Tuesday, January 22, 2008 Oledan: False promises By Radzini Oledan Slice of Life
THE Philippines continues to be a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking with the number of Philippine and foreign children ranging from 20,000 to 100,000.
It is also a destination country for a small number of women who are trafficked from the People's Republic of China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia for sexual exploitation, according to a UNICEF 2007 document. But the numbers could be higher. And yet, prosecution is also low.
In most instances, relatives of the victims are not even willing to run after those who were responsible in trafficking their children. In the hinterlands, it was found that parents would even encourage their children and youth to move to other areas in the hope that it would augment their income.
In various consultations by child focused organizations, legal experts also cited the difficulty in proving that the trafficking has an exploitative purpose -- the main element in considering whether a violation is committed against Republic Act 9208 or the law on anti-trafficking against person.
Another burden in prosecuting cases related to trafficking of children and women is that the law also confuses with other laws on protecting the rights of children and women, particularly laws on illegal recruitment and protection against children.
The main consideration of the anti-trafficking law is the financial gain on the part of the supposed trafficker.
Women and girls were found trafficked for labor and sexual exploitation to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Africa, North America, and Europe.
The government and NGOs estimate the number of women trafficked to range from 300,000 to 400,000 and the number of children from 60,000 to 100,000.
Some may voluntarily migrate to work abroad but later coerced into exploitative conditions.
Child rights advocates are also looking into the trend of internal trafficking of women and children from rural areas particularly the Visayas and Mindanao, to urban areas like Metro Manila and Cebu, for sexual exploitation or forced labor as domestic workers, factory workers, or in the drug trade.
Many of those who accept these offers from what appear to be legitimate sources find themselves in situations where their documents are destroyed, their selves or their families threatened with harm, or they are bonded by a debt that they have no chance of repaying.
Poverty and lack of economic opportunity make women and children potential victims of traffickers. The lack of information that will enable individuals to make informed decisions also makes them vulnerable to false promises of job opportunities in or out of the country. Still, authorities seem comfortable in helplessness.
