Women's rights in the Philippines

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The position of the Philippines on women's rights is relatively developed compared to many
other nations. Over the past century, noticeable developments have been made which have led to
greater endorsement and protection of these rights. The progression towards gender equality
came about through women's movements, increased numbers of women political representatives,
increased numbers of educated women, greater specificity on women's issues instituted under
legislation, and the focused application of those laws. In recent years, the Filipino government
has addressed the rights of women under a multitude of legislative schemes including workplace
discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment and human trafficking.[1]
The Philippines has one of the smallest rates of gender disparity in the world. In the Global
Gender Gap Index 2017, the Philippines ranked 10th out of 145 countries for gender equality.
[2]
 The Philippines ranks higher than any other Asia-Pacific country but New Zealand.[3] These
roles range between the traditional position of mother, looking after children and household, to
positions in the political arena.
Despite the great progress and achievements for women's rights the Philippines has garnered so
far, the country is still in need of further development. There exists a discrepancy between
women who have politically, academically and financially excelled, compared to women who
are domestically abused, financially unstable and who are exploited through prostitution and
migrant work.
Violence against Women is a Violation of Human Rights
 Violence against Women is a Violation of Human Rights and fundamental freedoms of
women.
 Violence against women is an obstacle towards gender equality.
 Women are entitled to equal enjoyment and protection of all human rights and
fundamental freedoms that include among others:

 The right to life;

 The right to equality;
 The right to liberty and security of person;
 The right to equal protection under the law;
 The right to be free from all forms of discrimination;
 The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;
 The right to just and favourable conditions of work;
 The right not to be subjected to torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment.

Violence against women is a social (economy, health, welfare, politics) problem and not a
private problem of each individual woman or a family.
Violence against women means any act of violence that results in or is likely to result in
physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women. It also includes threats with such
acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.

Republic Act No. 9262 is known as The Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of
2004. ... A protection order is "an order issued for the purpose of preventing further acts of
violence against a woman or her child and granting other necessary relief."

Republic Act No. 9262 is an act defining violence against women and their children, providing
for protective measures for victims, prescribing penalties therefore, and for other purposes.

Violation of a BPO shall be punishable by imprisonment of thirty (30) days without prejudice to
any other criminal or civil action that the offended party may file for any of the acts committed.

5 VIOLATION TO WOMENS RIGHTS

1. Workplace Inequalities Around the World…Including the United States

For most Americans, it isn’t a secret that women still face extreme disadvantages in
the workplace. Despite putting in equally long hours and given identical responsibilities as their
male counterparts, women still only make 77 cents for every man’s dollar in the United States,
and it’s even worse in other countries. Not only do women make less, but their responsibilities
at home are often more rigorous; according to Harvard studies, men still put in a significantly
less amount of time in household chores as their female partners.

2. Skewed Gender Ratios

In some countries, where population control laws were put into a much stricter affect, gender
ratio disparities are skyrocketing. A favorable push of male-to-female in these countries has
resulted in unbalanced gender ratio problems, where some female babies can be killed or left
abandoned. In China, the gender ratio of male to female was 108:100 based on a 2013 data
consensus; in India, it was 107:100.

3. Violence
According to a statement made by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2008, one in every
three women is likely to be “beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime.” In
fact, violence against women is so common in developing countries that oftentimes it doesn’t
even make the news cycle. And while many countries fail to protect their rape victims, other
countries such as Morocco and Saudi Arabia have much stricter punishments. Rape victims in
these countries can be charged with crimes for being “alone with an unrelated man, or for
getting pregnant afterwards,” only further perpetuating the damaging notion of rape culture.
4. Marriage and Divorce
According to UNICEF, more than one-third of women between the ages of 20 and 24 were
married before they turned 18, which is considered below the minimum age for marriage in
most countries. Nevertheless, these child brides risk greater chances of giving birth at earlier
ages and suffer from risks of complications in childbirth and a greater chance of contracting
HIV/AIDS. Courts do little to help the problem; in Yemen, it is against the law for a woman to
leave the house without her husband’s permission. This results in a high percentage of women,
who are afraid of the legal ramifications, to stay in abusive relationships.

