up to
Wanted to post a bit about what I've been up to in the last few weeks. These are some of the documents I have produced for Writing Class and the Women's Center on-campus. It's been pretty crazy, but sweet.
What About The Philippines?
MSNBC.MSN.com recently posted an article, which said that American College students are self-centered. I am no exception to this. Spoiled? Very. Demanding? Often. Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself a nice person, however, I live blissfully ignorant of the problems and needs of others. That is, I did, until the beginning of this year. In January, a friend of mine returned from a humanitarian trip to the Philippines, and her stories awoke a concern in me for people other than me, a concern for prostitutes in the Philippines. This may sound absurd to you. Why care about prostitutes in the Philippines? This article seeks to answer that question and to provide you with the opportunity to think outside of yourself as well.
Almost half of the Filipino population lives on less than two U.S. dollars per day, this is according to the United Nation’s International Fund for Agricultural Development website. Most of the poor live in rural areas working as farmers. For economic survival, families often send their children into the cities for work. These children are extremely vulnerable and easily fall prey to recruiters for sex work.
The sex tourism industry is enormous in the Philippines. Both national and international customers flock to the cities for cheap sex and erotic entertainment. Recruitment of sex workers is often deceptive, girls are especially vulnerable, and are told they will be waitresses, or restaurant workers. Even when the girls understand what kind of work they will be doing, they are lied to about wages and conditions. They are required to service multiple customers per night, even when sick and are often not allowed to refuse customers. Physical and verbal abuse is common, and there are too few safe-houses to which these victims can escape. Many of these individuals are recruited as children and have not completed their education, even if they are able to escape, there are few jobs they are qualified, or educated to do.
The United States Bureau of Democracy Country Reports on Human Rights Practice in 2006 identified children as a significant percentage of the prostitutes in the Philippines. Many foreign tourists hold the belief that the younger the prostitute is, the less likely they are to be infected with HIV AIDs, the opposite is actually true. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund estimates that there are 250,000 street children in the Philippines, and these children are in grave danger.
The work of many nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) is making a difference in the Philippines. Individuals such as my friend, volunteering for these NGO’s, are changing lives and giving these vulnerable people hope every day. These organizations run shelters which provide aid to women able to escape their situations. Some of the volunteers also go into the bars and brothels offering girls the chance for a better life. Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. hands out cards to all women and girls arriving in the large cities from rural areas. These cards contain information about how to report unsafe or abusive situations. These organizations also offer education and training to the girls they rescue as well as providing health care.
Change is happening one victim at a time, and just like my friend, we can help. No, I’m not suggesting that we all pack up and go to the Philippines, there are ways that we can help right here from home, and I encourage you to get involved. The Women’s Center on campus will be collecting care packages through the end of this semester to send to the nongovernmental organization my friend partnered with in Olongopo, Philippines. For more information about this project, visit the Women’s Center, Lawrence 220 or visit the Clothesline project, located in Sykes or the academic quad, April 14th -15th. Change can happen, one individual at a time.
Aid to Whom?
“You provided aid to whom?” This is the question I posed to my friend, Sarah, after she told me how she and eleven other people had been providing aid to prostitutes in the Philippines. In the moments following my comprehension of her admittance, my mind flooded with a million questions. Why prostitutes? Why the Philippines? What kind of aid was provided? What was the purpose of the aid? How did it help? This article seeks to provide the answers to these questions and to inform it’s reader of opportunities to both stay informed and get involved.
Almost half of the 87 million people in the Philippines live on less than two U.S. dollars a day, this is according to the United Nation’s International Fund for Agricultural Development. Most of the poor live in the rural areas working as farmers. To survive economically, families may send their children into the cities for work. These children are extremely vulnerable and easily fall prey to human traffickers.
The sex industry is enormous in the Philippines. Both national and international customers flock to the cities for cheap sex and erotic entertainment. Recruitment of sex workers is often deceptive. These girls are told they will be waitresses or restaurant workers. The recruiters lure them with promises of nice clothing or cell phones. Sometimes they pay down lump sums of money to the parents, which alleviates much skepticism and hesitation. These girls are lured in, hoping for a better future, but what they get is a nightmare. Once the girls are persuaded to take the job, it is too late, or impossible for them to escape. Many of these girls are recruited while children and have not completed their education. If they are fortunate enough to find a way out of this situation, there are not many jobs which they are qualified, or educated to do.
