Prostitution in the Philippines

Prostitution in the Philippines is illegal. It is a serious crime with penalties ranging up to life imprisonment for those involved in trafficking. [http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html] It is covered by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. [ [http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9208.html Philippine Laws, Statutes And Codes - Chan Robles Virtual Law Library ] ] Prostitution is sometimes illegaly available through brothels (also known as casa), bars, karaoke bars (also known as KTVs), Massage Parlors, street walkers and escort service.

The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) [http://www.catw-ap.org/aboutus.htm] , quoting from Kyodo News, estimated that in 1998 there were 400,000 prostituted women in the Philippines.cite web
url=http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/philippines.php
title = Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation - Philippines
accessdate = 2006-12-29
publisher = Coalition Against Trafficking in Womencite web
url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDP/is_1998_August_24/ai_53005563
title = Sex trade key part of S.E. Asian economies, study says
accessdate = 2006-12-29
date = August 24, 1998
publisher = Asian Economic News, reported by Kyodo NewsThe International Labor Organization estimated that in 1993/94 there were nearly half a million prostitutes in the country.cite press release
title =Sex industry assuming massive proportions in Southeast Asia
publisher =International Labor Organization
date =19 August 1998
url=http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/1998/31.htm
accessdate =

Prostitution in various regions

Prostitution catering to local customers and foreigners .Media attention tends to focus on those areas catering to sex tourism, primarily through bars staffed by bargirls. Cities where there is a high incidence of prostitution are Angeles, Olongapo, Subic Bay and Pasay Cityhttp://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:TIWkkRrf8S0J:www.childhope.org.ph/empowering.doc+prostitution+pasay+philippines&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=17] , with the customers usually foreign businessmen from East Asian and Western nations.

Prostitution in Olongapo City and Angeles City was highly prominent during the time of the U.S. military bases called Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base, respectively. [citation|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] [citation|title=The Sex Sector: The Economic and Social Bases of Prostitution in Southeast Asia |author= Lin Lean Lim|year=1998|publisher=International Labour Organization|id=ISBN 9221095223 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=VFNKZbL1jWwC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&ots=w5KZvdwkPh&dq=%22prostitution%22+%22Angeles+City%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=X8XGA7in4nbY0g-n5FvwUXTS_So] When Mount Pinatubo, a volcano, erupted in 1991, it destroyed most of Clark Air Base and the US closed it down in 1992.Fact|date=June 2008 Most of the associated prostitution trade closed with it, but when the mayor of Manila, Alfredo Lim, closed down the sex industry area of Ermita in Manila during his first term, many of the businesses moved to Angeles, finding a new customer base among sex tourists.cite journal| first=Sabina|last=Lauber| year = 1995|volume=Winter 1995|issue=67|url = http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/alrc/publications/reform/reform67/ALRCR67CONFRONTINGSEXUALE.html| title = Confronting Sexual Exploitation| journal = Australian Law Reform Commission Reform Bulletin| accessdate = 2007-02-07]

Other tourist areas such as Cebu have also developed a high profile prostitution industry.

Violence and coercion against prostitutes

"For information about Human Trafficking and Child Prostitution in the Philippines please see Human trafficking in the Philippines"

Women and children involved in prostitution are vulnerable to rape, murder, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. [http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/Determinants%20of%20Extramarital%20Sex%20in%20the%20Philippines.pdf]

Surveys of women working as masseuses indicated that 34 percent of them explained their choice of work as necessary to support poor parents, 8 percent to support siblings and 28 percent to support husbands or boyfriends.More than 20 percent said the job was well paid, but only 2 percent said it was easy work and only 2 percent claimed to enjoy the work.Over a third reported that they had been subject to violence or harassment, most commonly from the police, but also from city officials and gangsters.

A survey conducted by the International Labor Organization revealed that in the experience of most of the women surveyed, prostitution is one of the most alienating forms of labor.Over 50 percent of the women surveyed in Philippine massage parlors said they carried out their work “with a heavy heart,” and 20 percent said they were “conscience-stricken because they still considered sex with customers a sin.”Interviews with Philippine bar girls revealed that more than half of them felt “nothing” when they had sex with a client, the remainder said the transactions saddened them.

Child Prostitution in Philippines

The Philippines ranked fourth among nine nations with the most number of children trafficked for prostitution, according to a report by the Consortium Against Trafficking of Children and Women for Sexual Exploitation (Catch-Wise). [http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/tl/tl012644.htm] It is estimated there are between 60,000 to 100,000 children trafficked into prostitution in the Philippines. [http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/tl/tl012644.htm] Child prostitution has also resulted in snuff movies, with a court case in Belguim showing of a video showing two Filipino boys being raped and murdered, one buried in smokey mountain. [http://www.preda.org/archives/1993-94-95-96/r9502101.htm]

ee also

* Commercial sexual exploitation of children
* [http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/america/2007/12/child_philippines_prostitute_olongapo.html Amar Bakshi's "Washington Post" article on a Filipino-American prostitute's daughter]

Documentaries

[http://www.hopeinheavenfilm.com/index.htm Hope In Heaven]

References