Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003
Encyclopedia
The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, (Republic Acts of the Philippines
) R.A. No. 9208, is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2444 and House Bill No. 4432. It was enacted and passed by Congress of the Philippines
' Senate of the Philippines
and House of Representatives of the Philippines
(12th Congress of the Philippines
, 2001–2004) assembled on May 12, 2003 and signed into law
(List of Philippine laws) by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
on May 26, 2003. It institutes policies to eliminate and punish human trafficking
, especially women and children, establishing the necessary institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of trafficked persons. It aims "to promote human dignity, protect the people from any threat of violence and exploitation, and mitigate pressures for involuntary migration and servitude of persons, not only to support trafficked persons but more importantly, to ensure their recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into the mainstream of society."
R.A. 9208 made the Philippines one of the few Asia
n countries in Asia that have enacted an anti-trafficking legislation. The law establishes an Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), first chaired by Raul M. Gonzalez
, and composed of government agencies, non-government organizations and other civic organizations for the effective formulation of a comprehensive and integrated program to prevent and suppress the trafficking in persons. The Development Action for Women Network (DAWN), PMRW member organization, and the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) supported the successful passage of this law. This penal law was implemented by the issued "RULES AND REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING REPUBLIC ACT NO 9208 - Anti-Trafficking Act," pursuant to the authority of IACAT under Sec. 29 of R.A. 9208.
The elimination of slavery
throughout the world was campaigned by early abolitionists
, but it was not the objective of the earliest organised British movements. The Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, which established the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in Britain in 1787, campaigned for an end to the Transatlantic slave trade
from Western Africa to the New World
, which Britain dominated. Much later, the Anti-Slavery Society
became the everyday name of 2 different British
organizations.
The first was the 1823 Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the British Dominions (Slavery Abolition Act 1833), and the second, the 1839 The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society - which is presently known as Anti-Slavery International
.http://www.antislavery.org/
In America
, the United States federal government
severely punishes human trafficking both within its borders and beyond, making it, a federal crime
under Title 18 of the United States Code. Section 1584 makes it a crime to force a person to work against his will, whether the compulsion is effected by use of force, threat of force, threat of legal coercion or by "a climate of fear" (an environment wherein individuals believe they may be harmed by leaving or refusing to work); Section 1581 similarly makes it illegal to force a person to work through "debt servitude
." Human trafficking as it relates to involuntary servitude
and slavery
is prohibited by the 13th Amendment
. Federal laws on human trafficking are enforced by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
, Criminal Section.http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title18/title18.html
Human trafficking
or trafficking in persons is a modern and new type of global slavery which deprives people of their rights and freedom. Southeast Asia
is a source, transit and destination for men, women, and children trafficked internally and internationally for the purposes of sexual exploitation and
forced labor.
The Vatican
"Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People "People on the Move" (N° 96 Suppl., December 2004) reported that: "Poverty, unemployment, underemployment, landless poor and armed conflict combine to deny many children and their families in rural areas in the Philippines a secure future. These areas include the Samar-Leyte region, Negros, Bicol, Cebu Province, and Mindanao, where unscrupulous recruitment agencies operate by using a combination of deception, false promises and cash incentives to win over the parents or the children directly. Groups are "subverting" the Internet to traffic women and children, and ease of travel has enabled pedophiles to move from one country to another. Mostly foreigners are the big investors in the Philippine sex industry. Child pornography brought in by tourists teach local children about the sex acts that can be done to the tourists. The children are used to sell souvenirs and trinkets along the beaches to the tourists, who then invite them to show them child porn videos and give them money to repeat the acts on them.
and the prostitution of children
are significant legal and moral issues in the Philippines
, due to control and power of organized crime syndicates. Enforcement of penal laws is, however, reported to be inconsistent.
R.A. 9208 is only one of the laws which give protection to workers, children, and women, inter alia. The Philippines has a long history of legislation aimed at protecting the rights and welfare of children. The 1974 Labor Code of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 442) set the minimum age of employment at 15 years and prohibited the employment of persons below 18 years of age in hazardous undertakings. Presidential Decree No. 603 (The Child and Youth Welfare Code) permits the employment of children aged 16 years and below only if they perform light work, which is not harmful to their safety, health or normal development, and which is not prejudicial to their studies. Strict rules and regulations were issued on their rates of pay, hours of work and other conditions of employment. An employment permit also has to be secured from the Department of Labor and Employment. The 1992 child protection law, Republic Act No. 7610 (Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act) provides protection of children against abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, and employment in illicit activities. Republic Act No. 7658 (amending RA 7610) set minimum age of employment to 15 years, and 18 years and above for hazardous work. Republic Act 7160 (The Local Government Code of 1991) includes provisions for the proper development and welfare of children at the basic political level, the Barangay. It enjoins local officials to promote and support activities for the protection and total development of children, particularly those below seven years of age, and adopt measures to prevent and eradicate drug abuse, child abuse, and juvenile delinquency. Republic Act No. 9231 (19 December 2003 - An Act Providing for the Elimination of the WFCL and Affording Stronger Protection for the Working Child) - amends R.A. No. 7610 by embodying the State policy to provide special protection to children from all forms of abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation and discrimination, and conditions prejudicial to their development, including child labour and its worst forms. It also provides stiffer penalties for their commission. It spells out the WFCL, consistent with Convention No. 182; the hours of work of working children; and ownership, usage and administration of the working child’s income. Further, it ensures working children’s access to education and training, and immediate legal, medical and psychosocial services.