5. Education

Women currently make up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults. Whether they are kept
from school in order to keep up with household chores or their father deems it time for them to
marry, women are consistently being denied their right to education; a right hardly ever denied
to their male counterparts. While numerous studies have been proven to show that educating
women is key to eliminating poverty and aiding development, the gender gap in education in
many of these developing countries is only continuing to increase.

Violence against women can take a number of forms and arise in a number of situations:

Rape
 Women are most often the victims of rape, which is usually perpetrated by men
known to them.
The rate of reporting, prosecution and convictions for rape varies considerably in
different jurisdictions, and reflects to some extent the society's attitudes to such
crimes. It is considered the most underreported violent crime

Marital rape
 Marital or spousal rape was once widely condoned or ignored by law, and is now
widely considered an unacceptable violence against women and repudiated by
international conventions and increasingly criminalized.
 Still, in many countries, spousal rape either remains legal, or is illegal but widely
tolerated and accepted as a husband's prerogative
Domestic violence
 Women are more likely to be victimized by someone that they are intimate with,
commonly called "intimate partner violence"
 stances of IPV tend not to be reported to police and thus many experts find it
hard to estimate the true magnitude of the problem
Honor killings
 are perpetrated by family members (usually husbands, fathers, uncles or
brothers) against women in the family who are believed to have placed dishonor
to the family.
 The death of the dishonorable woman is believed to restore honor
 These killings are a traditional practice,
  Women are killed for reasons such as refusing to enter an arranged marriage,
being in a relationship that is disapproved by their relatives, attempting to leave a
marriage, having sex outside marriage, becoming the victim of rape, dressing in
ways that are deemed inappropriate
Dowry violence
 The custom of dowry, which is common in South Asia, especially in India, is the
trigger of many forms of violence against women.
  Bride burning is a form of violence against women in which a bride is killed at
home by her husband or husband's family due to his dissatisfaction over the
dowry provided by her family.
  Dowry death refers to the phenomenon of women and girls being killed or
committing suicide due to disputes regarding dowry.
Forced marriage
  is a marriage in which one or both of the parties is married against their will. 
 Forced marriages are common in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
 The custom of bride kidnapping continues to exist in some Central Asian
countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the Caucasus, or
parts of Africa, especially Ethiopia.
 Forced and child marriages are practiced by some inhabitants In Tanzania.
 Girls are sold by their families to older men for financial benefits and often girls
are married off as soon as they hit puberty, which can be as young as seven
years old
Force-feeding
 In some countries, notably Mauritania, young girls are forcibly fattened to prepare
them for marriage, because obesity is seen as desirable. This practice of force-
feeding is known as leblouh or gavage
Acid throwing
 also called acid attack, or vitriolage, is defined as the act of throwing acid onto
the body of a person "with the intention of injuring or disfiguring [them] out of
jealousy or revenge".[
 The most common types of acid used in these attacks are sulfuric, nitric, or
hydrochloric acid
 Acid attacks are often connected to domestic disputes, including dowry disputes,
and refusal of a proposition for marriage, or of sexual advances. 
  Such attacks are common in South Asia, in countries such as Bangladesh,
Pakistan, India; and in Southeast Asia, especially in Cambodia. [
Reproductive coercion
  is a form of domestic or intimate partner violence, that involves violent,
manipulative or deceptive behavior against reproductive health or reproductive
rights within an intimate relation and includes a collection of behaviors intended
to lead to forced pregnancy
  Reproductive coercion is used to maintain power, control, and domination within
a relationship and over a partner through an unwanted pregnancy. It is
considered a serious public health issue
 This reproductive control is highly correlated to unintended pregnancy.
Mob violence
 some women have been sexually abused" and were targeted "not just because
they are women, but because they are living alone and are economically
independent".
Dating abuse
 Dating abuse or dating violence is the perpetration of coercion, intimidation or
assault in the context of dating or courtship. It is also when one partner tries to
maintain abusive power and control.
  "the physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional violence within a dating
relationship, including stalking