These girls are forced to service multiple customers per night, even when sick. They are often not allowed to refuse customers. The sum of money paid to their family along with their travel expenses to the city is held against them as a debt, which they have to work off. They are often abused both physically and verbally, and there aren’t many places to which these victims can escape. The police stations will not help victims of prostitution. It is an illegal occupation in the Philippines, and the police do not sympathize with prostitutes. Incarceration and abuse while under police custody are not uncommon.
The United States Bureau of Democracy Country Reports on Human Rights Practice in 2006 identified child prostitution as a huge portion of the industry in the Philippines. Many foreign tourists hold the belief that the younger the prostitute is, the less likely she is to be infected with HIV AIDs and other STD’s. The opposite is actually true. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates that there are 250,000 street children in the Philippines, and these children are extremely vulnerable.
A True Story From Visayan Forum
Wearing flashy jewelry and bragging about her connections to rich employers, Virgie found it easy to impress the parents of the two young girls, April and May. The parents were farm workers in a large hacienda in Hinobaan,. Virgie offered domestic work in Manila to the two girls. Each of them were to receive P2,500 (fifty US dollars) a month, have days off and go anywhere they wished. Virgie gave the parents a P1,000 (twenty US dollars) advance payment…brought her new recruits to the Bacolod Pier where they would take the ferry to Manila. She revealed that in reality each of them would only receive P1,200 (twenty-four US dollars) a month because of the debts they had already incurred during the recruitment, each of them had to pay back the P1,000 (twenty US dollars) salary advance that was given to their parents. They would also have to shoulder their bus and boat fare amounting to P3,000. Finally, Virgie told them that she would have to take P1,000 from each of them as a recruitment and finder’s fee. Surprised but left without a choice, the two girls quietly accepted what they were told. Had they known early on about the scheme, they might have declined Virgie’s seemingly sweet offer. The two girls’ misgivings deepened when they were instructed to lie about their real age should authorities inquire about them. If anyone asked, they were to say that they were traveling together as relatives and going to Manila for a vacation.
The sisters noticed the strangers who, together with the ship’s crew members, were distributing contact cards and flyers to disembarking passengers. These strangers told the passengers to keep the cards and to call the hotline if they ever needed help in the future. A van arrived and brought them to a house in Cavite. The house was called a training center. April and May met other young girls there who seemed like newcomers to the city. Virgie gave strict instructions to the girls not to leave the house. The sisters became confused and afraid.
April and May started to notice a pattern: every night, some of their companions would be allowed to leave the house. A van would come to fetch the girls, then would return the next morning. One night, the girls were herded into a room and told to trim their pubic hair. Sensing the danger awaiting them, the sisters instead snuck out of a back door, found an opening in the fence, and ran as fast as they could, dissolving into the darkness. One of them had hidden in her underclothing the calling card that was given to them at the Manila Port. It bore VF’s hotline for the pier, which they immediately called. A few hours later, VF’s social workers met the girls in a churchyard. April and May finally went home to Negros. Although empty-handed, they were more than thankful to be home and free.
(A success Story from Visayan Forum’s website - http://www.visayanforum.org/article.php?mode_id=755 )
Many non-governmental organizations are making a difference in the Philippines. Individuals such as Sarah are changing lives and giving these vulnerable people hope every day.
Independently run shelters provide aid to women who escape their situations. Some of these organizations also venture into the bars and brothels. They offer girls the chance of a better life. Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. hands out cards to all women and girls arriving on ferries from rural areas to the large cities. These cards give a hotline number that girls can call to be rescued from a harmful situation, or to report abuse. These organizations also offer education and training to the girls along with health care.
Change is happening one victim at a time, and just like Sarah, we can help.
· The first
step is becoming informed about the situation, and informing others. The more individuals are aware of this issue, the more they will be equipped to make change.
· Second, we can choose to act on this information by keeping informed on legislation made by the American Government to stop sexual slavery and human trafficking around the world. We can purchase certified fair trade products which directly helps the farmers and rural poor in the third world. See information below.
· Lastly, we can send money. Nongovernmental organizations are primarily funded by people like you and me, and we can make freedom a reality, one person at a time. See information below.