In September 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos signed Executive Order No. 275 creating a special oversight committee for the special protection of children from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, discrimination and other conditions prejudicial to their development.
report placed the number of child victims of prostitution at 75,000 in the Philippines, with other estimates (ECPAT) reporting as many as 100,000. Recently, around 300,000 prostitutes were found in a range of entertainment establishments, such as karaoke bars, dirt poor cabarets, beach resorts, and health clubs. Child prostitution is one the rise, estimated by ECPAT
.org to be about 100,000. The United Nations Children's Fund
(Unicef) reported about 60,000 to 100,000 children in the Philippines involved in prostitution. There was a high incidence of child prostitution in tourist areas, where undetermined number of children are forced into exploitative labor operations. According to a report by the Consortium Against Trafficking of Children and Women for Sexual Exploitation
(Catch-Wise), the Philippines is the 4th country with the most number of prostituted children, and authorities identified increases in pedophiles travelling to the Philippines.<
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. The International Labor Organization estimated that in 1993/94 there were nearly half a million prostitutes in the country.
The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) recorded 959 Philippine human trafficking
cases from 1992 to March 2001. The United Nations
reported 9 million people enslaved in the global sex trade by powerful syndicates in human trafficking
in 1999 (Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific, CATW-AP). The Philippines was the first Southeast Asia
n country to legislate this tough statute against trafficking
.
and a fine of not less than 2 million pesos (P2,000,000.00) but not more than 5 million pesos (P5,000,000.00).
As complementary legislation, slavery and forced labor are also punished under Articles 272 and 274, Revised Penal Code of the Philippines
, and Republic Act No. 7610, the "Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act." This law protects children under 18 years from all forms of abuse, cruelty, and exploitation and prohibits child prostitution and child trafficking.
The US report scored there was only 1 conviction under the 2003 anti-trafficking law during the reporting period, but the government made some improvement in arresting, prosecuting, and convicting traffickers. Penalties imposed for trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation are commensurate with those for rape
. A Zamboanga City
RTC sentenced a member of a trafficking syndicate to life imprisonment
in March 2007 for having recruited 6 victims and peddled them to a brothel in Sandakan, Malaysia. The case was the 5th conviction under R.A. 9208 which resulted in a jail sentence. In 2006, the public prosecutors filed 60 new trafficking cases with the Department of Justice (Philippines)
, and more than 107 pending prosecutions of trafficking crime. The government appointed 17 DOJ anti-trafficking prosecutors, and 72 additional Fiscals in its regional offices.
In Northern Mindanao
, however, the report of the Sub-Committee on Human Trafficking (SCHT) submitted to the Executive Committee of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Council (RLECC), Region 10 states that lack of access to legal information, aid or protection tops the list of issues and problems in the implementation of Republic Act No. 9208.
- Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons released its 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report which put the Philippines in Tier 2 Watch List Category. Countries included under the said category are those whose governments do not fully comply with the standards of the US Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards. The US report, said that:
IACAT-DOJ Raul M. Gonzalez
On 6 June 2005 Department of Justice (Philippines)
Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez
issued the government's official statement on R.A. 9208 vis-a-vis the U.S. State Department Report. Gonzales reported that:
Ricardo R. Blancaflor, acting chairman of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), called for the amendment of the anti-trafficking law due to the increasing number of “sexually trafficked" Filipino women workers, most especially in Singapore
. GABRIELA
Representative Liza Maza
reported that 400,000 migrants were being trafficked internally and another 800,000 externally. Blancaflor, however, cited 11 convictions and 3 more cases submitted for decision under the law. But Blancaflor noted the confidentiality clause, Section 7, R.A. 9208 for possible amendment, it, being a bar for full disclosure of facts.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development established 42 temporary shelters for victims and 13 of these were supported by a non-profit charity organization. The government sent 8 social workers to Philippine diplomatic missions to provide psychosocial counseling to overseas Filipino workers in distress. The Philippine Ports Authority provided the building and facilities for halfway houses in Manila, Davao, Batangas, and Sorsogon, managed by an NGO; the Ports Authority, police, and the Coast Guard referred victims to the halfway houses. In March 2007, the Department of Labor and Employment opened the first reintegration center where returning overseas Filipino workers may seek services such as skills training, psycho-social counseling, and business development assistance.
This law saves and protects many women and children from and against prostitution
, pornography
, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery
, involuntary servitude
or debt bondage
, both domestic and overseas. R. A. Sec. 4b of 9208 supplements the Anti Mail-order bride
law which only prohibits matching of Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail-order bride formula, for this law punishes "introducing or matching any Filipino woman to a foreign national for marriage for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling, or trading her to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage is also considered an act of trafficking."
