Renrrhlie n{ r he Philinnine."-r*"'rr"'r

I]OUSEOF REPRESENTATIVJS

()rrcznnCirv Vr.r roManila

FOIJRTEENTHCONGRI]SSFirstRegular ession

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IlouseBill No.^I..,.:.fi'2)

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Introduced by AKBAYAN Party-ListRepresentativeAna TheresiaHontiveros-Baraquel

EXPLANATORYOTE

Prostitutionis always vir-wecl s a problcm aboutwomer"r nclchilclrenthoseusually bought.Ifowever,it is also aproblemabor-rtbusincsscstablishnrcntsancl abouttl-re buyers,who areoredominantlvtnen.Wl'renprostitutionis solcly scerns aproblemaboutwomen, thcyare thc oncs questionedanclsubsequentlytigmatized.This law seeks o shifi thcaccountabilityfrom tl-rcbor,rght othc businessand thebuyers, o those:who rcallygainf'romhcsystemofltrostitr-ttion.Currently, oLlraws criminalizethr. victimsinlrr,rstitr-rtionhrolrghArticle20)o| theRevisedPenal Coclc.As it is in prc-rstitution,hc womcn anclchilclrcnarc considercclommoditiesthat areacqr.riredn exchangeor monc:y,macle o perrformexualacts ag,ainsthcirwill,violcntly abusccl ndsometimeskillecl.Bccauseof'currcntlawsonprtrstitr-Ltion,hc victirns'rights areviolatccl sc'veraltimes moreas aw cnlbrcers arrcstand sexually abr-rsel-rewolrlclt andchilclrc'n,'xlract m<tneyromthemandimprison them, awa1,i'om their{irmilics.Theseviolationsc'fhuman rightsagerinsthcvictimsn proslitutionhavebccn goingon withimpunity.Prostituticlnhas bccrr normalizcdcv€-.n sits victirnsclie slclwlyfiom thcharms anclheviolenceithrn pr()sttution.Inte.rnatictr-ralnstrumentssuch as thc1949 Conventionftrr the SupprerssionlProstitutionandthe Conventionfor tl-reFllimination of'l)iscriminationAgainstWomen clc:rrlyencotlragcstat€tstostopviolence against women,including andin particularalllbrrr-rs {'sexttalexpioitation.As apartyro the Convention,thePhilippine State,is therelbreobligecltoinstitLrtemechanismstoeliminatevarious fbrmsol' sexual exploitation,includingprostitution.Inview of'the necdto eljminatt'prctstitutionandto penalizets perpetratctrsndpatrons, heimmediatepassage f thisbill is earnestlyurged.

fu-ra^a)ur#ul

Hon.ANA THERESIAHONTIVEROS-ap,@UEL

Representatve,AkhavanParty-list

Republicf the PhilippinesHOUSEOF REPRESENTATIVESQuezonCity,Metro ManilaFOURTEENTHCONGRESSFirstRegularSessron

'l?{.)

HouseBillNo.tIntroducedby AKBAYANParty-List RepresenrariveAnaTheresiaHontiveros-BaraquelANACTADDRESSINGHESYSTEMOF PROSTITUTION,IMPOSINGPENALTIESON ITSPERPETRATORS,PROVIDINGPROTECTIVEMEASURESAND SUPPORTSERVICESFOR ITSVICTIMS,AND DECRIMINALIZINGVAGRANCY,REPEALINGFOR THEPURPOSEARTICLES202 AND34I OF THEREVISEDPENAL CODE ANDAMENDINGR.A. 9208.AND FOROTHERPURPOSES

Be itenacte,l bythe Senate antJthe Housc'of'Representativesof'tha PhiltpltinesinCongressAssembled:

SECTION . Shortitle. This Actshall be knowr-rsJ'heAnti-ProstitutionActof2007".SECTION2. Declaratiqn{'Poliqieg TheState:(a)lnaccorclance ith the relevantnternational nstrumcnts,articularly, hc. UniversalDeclaration n LlumanRigl'rts,Conventionon the lilimination of All lrormsofl)iscriminationAgainstWomen, Conventionon the Rightsof the Child, Convention Against TransnationalOrganizedCrime including its Protocolto Prevent, SuppressndPunish'I'raffickingin Persons,EspeciallyWomenand Children,andother international uman rights nstrumentsf'which thePhilippines sa party, declares ts conmit.mcntto end the continuingsexualexploitationof women,men,and children and all formsofgenderbased iolenceby creatingan enabiingenvironment wherehehumanightsof womenand childrenarepromoted, rcltected,ndulfilled.(b)recognizesrostitutionasahumanrightsviolation hat calls br coordinatedand sustainedresponse romall agencies ofgovernment as well as nongovernmental organizations l-ratcomprehensivelyddresseshe factors hatperpetuate exualerploitation.(c)recognizeshat women andchildren are systematicallyictimizedby and in the systemofprostitution andmust,therefore, begiven protectionand supportbythe State, nsteadof beingtreatedasoffenders;(d)recognizeshat eliminating prostitution s essentjalbr women and children togenuinelyand meaningfullyparticipate n nation-building;and(E)recognizeshat the law on vagrancyhas outlived its usefulness nd that vagrantsshouldbe ookedupon notascommon criminalsbut asvictims of their ill circumstance.