Sexual violence on college campuses

 Sexual violence on college campuses is considered a major problem in the
United States. 
 According to the conclusion of a major Campus Sexual Assault (CSA) Study:
"The CSA Study data suggest women at universities are at considerable risk for
experiencing sexual assault.
Denial of medical care
 Denial of access to health assistance, along with denial of access to other
services, is a form of socioeconomic violence against women
 Women may be denied medical care for numerous reasons, including lack of
necessary freedom of movement allowing women to leave home so they can go
to a medical facility, lack of financial resources, the need (in law or in practice) for
a male relative or husband to consent to the medical care of the woman.
Stalking
 Stalking is unwanted or obsessive attention by an individual or group toward
another person, often manifested through persistent harassment, intimidation, or
following/monitoring of the victim.
Sexual harassment
 is abusive, uninvited and unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature, typically in the
work/studying place, which may include intimidation, bullying or coercion of a
sexual nature, or the inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual
favors. It can be verbal or physical, and it is often perpetrated by a person in a
position of authority against a subordinate
Human trafficking and forced prostitution
 Human trafficking refers to the acquisition of persons by improper means such as
force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them.
 "Trafficking in persons" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other
forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or
of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits
to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the
purpose of exploitation
  Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of
others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or
practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.
Mistreatment of widows
 n some parts of the world, widows are subjected to serious forms of abuse, often
fueled by traditional practices such as widow inheritance
 In parts of Africa, such as in Kenya, widows are viewed as impure and need to
be 'cleansed'. This often requires having sex with someone. Those refusing to be
cleansed risk getting beaten by superstitious villagers, who may also harm the
woman's children
State violence
 War rape and sexual slavery during military conflict
 Militarism produces special environments that allow for increased violence
against women. War rapes have accompanied warfare in virtually every known
historical era

Forced sterilization and forced abortion

 and forced abortion are forms of gender-based violence
 has occurred throughout much of the world, both at the hands of the state and
from intimate partners
 Studies show forced sterilizations often target socially and politically
disadvantaged groups such as racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, and
indigenous populations.
Violence by the police and other authority figures
 When police officers misuse their power as agents of the state to physically
and sexually harass and assault victims, the survivors, including women, feel
much less able to report the violence
Stoning and flogging
 Stoning, or lapidation, refers to a form of capital punishment whereby an
organized group throws stones at an individual until the person dies. Stoning is a
punishment that is included in the laws of several countries, including Iran, Saudi
Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and some states in
Nigeria, as punishment for adultery
 Flogging or flagellation is the act of methodically beating or whipping the human
body. It is a judicial punishment in various countries for specific crimes,
including sex outside marriage. These punishments employed for sexual
relations outside marriage, apart from constituting a form of violence in
themselves, can also deter victims of sexual violence from reporting the crime,
because the victims may themselves be punished (if they cannot prove their
case, if they are deemed to have been in the company of an unrelated male, or if
they were unmarried and not virgins at the time of the rape)
Female genital mutilation
 Female genital mutilation (FGM) is defined by the World Health
Organization (WHO) as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the
 external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-
medical reasons"
 UNICEF report, 125 million women and girls in Africa and the Middle East have
experienced FGM
 "Procedures can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts,
infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth increased risk of
newborn deaths" and "FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the
human rights of girls and women
Breast ironing
 (also known as "breast flattening") is the practice of pounding and massaging
the breasts of a pubescent girl, using hard or heated objects, in an attempt to try
to make them stop developing or disappear
 It is typically carried out by the girl's mother, with the aim of making the girl less
sexually attractive to men and boys, so that her virginity is preserved and she
can continue her education.
 It is practiced primarily in Cameroon, but has also been reported across other
areas in West and Central Africa.[2
Obstetric violence
 Refers to acts categorized as physically or psychologically violent in the context
of labor and birth.
 In most developed and many developing countries, birth takes place in an
increasingly medicalized environment; with numerous surgical interventions that
the pregnant woman can sometimes be coerced into accepting, or which are
done without her consent, or which are unnecessary
Violence against indigenous women
  indigenous communities are rural, with few resources and little help from the
government or non-state actors. 
Violence against immigrant and refugee women
 Immigrant and refugee women often face violence, both in the private sphere (by
partners and other family members) and in the public sphere (by the police and
other authorities).
 These women are often in a vulnerable position: they do not speak the language
of the country they are in, they do not know its laws, and sometimes they are in a
legal position where they may be deported if they make contact with the
authorities.
Violence against trans women
 Trans women commonly experience intimate partner violence, with one study
finding that 31.1% of trans people experience it, and another finding that half of
all trans women experience it
 Trans women also often face abuse by police, and transgender sex
workers often face violence from clients
Sport-related
 Sport-related violence against women refers to any physical, sexual, mental acts
that are "perpetrated by both male athletes and by male fans or consumers of
sport and sporting events, as well as by coaches of female athletes"
Sport-related violence by male college athletes
 Studies suggest that athletes are at higher risk for committing sexual assault
against women than the average student
 It is reported that one in three college assaults are committed by athletes
Cyberbullying
 Is a form of intimidation using electronic forms of contact.