These are pre-final drafts, but I felt the need to post, and these documents have been the primary focus of my free-time this semester. Hope you enjoyed.
What About The Philippines?
MSNBC.MSN.com recently posted an article, which said that American College students are self-centered. I am no exception to this. Spoiled? Very. Demanding? Often. Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself a nice person, however, I live blissfully ignorant of the problems and needs of others. That is, I did, until the beginning of this year. In January, a friend of mine returned from a humanitarian trip to the Philippines, and her stories awoke a concern in me for people other than me, a concern for prostitutes in the Philippines. This may sound absurd to you. Why care about prostitutes in the Philippines? This article seeks to answer that question and to provide you with the opportunity to think outside of yourself as well.
Almost half of the Filipino population lives on less than two U.S. dollars per day, this is according to the United Nation’s International Fund for Agricultural Development website. Most of the poor live in rural areas working as farmers. For economic survival, families often send their children into the cities for work. These children are extremely vulnerable and easily fall prey to recruiters for sex work.
The sex tourism industry is enormous in the Philippines. Both national and international customers flock to the cities for cheap sex and erotic entertainment. Recruitment of sex workers is often deceptive, girls are especially vulnerable, and are told they will be waitresses, or restaurant workers. Even when the girls understand what kind of work they will be doing, they are lied to about wages and conditions. They are required to service multiple customers per night, even when sick and are often not allowed to refuse customers. Physical and verbal abuse is common, and there are too few safe-houses to which these victims can escape. Many of these individuals are recruited as children and have not completed their education, even if they are able to escape, there are few jobs they are qualified, or educated to do.
The United States Bureau of Democracy Country Reports on Human Rights Practice in 2006 identified children as a significant percentage of the prostitutes in the Philippines. Many foreign tourists hold the belief that the younger the prostitute is, the less likely they are to be infected with HIV AIDs, the opposite is actually true. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund estimates that there are 250,000 street children in the Philippines, and these children are in grave danger.
The work of many nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) is making a difference in the Philippines. Individuals such as my friend, volunteering for these NGO’s, are changing lives and giving these vulnerable people hope every day. These organizations run shelters which provide aid to women able to escape their situations. Some of the volunteers also go into the bars and brothels offering girls the chance for a better life. Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. hands out cards to all women and girls arriving in the large cities from rural areas. These cards contain information about how to report unsafe or abusive situations. These organizations also offer education and training to the girls they rescue as well as providing health care.
Change is happening one victim at a time, and just like my friend, we can help. No, I’m not suggesting that we all pack up and go to the Philippines, there are ways that we can help right here from home, and I encourage you to get involved. The Women’s Center on campus will be collecting care packages through the end of this semester to send to the nongovernmental organization my friend partnered with in Olongopo, Philippines. For more information about this project, visit the Women’s Center, Lawrence 220 or visit the Clothesline project, located in Sykes or the academic quad, April 14th -15th. Change can happen, one individual at a time.
Aid to Whom?
“You provided aid to whom?” This is the question I posed to my friend, Sarah, after she told me how she and eleven other people had been providing aid to prostitutes in the Philippines. In the moments following my comprehension of her admittance, my mind flooded with a million questions. Why prostitutes? Why the Philippines? What kind of aid was provided? What was the purpose of the aid? How did it help? This article seeks to provide the answers to these questions and to inform it’s reader of opportunities to both stay informed and get involved.
Almost half of the 87 million people in the Philippines live on less than two U.S. dollars a day, this is according to the United Nation’s International Fund for Agricultural Development. Most of the poor live in the rural areas working as farmers. To survive economically, families may send their children into the cities for work. These children are extremely vulnerable and easily fall prey to human traffickers.
The sex industry is enormous in the Philippines. Both national and international customers flock to the cities for cheap sex and erotic entertainment. Recruitment of sex workers is often deceptive. These girls are told they will be waitresses or restaurant workers. The recruiters lure them with promises of nice clothing or cell phones. Sometimes they pay down lump sums of money to the parents, which alleviates much skepticism and hesitation. These girls are lured in, hoping for a better future, but what they get is a nightmare. Once the girls are persuaded to take the job, it is too late, or impossible for them to escape. Many of these girls are recruited while children and have not completed their education. If they are fortunate enough to find a way out of this situation, there are not many jobs which they are qualified, or educated to do.