SECTION 3. Definitionof Tejg1g. The followinsterms aredefined {brpurposesof this Act:(a)Prostitution-any act, transaction,scheme or design involvingtheuse OREXPLOITATIONofa person, whetherthrough theperformance of such act or meredemonstrationthereof, whetherwoman, man orchi1d, for thesexualgratificationorpleasure of another inerchangefor moneyor checks, profitor other consideration,or an) act thatpromotes or iacilitatestheaccomplishmentof the said act,transaction,chemeor design.(b)Personexploited inprostitutioz-refersto a woman, man orchild used, exploitedoremployed for anotherperson'ssexualgratification orpleasureand fbrthemonetarygain or profit ofothers.(c)Chilcl ref'erso any person beloweighteen(18)ycars of'age or one whc' is ovcr cighteen(lB)but isttrrahle o lirlly ltk('('ilreol orprot('tthimst'l[rhcrsclfiom uhtrst'. t'glt'tt.'rur'lty,exploitationor discrimination because f'aphysical or mental disability or condition.(d)Sexual e.uplttitatiLtrr rclcrsto thepracticeby wl'rich w'omen are sexually subjugatcdthrough abuse or violation,cithcr overt or covert, of women's sexuality andphysical ormentalintegrity,as a means of achieving powcrancldomination, ir-rcluding ratification, financialgain,andadvancement.(e)Se,xttalac'r- c{'crso sexualntercourse,ncluclinggenital to genital, oral to genital, analto-genital,or oral to-anal intcrc<xrrscr(ontact,inscrtior.rf an1,nstnrmcnt or objcct intothcgenitalor anal orilicc ol'any person,bestiality,masturbation, aclistic'or asor:histichr-rse,xhibitior-rof the genitals rr pubic area of'any person, ancl other aclsoi'a scxr-ral atrlrc, r.',,hcthcrhc samc isnadc bctwccn pcrsonsof thcsamcor op1-rositeex.(fll:,'stablishmt:nt refers Lc'r ny busincss or enterprisc,inclr.r,-ling,utnot limitccl to, sauna,bath,massag,earlor, discotheqr-re, ar,restaurant,esort,krclginghousc, rnotel, hotcl, tl-reater, l-rip,verssel, ab or taxi, orany othcr vchiclr',or any clwclling,house,ail,clete'ntion entcr, s1Ll('tllrcorbuilding serving as a cover orvcnllc fbrpre511111licrn.r rnygr()r.lp,ss()(-iatir)n)rorflillriziltion hatcngag('snprostitutonaCtvit t's.(g)(,'ultref'crs o,butnot limitecl to fhnaticgroupsthat cntice,rccruit, condition any persor-)to becomesexualoff'erings n organizational ituals or in othcrcrircumstances spartofmembcrshiprecuirements.SECTION4.A<'tsofP1'gtitutio4.Prostitution isacrirnr comrnittccl by:(a)Any person who givcsor cieliversmoney or any other consideratiot-tn erel-rangcor thcactual performanceor merc demonstration of a serualact b} a personerploitccl in prostitution,regardlessofwhetherr thc pcrsongivingtrr deliveringmoney or anyothcr consiclcrationstherecipient of such a sexual act;

(b)anypersonwhois arecipientof a sexualact, whether sucha recipienthasgivt'nordeliveredmoney or any othr'r ttlnsiderationor the pr()(ur('m('ntf ir pers()nxpltritr'dnprostitution; provided,however, that fbr purposes f this Section,being arecipient sha11ncludepersons r crowdsbeforewhom a personexploitednprostitutionhasactuallyperformedormerelydemonstratedhe sexualact:

(c)Any personwhooffersanother for sexual exploitationin exchangefor money or any otherconsideration;