Challenges faced by women in accessing justice and limitations of measures

 Lack of criminalization: in many places, acts of abuse, especially acts such

as female genital mutilation, marital rape, forced marriage and child marriage, are
not criminalized, or are illegal but widely tolerated, with the laws against them being
rarely enforced. There are instances where crimes against women are also
categorized as minor offenses.
 Lack of awareness of the existing laws: in many places, although there are laws
against violence on the books, many women do not know of their existence. This is
especially the case with marital rape - its criminalization being very recent in most
countries.[278]
 Challenges in making a case in court: the burden of proof can be placed on the
victim. For instance in the Philippines, before a change in law in 1997, rape used to
be described as a crime against chastity; and virginity played an important role in
court. In various countries, such as Bangladesh, a woman's past sexual experience
continues to be very important in a case of rape. Bangladesh has received criticism
for its employment of the "two-finger test" in rape investigations. This test consists
in a physical examination of women who report rape during which a doctor inserts
two fingers in the woman's vagina to determine whether the woman is "habituated
to sex". This examination has its origin in the country's British colonial-era laws
dating back to 1872. This deters many women from reporting rape. More than 100
experts, including doctors, lawyers, police, and women's rights activists had signed a
joint statement in 2013 asking for the test, which they called "demeaning", to be
abolished, as it "does not provide any evidence that is relevant to proving the
offence". This test is also performed in several other countries in the region,
including India.[279] It can also be difficult to make a case of sexual assault in court,
when members of the judiciary expect evidence of severe struggle and injury as
determinative evidence of non-consent. On the other hand, there are measures,
such as the 2012 law in Brazil, that allow for cases to be filed even without the
representation of the victim.
 Existing laws are insufficient, conflicting, and have no effect in practice: some
laws on domestic violence, for instance, conflict with other provisions and ultimately
contradict their goals. Legal frameworks can also be flawed when laws that integrate
 protection do so in isolation, notably in relation to immigration laws. Undocumented
women in countries where they would have, in theory, access to justice, don't in
practice for fear of being denounced and deported. The CEDAW Committee
recommends that a State authority's obligation to report undocumented persons be
repealed in national legislation.
 The attitude of the police: women who report acts of violence most often come
into contact first with police workers. Therefore, police attitudes are crucial in
facilitating a sense of safety and comfort for women who have been victimized.
[280]
 When police officers have hostile attitudes towards victimized women, these
women are prevented from obtaining justice.[281] Recognizing these problems, some
countries have enacted women's police station, which are police stations that
specialize in certain crimes, such as sexual violence, harassment, domestic
violence committed against women.
RIGHTS , LAWS OF WOMEN
These rights shall be enjoyed without discrimination since the law prohibits
discrimination against women, whether done by public and private entities or
individuals. The Magna Carta ofWomen also spells out every woman's right to:
Protection from all forms of violence, including those committed by the State.

The following issuances serve as legal base

 
• Proclamation No. 224 s. 1988 declaring the first week of March each year as
Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day;
 
• Proclamation No. 227 s. 1988 providing for the observance of the Month of
March as Women’s Role in History Month; and
 
• Republic Act (RA) 6949 s. 1990 declaring March 8 of every year as National
Women’s Day.

Republic Act 10354

The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012
This Act shall be known as “The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health
Act of 2012″. An Act providing for a National Policy on Responsible Parenthood
and Reproductive Health
Republic Act 9710
Magna Carta of Women
The Magna Carta of Women is a comprehensive women's human rights law that
seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting,
fulfilling and promoting the rights of Filipino women, especially those in the
marginalized sectors.
Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women upholds the right of women to
protection and security in emergencies and armed conflict situations, and
recognizes and supports the role of women in conflict-prevention, management,
resolution and peacemaking;

Republic Act 9710, otherwise known as the “Magna Carta of Women,” reinforces
the use of gender-sensitive language at all times.