These girls are forced to service multiple customers per night, even when sick. They are often not allowed to refuse customers. The sum of money paid to their family along with their travel expenses to the city is held against them as a debt, which they have to work off. They are often abused both physically and verbally, and there aren’t many places to which these victims can escape. The police stations will not help victims of prostitution. It is an illegal occupation in the Philippines, and the police do not sympathize with prostitutes. Incarceration and abuse while under police custody are not uncommon.
The United States Bureau of Democracy Country Reports on Human Rights Practice in 2006 identified child prostitution as a huge portion of the industry in the Philippines. Many foreign tourists hold the belief that the younger the prostitute is, the less likely she is to be infected with HIV AIDs and other STD’s. The opposite is actually true. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates that there are 250,000 street children in the Philippines, and these children are extremely vulnerable.
A True Story From Visayan Forum
Wearing flashy jewelry and bragging about her connections to rich employers, Virgie found it easy to impress the parents of the two young girls, April and May. The parents were farm workers in a large hacienda in Hinobaan,. Virgie offered domestic work in Manila to the two girls. Each of them were to receive P2,500 (fifty US dollars) a month, have days off and go anywhere they wished. Virgie gave the parents a P1,000 (twenty US dollars) advance payment…brought her new recruits to the Bacolod Pier where they would take the ferry to Manila. She revealed that in reality each of them would only receive P1,200 (twenty-four US dollars) a month because of the debts they had already incurred during the recruitment, each of them had to pay back the P1,000 (twenty US dollars) salary advance that was given to their parents. They would also have to shoulder their bus and boat fare amounting to P3,000. Finally, Virgie told them that she would have to take P1,000 from each of them as a recruitment and finder’s fee. Surprised but left without a choice, the two girls quietly accepted what they were told. Had they known early on about the scheme, they might have declined Virgie’s seemingly sweet offer. The two girls’ misgivings deepened when they were instructed to lie about their real age should authorities inquire about them. If anyone asked, they were to say that they were traveling together as relatives and going to Manila for a vacation.
The sisters noticed the strangers who, together with the ship’s crew members, were distributing contact cards and flyers to disembarking passengers. These strangers told the passengers to keep the cards and to call the hotline if they ever needed help in the future. A van arrived and brought them to a house in Cavite. The house was called a training center. April and May met other young girls there who seemed like newcomers to the city. Virgie gave strict instructions to the girls not to leave the house. The sisters became confused and afraid.
April and May started to notice a pattern: every night, some of their companions would be allowed to leave the house. A van would come to fetch the girls, then would return the next morning. One night, the girls were herded into a room and told to trim their pubic hair. Sensing the danger awaiting them, the sisters instead snuck out of a back door, found an opening in the fence, and ran as fast as they could, dissolving into the darkness. One of them had hidden in her underclothing the calling card that was given to them at the Manila Port. It bore VF’s hotline for the pier, which they immediately called. A few hours later, VF’s social workers met the girls in a churchyard. April and May finally went home to Negros. Although empty-handed, they were more than thankful to be home and free.
(A success Story from Visayan Forum’s website - http://www.visayanforum.org/article.php?mode_id=755 )
Many non-governmental organizations are making a difference in the Philippines. Individuals such as Sarah are changing lives and giving these vulnerable people hope every day.
Independently run shelters provide aid to women who escape their situations. Some of these organizations also venture into the bars and brothels. They offer girls the chance of a better life. Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. hands out cards to all women and girls arriving on ferries from rural areas to the large cities. These cards give a hotline number that girls can call to be rescued from a harmful situation, or to report abuse. These organizations also offer education and training to the girls along with health care.
Change is happening one victim at a time, and just like Sarah, we can help.
· The first
step is becoming informed about the situation, and informing others. The more individuals are aware of this issue, the more they will be equipped to make change.
· Second, we can choose to act on this information by keeping informed on legislation made by the American Government to stop sexual slavery and human trafficking around the world. We can purchase certified fair trade products which directly helps the farmers and rural poor in the third world. See information below.
· Lastly, we can send money. Nongovernmental organizations are primarily funded by people like you and me, and we can make freedom a reality, one person at a time. See information below.
These are pre-final drafts, but I felt the need to post, and these documents have been the primary focus of my free-time this semester. Hope you enjoyed.
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