RA 9208 directs the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to establish programs for Filipinos who are trafficked overseas, to ensure the safety of overseas Filipinos. This law covers both national and international migration, and requires the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Philippine National Police, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), NCRFW, and local government units (LGUs), to establish programs to prevent, protect, and rehabilitate trafficked victims.
Guiding Principles on Human Organ Transplantation will limit the terms of the proposed Implementing Rules and Regulations."
anti-trafficking task force
. In 2006 the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) increased the minimum monthly wage from $ 200 to $ 400 and raised the minimum age from 18 to 23, and it required prospective domestic workers to get a certificate of competency from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration. In 2006, POEA conducted 1,000 pre-employment orientation seminars for more than 60,000 departing overseas Filipino workers. The Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment was created to develop strategies against illegal recruitment activities.
On September, 2008, an intensified campaign against human trafficking
("massive exploitation of safe migration") was launched by the Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc. (VFFI), a non-governmental organization with the support of the United States Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines, United States embassy. Kristie A. Kenney said at the launch: "Human trafficking is a global problem. It is modern-day slavery and victims rarely have a voice." The VFFI provide halfway houses for trafficking victims, and the Philippine Ports Authority built halfway houses in ports for rescued victims. But DOJ Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking said that the campaign against human trafficking had no budget.
Philippines
Senator Ramon Bong Revilla
, Jr., on July 26, 2006, called for coordination with the Philippine National Police
vis-a-vis the public, the whistle blower and anti-prostitution Internet
online petitioner initiator, to shed light and solve the alleged prostitution in the Philippines
, sexual slavery
or trafficking in human beings den
s in Angeles City
, Pampanga
. Revilla re-filed Senate Bill No. 12, the "Anti Pornography Bill."
However, Angeles City police Chief Sonny Cunanan denied the allegations, alleging "the Women's and Children's Concerned Section (WCCS) and other agencies of the Angeles City Government that are responsible for the regular inspection of different bars and nightclubs have no records about the existence of a sex slave camp in the city." But he confirmed that "Angeles intelligence policemen, in coordination with other counterparts, were directed to look into the veracity of the report and file necessary charges against the operators of the illegal activities if these really exist."
against child pornography
(cyber
-sex
dens
; Internet
shops
with pornographic cubicles). It declared September 28 as the "National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography."
Relevant ILO Conventions and Recommendations
Government and international governmental organizations
Articles and resources
Republic Acts of the Philippines
This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of the Philippines, as shown in the following table:...
) R.A. No. 9208, is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2444 and House Bill No. 4432. It was enacted and passed by Congress of the Philippines
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate , and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.The Senate is composed of 24 senators half...
' Senate of the Philippines
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
and House of Representatives of the Philippines
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...
(12th Congress of the Philippines
12th Congress of the Philippines
The Twelfth Congress of the Philippines was the national Lower House of the legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives of the Philippines...
, 2001–2004) assembled on May 12, 2003 and signed into law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
(List of Philippine laws) by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
on May 26, 2003. It institutes policies to eliminate and punish human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
, especially women and children, establishing the necessary institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of trafficked persons. It aims "to promote human dignity, protect the people from any threat of violence and exploitation, and mitigate pressures for involuntary migration and servitude of persons, not only to support trafficked persons but more importantly, to ensure their recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into the mainstream of society."
R.A. 9208 made the Philippines one of the few Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n countries in Asia that have enacted an anti-trafficking legislation. The law establishes an Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), first chaired by Raul M. Gonzalez
Raul M. Gonzalez
Raúl Maravilla González, was the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and was the Former Secretary of Justice of the Philippines. He was replaced by Agnes Devanadera in 2009 from the orders of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.-External links:****...
, and composed of government agencies, non-government organizations and other civic organizations for the effective formulation of a comprehensive and integrated program to prevent and suppress the trafficking in persons. The Development Action for Women Network (DAWN), PMRW member organization, and the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) supported the successful passage of this law. This penal law was implemented by the issued "RULES AND REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING REPUBLIC ACT NO 9208 - Anti-Trafficking Act," pursuant to the authority of IACAT under Sec. 29 of R.A. 9208.
Background
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
throughout the world was campaigned by early abolitionists
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, but it was not the objective of the earliest organised British movements. The Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, which established the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in Britain in 1787, campaigned for an end to the Transatlantic slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
from Western Africa to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, which Britain dominated. Much later, the Anti-Slavery Society
Anti-Slavery Society
The Anti-Slavery Society or A.S.S. was the everyday name of two different British organizations.The first was founded in 1823 and was committed to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Its official name was the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the...
became the everyday name of 2 different British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
organizations.
The first was the 1823 Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the British Dominions (Slavery Abolition Act 1833), and the second, the 1839 The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society - which is presently known as Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International is an international nongovernmental organization, charity and a lobby group, based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1839, it is the world's oldest international human rights organization, and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery and...