Republic Act No. 9262 is known as The Anti-Violence against Women and their

Children Act of 2004. ... A protection order is "an order issued for the purpose of
preventing further acts of violence against a woman or her child and granting other
necessary relief."

 Violation of a BPO shall be punishable by imprisonment of thirty (30) days

without prejudice to any other criminal or civil action that the offended party
may file for any of the acts committed.
 The 1987 Constitution states two prominent provisions.
 The first in the Declaration of Principles Article II Section 14 which
asserted that "The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building and
shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men."
Additionally,
 The Article XIII-Labor: Section 14 provided that "The state shall protect
working women by providing safe and healthful working conditions taking
into account their maternal functions, and such facilities and opportunities
that will enhance their welfare and enable them to realize their full potential
in the service of the nation".

What is VAW?
The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) defines
violence against women (VAW) as, “any act of gender-based violence that results
in, or is likely to result  in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to
women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
whether occurring in public and private life. Gender-based violence is any violence
inflicted on women because of their sex.”

The Philippine definition as contained in Republic Act 9262 (Anti-Violence

Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004) states VAW as "any act or a
series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is his wife, former
wife, or against a woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating
relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether
legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which result in or is
likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic
abuse including threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment or
arbitrary deprivation of liberty. 

It includes, but is not limited to, the following acts:

 "Physical violence" refers to acts that include bodily or physical harm;

 "Sexual violence" refers to an act which is sexual in nature, committed

against a woman or her child. It includes, but is not limited to:

o rape, sexual harassment, acts of lasciviousness, treating a woman or

her child as a sex object, making demeaning and sexually suggestive remarks,
physically attacking the sexual parts of the victim’s body, forcing her/him to
watch obscene publications and indecent shows or forcing the woman or her
child to do indecent acts and/or make films thereof, forcing the wife and
mistress/lover to live in the conjugal home or sleep together in the same room
with the abuser;

o acts causing or attempting to cause the victim to engage in any sexual

activity by force, threat of force, physical or other harm or threat of physical
or other harm or coercion;

o prostituting the woman or her child.

 "Psychological violence" refers to acts or omissions causing or likely to

cause mental or emotional suffering of the victim such as but not limited to
intimidation, harassment, stalking, damage to property, public ridicule or
humiliation, repeated verbal abuse and marital infidelity. It includes causing
 or allowing the victim to witness the physical, sexual or psychological abuse
of a member of the family to which the victim belongs, or to witness
pornography in any form or to witness abusive injury to pets or to unlawful or
unwanted deprivation of the right to custody and/or visitation of common
children.

 "Economic abuse" refers to acts that make or attempt to make a woman

financially dependent. This includes but is not limited to the following:

o withdrawal of financial support or preventing the victim from

engaging in any legitimate profession, occupation, business or activity, except
in cases wherein the other spouse/partner objects on valid, serious and moral
grounds as defined in Article 73 of the Family Code;

o deprivation or threat of deprivation of financial resources and the right

to the use and enjoyment of the conjugal, community or property owned in
common;

o destroying household property;

o controlling the victim’s own money or properties or solely controlling

the conjugal money or properties.

Prostitution in the Philippines

Prostitution in the Philippines is illegal, although somewhat tolerated, with law enforcement
being rare with regards to sex workers. Penalties range up to life imprisonment for those
involved in trafficking, which is covered by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
[1]
 Prostitution is often available through bars, karaoke bars (also known as KTVs), massage
parlors, brothels (also known as casa), street walkers, and escort services.[2]
The "Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study" conducted in 2002 by the University of the
Philippines' Population Institute and Demographic Research and Development Foundation found
that 19% of young males had paid for sex and 11% had received payment for sexual favors.[3]
In 2013, it was estimated that there were up to 500,000 prostitutes in the Philippines,[4] from a
population of roughly 97.5 million. Citing a 2005 study, Senator Pia S. Cayetano asserted in her
“Anti-Prostitution Act” (Senate Bill No. 2341 s.2010), that the number of people being exploited
in prostitution in the Philippines could be as high as 800,000.[5][6] The bill was reintroduced in
2013 as Senate Bill No. 3382,[7] and in 2015 as Senate Bill No. 2621.[8]
Prostitution in various regions[edit]
Prostitution caters to both 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 Olongapo City, Angeles, Legazpi City in Albay, Pasay
City and Subic Bay in Zambales,[9] with the customers usually foreign businessmen from East
Asian and Western nations.[10][11]
Prostitution in Olongapo City and Angeles was highly prominent during the time of the U.S.
military in Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base, respectively.[12][13] When Mount Pinatubo, a
volcano, erupted in 1991, it destroyed most of Clark Air Base and the United States closed it
down in 1992.
Some 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 starting in 1992,
many of the businesses moved to Angeles, finding a new customer base among sex tourists.[14]
Other tourist areas such as Cebu have also developed a high-profile prostitution industry.

