://www.childhood.org/ http://angelroar.com/ http://childhope.hope.org.ph/