.http://www.antislavery.org/
In America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the United States federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
severely punishes human trafficking both within its borders and beyond, making it, a federal crime
Federal crime
In the United States, a federal crime or federal offense is a crime that is made illegal by U.S. federal legislation. In the United States, criminal law and prosecution happen at both the federal and the state levels; thus a “federal crime” is one that is prosecuted under federal criminal law, and...
under Title 18 of the United States Code. Section 1584 makes it a crime to force a person to work against his will, whether the compulsion is effected by use of force, threat of force, threat of legal coercion or by "a climate of fear" (an environment wherein individuals believe they may be harmed by leaving or refusing to work); Section 1581 similarly makes it illegal to force a person to work through "debt servitude
Debt bondage
Debt bondage is when a person pledges him or herself against a loan. In debt bondage, the services required to repay the debt may be undefined, and the services' duration may be undefined...
." Human trafficking as it relates to involuntary servitude
Involuntary servitude
Involuntary servitude is a United States legal and constitutional term for a person laboring against that person's will to benefit another, under some form of coercion other than the worker's financial needs...
and slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
is prohibited by the 13th Amendment
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, passed by the House on January 31, 1865, and adopted on December 6, 1865. On...
. Federal laws on human trafficking are enforced by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division was established on December 9, 1957, by...
, Criminal Section.http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title18/title18.html
Human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
or trafficking in persons is a modern and new type of global slavery which deprives people of their rights and freedom. Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
is a source, transit and destination for men, women, and children trafficked internally and internationally for the purposes of sexual exploitation and
forced labor.
The Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
"Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People "People on the Move" (N° 96 Suppl., December 2004) reported that: "Poverty, unemployment, underemployment, landless poor and armed conflict combine to deny many children and their families in rural areas in the Philippines a secure future. These areas include the Samar-Leyte region, Negros, Bicol, Cebu Province, and Mindanao, where unscrupulous recruitment agencies operate by using a combination of deception, false promises and cash incentives to win over the parents or the children directly. Groups are "subverting" the Internet to traffic women and children, and ease of travel has enabled pedophiles to move from one country to another. Mostly foreigners are the big investors in the Philippine sex industry. Child pornography brought in by tourists teach local children about the sex acts that can be done to the tourists. The children are used to sell souvenirs and trinkets along the beaches to the tourists, who then invite them to show them child porn videos and give them money to repeat the acts on them.
Related Laws
Human traffickingHuman trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
and the prostitution of children
Prostitution of children
Prostitution of children or child prostitution is the commercial sexual exploitation of children in which a child performs the services of prostitution, for financial benefit. The term normally refers to prostitution by a minor, or person under the local age of majority...
are significant legal and moral issues in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, due to control and power of organized crime syndicates. Enforcement of penal laws is, however, reported to be inconsistent.
R.A. 9208 is only one of the laws which give protection to workers, children, and women, inter alia. The Philippines has a long history of legislation aimed at protecting the rights and welfare of children. The 1974 Labor Code of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 442) set the minimum age of employment at 15 years and prohibited the employment of persons below 18 years of age in hazardous undertakings. Presidential Decree No. 603 (The Child and Youth Welfare Code) permits the employment of children aged 16 years and below only if they perform light work, which is not harmful to their safety, health or normal development, and which is not prejudicial to their studies. Strict rules and regulations were issued on their rates of pay, hours of work and other conditions of employment. An employment permit also has to be secured from the Department of Labor and Employment. The 1992 child protection law, Republic Act No. 7610 (Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act) provides protection of children against abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, and employment in illicit activities. Republic Act No. 7658 (amending RA 7610) set minimum age of employment to 15 years, and 18 years and above for hazardous work. Republic Act 7160 (The Local Government Code of 1991) includes provisions for the proper development and welfare of children at the basic political level, the Barangay. It enjoins local officials to promote and support activities for the protection and total development of children, particularly those below seven years of age, and adopt measures to prevent and eradicate drug abuse, child abuse, and juvenile delinquency. Republic Act No. 9231 (19 December 2003 - An Act Providing for the Elimination of the WFCL and Affording Stronger Protection for the Working Child) - amends R.A. No. 7610 by embodying the State policy to provide special protection to children from all forms of abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation and discrimination, and conditions prejudicial to their development, including child labour and its worst forms. It also provides stiffer penalties for their commission. It spells out the WFCL, consistent with Convention No. 182; the hours of work of working children; and ownership, usage and administration of the working child’s income. Further, it ensures working children’s access to education and training, and immediate legal, medical and psychosocial services.
In September 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos signed Executive Order No. 275 creating a special oversight committee for the special protection of children from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, discrimination and other conditions prejudicial to their development.
Statistics
A 1997 ILOIlo
Ilo is a port city in southern Peru, with some 58,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the Moquegua Region and capital of the province of Ilo.-History:...
report placed the number of child victims of prostitution at 75,000 in the Philippines, with other estimates (ECPAT) reporting as many as 100,000. Recently, around 300,000 prostitutes were found in a range of entertainment establishments, such as karaoke bars, dirt poor cabarets, beach resorts, and health clubs. Child prostitution is one the rise, estimated by ECPAT
ECPAT
ECPAT is an international non-governmental organisation and network headquartered in Thailand which is designed to end commercial sexual exploitation of children...