Reasons[edit]
There is no one single reason for the widespread prevalence of prostitution in the Philippines.
Poverty is but one reason, as cultural factors and the attitude of people toward money and the
social acceptance of prostitution play a major role.[2]
Poverty[edit]
Per the Philippine Statistics Authority, in 2015 the Philippines had a poverty incidence of 26.3%.
[15]
 While this figure has been decreasing over the past few years,[15] this still is one of the reasons
why girls and their families turn to prostitution to enable the family to maintain a certain level of
lifestyle.[16] A large number of girls who come to Angeles tend to be provincial, especially
from Samar, Leyte and Visayas, having seen their friends live a better life because of their job in
the prostitution industry.[17][18]
U.S. Naval and Air Force bases[edit]
Prostitution started around Clark Air Base in Angeles since the early 1960s, when the base
assumed importance because of the Vietnam war. During the 1970s, the main street of Olongapo
City had no less than 30 girlie bars catering to the wants of U.S. Navy troops visiting Subic
Naval base. The city acquired the pseudonym "Sin City".
The American authorities supported the testing of the prostitutes for STIs by the local health
authorities. Without the licenses issued with these examinations, the prostitutes were prevented
from working. Angeles and Olongapo health authorities passed on photographs of sex workers
who had failed STI tests to the U.S. bases.[19]
The closure of the U.S. bases in these two places did not change the scenario much — it only
changed the clientele. Fields Avenue near Clark (Angeles) continued to grow as a center of the
sex tourism industry, under the umbrella of "entertainment" and "hospitality industry". The girlie
bars at Olongapo were closed down in a major drive by the then governor Jane Gordon; they
merely shifted, however, to the neighbouring town of Barrio Baretto which contains a series of at
least 40 bars which act as prostitution centers.[20]
Single mothers[edit]
Some women join the prostitution industry after they become single unwed mothers.[21] The
reasons for this vary — unpopularity of artificial contraception in the Philippines,
[22]
 inadequate sex education, delays in implementing birth control legislation and
a machismo attitude among many Filipino males. More than half of the children born every year
in Philippines are illegitimate,[23] and the percentage of illegitimate children is rising at the rate of
nearly 2% annually.[24][25][26][27]

Violence and coercion against prostitutes[edit]

Women and children involved in prostitution are vulnerable to rape, murder, and AIDS as well
as other sexually transmitted diseases.[28]
Surveys of women working as masseuses indicated that 34 percent of them explained their
choice of work as necessary to support poor parents, 8% to support siblings, and 28% to support
husbands or boyfriends.[29] More than 20% said the job was well paid, but only 2% said it was
easy work, and only 2% claimed to enjoy the work.[29]
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.[29]
According to a survey conducted by the International Labour Organization, prostitution is one of
the most alienating forms of labor.[29] Over 50% of the women surveyed in Philippine massage
parlors said they carried out their work “with a heavy heart”, and 20% said they were
“conscience-stricken because they still considered sex with customers a sin”.[29] Interviews with
Philippine bar girls revealed that more than half of them felt “nothing” when they had sex with a
client, and the remainder said the transactions saddened them.[29]
President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" since 2016 has been used by some members of the
police to harass women in prostitution and extort money or sexual services from them.[30]

