Summary: Objectives: in-depth analysis of the
phenomenon of trafficking for sexual
exploitation, sharing of best practices as
conducted by NGOs, identification of new
strategies and the formulation of specific
actions plans to be taken up by the Philippine
partners in their respective provinces.The Conference aims to go deep into the different aspects of the
phenomenon and hopes to provide participants with an in-depth
knowledge of the magnitude of the problem of women and child
trafficking, its origins, motivations, strategies and trends. The conference
consists of a mixture of talks/presentations given by expert practitioners in
the area of child development work.
The Conference also provides a venue wherein participants, coming from
different backgrounds (NGOs, governmental organizations, civil society
groups and related parties) share experiences in the fight against the
problem. With interactions and time devoted for questions and
discussions, the Philippine Conference hopes to be able to discuss and
explore supportive strategies and/or forms of cooperation to combat
trafficking for a period of five years following the conference.
ROOT CAUSES OF SEX TRAFFICKING
Globally, most of the women and children being trafficked for sexual
exploitation are mired in poverty. But the economic dimension of trafficking
is just about the tip of the iceberg in the whole of issue of sexual
exploitation. The demand aspect of sex trafficking escapes attention as we
often ignore that women and children are trafficked into the sex trade to
cater not to the whims of traffickers but to the "consumers" of the trade --
mostly men trapped in a centuries- old culture of machismo. Traffickers
simply profit from the demand.
While the world has succeeded in making racial slavery a taboo, it has
failed in doing the same to sexual trafficking. The new form of global
slavery has destroyed the life of thousands of women and children who, as
we speak, are being trafficked from developing countries to Western
Europe, the United States and in tourism spots in Asia.
Three factors determine the persistence of sex trafficking on a global scale:
Demand, Supply and Impunity. On the demand side are customers, mostly
men encompassing all economic and social classes who, studies show, buy
sex because of the lack of commitment that accompanies the "purchase" or
view sex as necessary to their well-being. Most of the men buying sexual
services in Philippines are taxi drivers, laborers, businessmen, foreigners
and male teenagers who are eager to lose their virginity.
Worse, Filipino men who cater to the services of prostituted children do not
care if she is 13 or 25, reports Sol. F. Juvida of the InterPress Service. The
most notable factor in the demand for sex however is the male-dominant
culture as seen in women lined up in brothels or bars, humiliated and
stripped of their power to choose whom to have to share the act of sexual
union with. This demand factor must be understood thoroughly in order to
fully grasp the roots of sex trafficking.
In the supply side of trafficking are women, mostly coming from poverty-
stricken areas where access to employment, education and other basic
services are scarce. These are the so-called push factors that lead the
women and children to sex trafficking. Other push factors include family
break-up, violence or other dysfunction, family pressures or a sense of
responsibility to provide for the family and discrimination due to the very
fact of being female.
These situations loosen the moral fiber that holds a family together and
pushes people to resort to extreme means in the hope of finding a life
away from material poverty. These people thus become vulnerable prey for
traffickers who entice them with high-paying jobs. Confronted with a choice
between poverty and misery at home and a new life of opportunities
outside, would-be victims of trafficking ignore possible dangers and plunge
into the dark and horrific world of the sex trade.
Owner: Karl Kübel Stiftung für Kind und Familie, Germanypdf: www.kkstiftung.de/index.php?article_id=11