.org to be about 100,000. The United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
(Unicef) reported about 60,000 to 100,000 children in the Philippines involved in prostitution. There was a high incidence of child prostitution in tourist areas, where undetermined number of children are forced into exploitative labor operations. According to a report by the Consortium Against Trafficking of Children and Women for Sexual Exploitation
Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation may refer to:*Sexual slavery*Sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian response...
(Catch-Wise), the Philippines is the 4th country with the most number of prostituted children, and authorities identified increases in pedophiles travelling to the Philippines.<
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. The International Labor Organization estimated that in 1993/94 there were nearly half a million prostitutes in the country.
The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) recorded 959 Philippine human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
cases from 1992 to March 2001. The United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
reported 9 million people enslaved in the global sex trade by powerful syndicates in human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
in 1999 (Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific, CATW-AP). The Philippines was the first Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n country to legislate this tough statute against trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
.
Prosecution
R.A. 9208, specifically criminalizes trafficking for the purposes of exploitation. The punished overt acts include trafficking under the guise of arranged marriage, adoption, sex tourism, prostitution, pornography, or the recruitment of children into armed conflict. Trafficking of children is made a “qualified” offense, and higher penalties of life imprisonment and a fine of 2 million to 5 million pesos (USD 36,085 to 90,212) are imposed. Use of services of trafficked persons is penalized by 15 years imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to 1 million pesos. Additional penalties are provided for government employees offenders. Sec 10 (c) provides for the maximum penalty for qualified trafficking under Section 6: life imprisonmentLife imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
and a fine of not less than 2 million pesos (P2,000,000.00) but not more than 5 million pesos (P5,000,000.00).
As complementary legislation, slavery and forced labor are also punished under Articles 272 and 274, Revised Penal Code of the Philippines
Revised Penal Code of the Philippines
The Revised Penal Code contains the general penal laws of the Philippines. First enacted in 1930, it remains in effect today, despite several amendments thereto. It does not comprise a comprehensive compendium of all Philippine penal laws. The Revised Penal Code itself was enacted as Act No...
, and Republic Act No. 7610, the "Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act." This law protects children under 18 years from all forms of abuse, cruelty, and exploitation and prohibits child prostitution and child trafficking.
The US report scored there was only 1 conviction under the 2003 anti-trafficking law during the reporting period, but the government made some improvement in arresting, prosecuting, and convicting traffickers. Penalties imposed for trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation are commensurate with those for rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. A Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
RTC sentenced a member of a trafficking syndicate to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in March 2007 for having recruited 6 victims and peddled them to a brothel in Sandakan, Malaysia. The case was the 5th conviction under R.A. 9208 which resulted in a jail sentence. In 2006, the public prosecutors filed 60 new trafficking cases with the Department of Justice (Philippines)
Department of Justice (Philippines)
The Department of Justice , abbreviated as DOJ, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines...
, and more than 107 pending prosecutions of trafficking crime. The government appointed 17 DOJ anti-trafficking prosecutors, and 72 additional Fiscals in its regional offices.
In Northern Mindanao
Northern Mindanao
Designated as Region X of the Philippines, Northern Mindanao is composed of five provinces and two cities classified as highly-urbanized, all occupying the north-central part of Mindanao island, and the island-province of Camiguin...
, however, the report of the Sub-Committee on Human Trafficking (SCHT) submitted to the Executive Committee of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Council (RLECC), Region 10 states that lack of access to legal information, aid or protection tops the list of issues and problems in the implementation of Republic Act No. 9208.
Trafficking in Persons Report: PHILIPPINES (Tier 2)
On June 3, 2005, the United States Department of StateUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
- Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons released its 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report which put the Philippines in Tier 2 Watch List Category. Countries included under the said category are those whose governments do not fully comply with the standards of the US Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards. The US report, said that:
IACAT-DOJ Raul M. GonzalezRaul M. GonzalezRaúl Maravilla González, was the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and was the Former Secretary of Justice of the Philippines. He was replaced by Agnes Devanadera in 2009 from the orders of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.-External links:****...
statement
On 6 June 2005 Department of Justice (Philippines)Department of Justice (Philippines)
The Department of Justice , abbreviated as DOJ, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines...
Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez
Raul M. Gonzalez
Raúl Maravilla González, was the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and was the Former Secretary of Justice of the Philippines. He was replaced by Agnes Devanadera in 2009 from the orders of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.-External links:****...
issued the government's official statement on R.A. 9208 vis-a-vis the U.S. State Department Report. Gonzales reported that:
2008 IACAT report
As of June 30, 2008, the IACAT Chairman reported that it secured the conviction of Ms. Nelia Ogalesco, bringing the total number of convictions to 11, under Republic Act 9208:Confidentiality of proceedings
Republic Act No. 9208 (the Anti-Trafficking Law) provides for confidentiality of proceedings at any stage of the investigation, like similar enacted legislation, to wit: RA No. 9344 (the Juvenile Justice Law) mandates that all records and proceedings involving children in conflict with the law from initial contact until final disposition of the case shall be considered privileged and confidential. RA No. 9262 (the Anti-Violence Against Women Law) provides that all records pertaining to cases of violence against women and their children shall be confidential... and the right to privacy of the victim shall be respected. RA No. 8369 (the Family Court Act) provides for the confidentiality of all records of cases and the identity of the parties involved therein unless necessary and with court authority. Thus, the identity of a child victim of abuse, child witness, CIAC or a CICL shall not be disclosed whether directly or indirectly. No information that would lead to the identity of the child or any member of his family shall be published or broadcast. Photographs, images, or video coverages of the face or any distinguishing feature of a child victim of abuse, child witness, CIAC or a child in conflict with the law including his or her family members shall not be taken, published, or shown to the public in any manner. The use of sexualized images of children is considered a violation of the child’s rights. The disclosure of any private or graphic detail of the case, including the medico-legal findings, in public, is strictly prohibited. It is absolutely prohibited to access, use or in any manner disseminate a child’s case files or records.Ricardo R. Blancaflor, acting chairman of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), called for the amendment of the anti-trafficking law due to the increasing number of “sexually trafficked" Filipino women workers, most especially in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. GABRIELA
GABRIELA
GABRIELA is a leftist Filipino organization that advocates for women's issues.It is a nationwide network of grassroots organizations, institutions, and programs that address issues such as human rights, poverty, globalization, militarism, violence, health, sex trafficking, censorship and other...
Representative Liza Maza
Liza Maza
Liza Maza is a Filipino activist and development worker. She represents the Gabriela Women's Party in the 13th Congress of the Philippines....
reported that 400,000 migrants were being trafficked internally and another 800,000 externally. Blancaflor, however, cited 11 convictions and 3 more cases submitted for decision under the law. But Blancaflor noted the confidentiality clause, Section 7, R.A. 9208 for possible amendment, it, being a bar for full disclosure of facts.
Protection
The Philippine government relied heavily on NGOs and international organizations to provide services to victims. Victims were encouraged to file civil cases against traffickers, and the former are not penalized for any crimes committed as a direct result of their being trafficked. The implementing rules and regulations of the 2003 anti-trafficking law outline identification and referral procedures. The government assisted victims by providing temporary residency status, relief from deportation, shelter, and access to legal, medical, and psychological services.The Department of Social Welfare and Development established 42 temporary shelters for victims and 13 of these were supported by a non-profit charity organization. The government sent 8 social workers to Philippine diplomatic missions to provide psychosocial counseling to overseas Filipino workers in distress. The Philippine Ports Authority provided the building and facilities for halfway houses in Manila, Davao, Batangas, and Sorsogon, managed by an NGO; the Ports Authority, police, and the Coast Guard referred victims to the halfway houses. In March 2007, the Department of Labor and Employment opened the first reintegration center where returning overseas Filipino workers may seek services such as skills training, psycho-social counseling, and business development assistance.
This law saves and protects many women and children from and against prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, involuntary servitude
Involuntary servitude
Involuntary servitude is a United States legal and constitutional term for a person laboring against that person's will to benefit another, under some form of coercion other than the worker's financial needs...
or debt bondage
Debt bondage
Debt bondage is when a person pledges him or herself against a loan. In debt bondage, the services required to repay the debt may be undefined, and the services' duration may be undefined...
, both domestic and overseas. R. A. Sec. 4b of 9208 supplements the Anti Mail-order bride
Mail-order bride
Mail-order bride is a label applied to a woman who publishes her intent to marry someone from another country. This term is considered offensive by some people. The mail-order bride industry is the economic trade of contracted domestic partnerships, often between citizens of different countries or...
law which only prohibits matching of Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail-order bride formula, for this law punishes "introducing or matching any Filipino woman to a foreign national for marriage for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling, or trading her to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage is also considered an act of trafficking."
RA 9208 directs the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to establish programs for Filipinos who are trafficked overseas, to ensure the safety of overseas Filipinos. This law covers both national and international migration, and requires the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Philippine National Police, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), NCRFW, and local government units (LGUs), to establish programs to prevent, protect, and rehabilitate trafficked victims.
Legal gaps, hiatus and amendment of the law
Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral, Co-Chair of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking Forum stated on October 19, 2008, that "while Republic Act No. 9208 prohibits the recruitment or abduction of people for the purpose of selling their organs, an IRR specifically dealing with organ trafficking would 'address the apparent gaps in the law and existing policies' on the ‘donation’ of organs by a living non-related donor. The 1991 World Health OrganizationWorld Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
Guiding Principles on Human Organ Transplantation will limit the terms of the proposed Implementing Rules and Regulations."