Sex trafficking[edit]
Main article: Sex trafficking in the Philippines

The Philippines is a source country and, to a lesser extent, a destination and transit country for
women and children subjected to sex trafficking. An estimated 10 million Filipinos reside or
work abroad and the government processes approximately 2.3 million new or renewed contracts
for Filipinos to work overseas each year. A significant number of these migrant workers are
subjected to sex trafficking, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, but also in all other
regions. Traffickers, typically in partnership with local networks and facilitators, engage in
illegal recruitment practices that leave migrant workers vulnerable to trafficking, such as
charging excessive fees, producing fraudulent travel and contract documents, and confiscating
identity documents. Illegal recruiters use student, intern, exchange program, and tourist visas, as
well as travel through other countries to circumvent the Philippine government and destination
countries’ legal frameworks for foreign workers. Traffickers also recruit Filipinos already
working overseas through fraudulent offers of employment in another country.[31]
 Sex trafficking of women and children within the country remains a significant problem. Women
and children from indigenous communities and remote areas of the Philippines are the most
vulnerable to sex trafficking. Persons displaced due to the conflict in Mindanao, Filipinos
returning from bordering countries without documents, and internally displaced persons in
typhoon-affected communities are vulnerable to sex trafficking in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu,
central and northern Luzon, and urban areas in Mindanao. Sex trafficking also occurs in tourist
destinations, such as Boracay, Angeles, Olongapo, Puerto Galera, and Surigao, where there is a
high demand for commercial sex acts. Although the availability of child sex trafficking victims
in commercial establishments declined in some urban areas, child sex trafficking remains a
pervasive problem, typically abetted by taxi drivers who have knowledge of clandestine
locations. In addition, young Filipino girls and boys are increasingly induced to perform sex acts
for live internet broadcast to paying foreigners in other countries; this typically occurs in private
residences or small internet cafes, and may be facilitated by victims’ family members and
neighbors. NGOs report high numbers of child sex tourists in the Philippines, many of whom are
citizens of Australia, Japan, the United States, Canada, and countries in Europe; Filipino men
also purchase commercial sex acts from child trafficking victims. Organized crime syndicates
allegedly transport sex trafficking victims from China through the Philippines en route to other
countries.[31]
Officials, including those in diplomatic missions, law enforcement agencies, and other
government entities, allegedly have been complicit in trafficking or allowed traffickers to operate
with impunity. Reports in previous years asserted police conduct indiscriminate or fake raids on
commercial sex establishments to extort money from managers, clients, and victims.[31]
The United States Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in
Persons ranks the Philippines as a 'Tier 1' country.

The Philippines, like some other Southeast Asian countries, has an

unfortunate reputation for prostitution and sex tourism. It’s a huge
industry domestically with an estimated 800,000 men, women and,
sadly, children working in the trade. The country’s international image
as a sex destination was largely a result of the US military presence
here during and after World War II when “go go” or “girlie” bars
flourished around the bases at Clark and Subic Bay.

 Child prostitution
 “Mail-order brides”

While it’s illegal to sell or procure sex, the trade still operates under
the guise of entertainment: sex workers are employed as singers,
dancers, waitresses or “guest relations officers” in clubs and bars
where they are expected to leave with any client who pays a fee. Then
there’s what are euphemistically dubbed “freelancers”, prostitutes that
independently cruise bars looking for paying customers.
According to the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
(wwww.catw-ap.org), some fifteen thousand Australian men a year
visit Angeles, north of Manila, on sex tours; plenty of Americans,
Brits and Europeans join them, while Koreans, Taiwanese and
Chinese have developed their own networks, usually based on karaoke
bars and restaurants. Manila, Cebu City, Subic Bay and Pasay City are
also major sex destinations.

Child prostitution
Child Protection in the Philippines (wcpu-net.org.ph) estimates that
almost half the prostitutes in the Philippines are underage, many of
them street children lured from the provinces by the promise of work
or simply food and water. If you suspect someone of being a
paedophile or engaging in any abusive behaviour towards minors,
call hotline t1-6-3 or check wwww.bantaybata163.com.

“Mail-order brides”
Though you will often see older Western men accompanied by young,
attractive Filipina women, don’t assume all of these are prostitutes; the
situation is confused further by the legal and equally popular
phenomenon of mail-order brides (most now arranged by online
dating sites) – plenty of the men you’ll see have been matched with
their Filipina “girlfriend” and intend to marry them, however dubious
this might seem.