Prevention
In 2007, the government's Interagency Council Against Trafficking established its first Ninoy Aquino International AirportNinoy Aquino International Airport
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA , also known as Manila International Airport , is the airport serving the general area of Manila and its surrounding metropolitan area...
anti-trafficking task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
. In 2006 the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) increased the minimum monthly wage from $ 200 to $ 400 and raised the minimum age from 18 to 23, and it required prospective domestic workers to get a certificate of competency from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration. In 2006, POEA conducted 1,000 pre-employment orientation seminars for more than 60,000 departing overseas Filipino workers. The Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment was created to develop strategies against illegal recruitment activities.
On September, 2008, an intensified campaign against human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
("massive exploitation of safe migration") was launched by the Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc. (VFFI), a non-governmental organization with the support of the United States Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines, United States embassy. Kristie A. Kenney said at the launch: "Human trafficking is a global problem. It is modern-day slavery and victims rarely have a voice." The VFFI provide halfway houses for trafficking victims, and the Philippine Ports Authority built halfway houses in ports for rescued victims. But DOJ Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking said that the campaign against human trafficking had no budget.
Senate inquiry
On September 15, 2004, the first hearing was held on escort services. http://www.senate.gov.ph/13th_congress/spot_reports/LABOR%20-%20SEPT.15%20HEARING.pdf followed by a second hearing on September 22, 2004, attended by well-known movie personalities http://www.senate.gov.ph/13th_congress/spot_reports/LABOR.%20-SEPT.%2022%20HEARING.pdf and a third hearing, attended by representatives from KTVs. http://www.senate.gov.ph/13th_congress/spot_reports/HEARING%20REPORT%20-%203%20ESCORT%20SERVICE.pdfPhilippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Senator Ramon Bong Revilla
Bong Revilla
Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr. , is a Filipino actor, politician and senator of the Republic of the Philippines. In 2009, he legally changed his last name to Bong Revilla....
, Jr., on July 26, 2006, called for coordination with the Philippine National Police
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...
vis-a-vis the public, the whistle blower and anti-prostitution Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
online petitioner initiator, to shed light and solve the alleged prostitution in the Philippines
Prostitution in the Philippines
Human trafficking and the prostitution of children is a significant issue in the Philippines, often controlled by organized crime syndicates.Human Trafficking in the Philippines is a crime against humanity....
, sexual slavery
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
or trafficking in human beings den
Den
Den may refer to:*Den , a part of a house similar to the living room: a den is about the size of a living room, but smaller than a family room*Den , a Ukrainian newspaper*Den , a Pharaoh of Egypt...
s in Angeles City
Angeles City
The City of Angeles , located within the province of Pampanga in the Philippines, is locally classified as a first-class, highly-urbanized city. Its name is derived from El Pueblo de los Ángeles in honor of its patron saints, Los Santos Ángeles de los Custodios , and the name of its founder, Don...
, Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
. Revilla re-filed Senate Bill No. 12, the "Anti Pornography Bill."
However, Angeles City police Chief Sonny Cunanan denied the allegations, alleging "the Women's and Children's Concerned Section (WCCS) and other agencies of the Angeles City Government that are responsible for the regular inspection of different bars and nightclubs have no records about the existence of a sex slave camp in the city." But he confirmed that "Angeles intelligence policemen, in coordination with other counterparts, were directed to look into the veracity of the report and file necessary charges against the operators of the illegal activities if these really exist."
Batingaw Network
On September 15, 2007, the Children and Youth Secretariat of the Anti-Child Pornography Alliance (ACPA-Pilipinas) launched Batingaw Network to protect and save children from all abuses and exploitations. It is the biggest formationFormation
Formation may refer to:* Formation flying, aerobatics performed with several aircraft* Formation , a high-level military organization* Tactical formation, the physical deployment of military forces-Sports:...
against child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
(cyber
Cyber
Cyber may refer to:* Cyber-, a common prefix* Cybergoth* CDC Cyber, a range of mainframe computers* Cyber Acoustics, a brand of computer hardware* Cyber Missionary* Cybersex * Cyberitis * Cyber...
-sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
dens
Dens
Dens may refer to:* Den *Dens , also known as odontoid process or odontoid peg*Tooth...
; Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
shops
Online shop
Online shopping is the process whereby consumers directly buy goods or services from a seller in real-time, without an intermediary service, over the Internet. It is a form of electronic commerce...
with pornographic cubicles). It declared September 28 as the "National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography."
See also
- Human trafficking in the Philippines
- Coalition Against Trafficking in WomenCoalition Against Trafficking in WomenCoalition Against Trafficking in Women is an international non-governmental organization opposing human trafficking, prostitution, and other forms of commercial sex.-Views:...
- Commercial sexual exploitation of childrenCommercial sexual exploitation of childrenCommercial sexual exploitation of children constitutes a form of coercion and violence against children and amounts to forced labour and a contemporary form of slavery....
- Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women
- Mongolian Gender Equality CenterMongolian Gender Equality CenterThe Mongolian Gender Equality Center ' is a non-governmental organization based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It was established in 2002 with the aim of defending human rights and promoting gender equality...
- Rape In The PhilippinesRape In The PhilippinesRape, in Philippine Jurisprudence, is considered a criminal offense. In Philippine society, it is a heinous crime punishable by life imprisonment.-The law:...
- Prostitution of childrenProstitution of childrenProstitution of children or child prostitution is the commercial sexual exploitation of children in which a child performs the services of prostitution, for financial benefit. The term normally refers to prostitution by a minor, or person under the local age of majority...
- Visayan ForumVisayan ForumVISAYAN FORUM FOUNDATION, INC is a non-profit, non-stock and tax-exempt non-government organization in the Philippines established in 1991. VF works for the welfare of marginalized migrants, especially those working in the invisible and informal sectors...
- Anti-Slavery InternationalAnti-Slavery InternationalAnti-Slavery International is an international nongovernmental organization, charity and a lobby group, based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1839, it is the world's oldest international human rights organization, and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery and...
- American Anti-Slavery GroupAmerican Anti-Slavery GroupThe American Anti-Slavery Group is a non profit coalition of abolitionist organizations that engages in political activism to abolish slavery in the world today...
- American Anti-Slavery SocietyAmerican Anti-Slavery SocietyThe American Anti-Slavery Society was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass was a key leader of this society and often spoke at its meetings. William Wells Brown was another freed slave who often spoke at meetings. By 1838, the society had...
- Prostitution in the PhilippinesProstitution in the PhilippinesHuman trafficking and the prostitution of children is a significant issue in the Philippines, often controlled by organized crime syndicates.Human Trafficking in the Philippines is a crime against humanity....
- Child Prostitution
- Children in jail in PhilippinesChildren in jail in PhilippinesChildren in jail in the Philippines continues to be a significant problem.According to Amnesty International, over 50,000 children in the Philippines have been arrested and detained since 1995....
- Department of Social Welfare and Development (Philippines)Department of Social Welfare and Development (Philippines)The Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for the protection of the social welfare rights of Filipinos and to promote social development.-History:...
- Pornography and erotica in the PhilippinesPornography and erotica in the PhilippinesPornography in the Philippines is defined by Philippine law in the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines and Republic Act No. 7610. According to this Filipino legislation, pornography are illegal doctrines, publications, shows, and other similar material or portrayals that advocate human...
- Child pornographyChild pornographyChild pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
- ECPATECPATECPAT is an international non-governmental organisation and network headquartered in Thailand which is designed to end commercial sexual exploitation of children...
- OneChildOneChildOneChild is a Canadian-based, non-governmental organization which seeks to eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children abroad....
- International Programme on the Elimination of Child LabourInternational Programme on the Elimination of Child LabourThe International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour is a programme that the International Labour Organization has run since 1992...
- Prostitution of childrenProstitution of childrenProstitution of children or child prostitution is the commercial sexual exploitation of children in which a child performs the services of prostitution, for financial benefit. The term normally refers to prostitution by a minor, or person under the local age of majority...
- Trafficking in human beings
- Towards the Elimination of the worst forms of Child Labour
Relevant ILO Conventions and Recommendations
- Worst Forms of Child Labour ConventionWorst Forms of Child Labour ConventionThe Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, known in short as the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, was adopted by the International Labour Organization in 1999 as ILO Convention No 182. It is one of 8 ILO fundamental...
- Worst Forms of Child Labour RecommendationWorst Forms of Child Labour RecommendationThe Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation was adopted by the International Labour Organisation in 1999 as ILO Recommendation No 190. The provisions of this Recommendation supplement those of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention and should be applied in conjunction with them...
- Commercial sexual exploitation of childrenCommercial sexual exploitation of childrenCommercial sexual exploitation of children constitutes a form of coercion and violence against children and amounts to forced labour and a contemporary form of slavery....
External links
- Republic Act No. 9208, "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003" - May 26, 2003
- The Philippine IT Law Journal - Republic Act 9208
- Labor Code of the Philippines - from websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
of the Department of Labor and Employment - ILOLEX is a trilingual database of International Labour Standards - containing ILO Conventions and Recommendations, etc.
- RULES AND REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING REPUBLIC ACT NO 9208 - Anti-Trafficking Act
- DILG MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2005-06 - STRICT IMPLMENTATION OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9208, AN ACT TO INSTITUTE POLICIES TO ELIMINATE TRAFFICKING - March 14, 2005
- P.D. No. 969, amending P.D. 960 / Art. 201 R.P.C.
- REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9231 Section 2 of Republic Act No. 7610, as amended, otherwise known as the "Special Protection of children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act"
- Republic Act 8042, Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995
- REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6955, Mail Order Brides Law
- Republic Act 7610 - Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act
- Ilegal Recruitment, P.D. 2018
- Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
- Gabriela network
- Humantrafficking.org, Places to report Human Trafficking in the Philippines
- BBC Investigation Into Organized Crime Control of the Sex Slavery Trade in the Philippines
- Global Map of Human Trafficking
Government and international governmental organizations
- UN.GIFT - Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking
- International Labour Organization - Human Trafficking in Asia reports
- U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2007
Articles and resources