As I mentioned before, IJM Cebu works to fight sex trafficking in Cebu (i.e. usually women and girls who are being sexually exploited for profit). However, as I've started learning, it doesn't always look like what you would expect or the the way it is portrayed in books or movies. My friend Matt, one of the legal interns here for the summer, wrote a blog entry discussing this very topic. His post really captured some of the ideas that I wanted to try to explain so I thought I would share it with you...
Prior to this summer, I never really thought about the fact that sex trafficking could exist in a variety of forms. Instead, I usually just thought about it in its most extreme form: a girl being held against her will and forced repeatedly to have sex with strange men, with her only alternative being severe beatings, or worse. In reality, it's a little more complicated than that. In my opinion, these complications don't make the acts of traffickers any less despicable, or the plight of victims any less heart wrenching, but they do add to the challenge faced by those that are trying to stop this form of oppression.
First, some background on the types of establishments we're usually dealing with in the Philippines. There aren't many cases that involve brothels in the sense that you might think. Instead, we are usually dealing with bars or strip clubs that are a front for prostitution. Customers will come in and watch the girls dance, and they may pay to "table" a girl, i.e., to have her sit and drink with them. If they want to have sex with a girl, they will negotiate with the mamasan and pay what is called a "bar fine," which allows them to take the girl out of the club for a specified period of time.
Although many girls are recruited and transported by traffickers, there are also a significant number of cases in which the girl actually applies to work at one of these bars. This usually happens after a financial crisis in the family. A girl may be forced to drop out of high school and get a job in order to help the family get by, and she may have a friend or relative that tells her that she can make good money if she is willing to work as a "sexy dancer."
The truth is, she probably can make a lot more money doing that than anything else she would be qualified to do at that age. The average Filipino only makes about 250 pesos a day (around $5.00), and it takes a college degree just to work at McDonald's or Jollibee. At a high end bar, the girl will make a salary of around 300P per night, plus a commission on all of the "lady drinks" customers order for her. In addition, if she goes out on a bar fine, the customer might pay around 3,000P, and the girl could take home as much as half of that amount.
This is how traffickers usually work here. They don't usually hold the girls by force. Instead, they exploit their desperate financial situation, lack of job skills, and immaturity. As a result, they are able to profit tremendously with a low risk of facing any consequences, because the financial support they provide actually engenders loyalty from the girls and their families.
Many times, the girls in these bars don't want to be "rescued" because they want to continue to provide for their families. They also don't want to see their traffickers punished, because they feel indebted to them. This creates obstacles to obtaining their cooperation as witnesses, and it probably raises even more difficulties in convincing the girl to accept aftercare services. I can only imagine being a social worker and trying to convince a girl that she should leave the job that is providing for her family and go back to school so that one day she will be able to earn minimum wage. Our social workers want these girls to be free from having to sell their bodies and free from unnessary burdens... but this is difficult when ones family is hungry and doesn't have money for food. Our social workers are very aware of the situation and do their best to meet the needs of these women.
All this is to say that it is a tremendous challenge to stop the sexual exploitation of young girls in a place where there is so much poverty and desperation. There is certainly hope, however, and IJM has already seen a number of success stories. Several traffickers have now been convicted and sentenced to significant prison time, and it is gradually becoming more dangerous to engage in this type of business. In addition, many IJM clients have made tremendous progress in restoring their lives after being rescued.
Although it's important to analyze the difficulties in the fight against trafficking, it is also important to remember the success stories. For me, the most important thing to remember is that each one is precious to God. Of course, IJM will seek to maximize its effectiveness, but if all of the work we do is only good enough to help one, it will have all been worth it.
Hmm...so what is the problem that IJM is trying to fight here? Is it that the girls aren't aware of what their jobs will entail when they willingly apply for them? If so, wouldn't IJM be more effective in reducing exploitation by promoting education among the recruiting pool as to what they would have to do if they took one of these jobs?
ReplyDeleteSurely IJM doesn't consider arrangements where both parties consensually reap large benefits as the "exploitation" that urgently needs to be eradicated. If the girls know what they are getting themselves into and, after considering all the available alternatives, decide to apply for a job at one of these bars, how can it possibly be that their employers are exploiting them? By restricting these consensual, mutually-beneficial arrangements, IJM would be taking away what the girls themselves have decided is their best life option. It's terrible that working in these bars is the best option for these girls, but we should fight that by providing them better options rather than taking their best option away from them.
It would seem that sex-work is an opportunity for some young Philipino women (and men) to escape their immediate poverty. If they are consenting adults, informed and using protection from STIs, then what is the problem? How can you assume that what they do "debases" them - perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they are "empowered", that they use their skills and youth to acquire an income adequate to support their families.
ReplyDeleteIs the problem that what they are doing offends your religious beliefs?
Do they really need "rescuing" by you, or is it more a situation of you trying to impose your values on them?
Rather than take my response as an attack on you, please take the time to look deeply into yourself and question just what you are trying to do, and even more importantly: what really is your motive?
By the way poverty is not the only motive for voluntarily working in the sex-industry. They may be hoping to meet a wealthy prospective husband, enjoy the work, enjoy the lifestyle and - possibly even enjoy the sex!
Believe me, if you expect to be welcomed with open arms by poor victims in need of being 'rescued', then you are bound to be disapointed.
I'll happily chat further about this with you if you wish.
Regards
Rik, retired male sex-worker, retired university lecturer
I think that you don't really see these women that you want to 'rescue'.
ReplyDeleteCertainly some of the women seem to have had very bad experiences with your group, so bad that they have a group named save us from the saviours.
You do these women a huge disservice when you assume that they don't know what they are doing when they go to work in the bars. Some of them make a fully informed decision to become bar girls.
Just because you find prostitution disgusting, and couldn't imagine wanting to do it, doesn't mean that everyone in the industry feels the same way.
Your group see's traffic'd women whenever you see sex workers, you never see the sex workers who are quite happy being able to support their familes, and make sure that their families are comfortable.
Stop trying to force your prejudices and belief's onto others. You would do better to just let the girls know that if they want to leave the industry you are there to help them, instead of trying to force them into leaving. But instead you assume that every sex worker wants to be rescued, and you aren't listening when they say they don't.
Not all sex workers are victims, but your groups victimises all sex workers.
Sex workers have clients like you - the white knight brigade - who pay a worker for a service and then decide that they are going to be the one to take her/him away from all this. However, because they make that decision by themselves, without asking the worker if it is what they want, they fail.
If you are serious about wanting to help sex workers, then start talking to them, and listening when they talk to you. If they say something that you don't agree with, that is your problem, stop trying to force people into doing what you want them to. It's the main reason your group has such a bad reputation among sex workers - the very group you claim to want to help.
Thank you for the comments. Allow me to make some clarifying remarks in response to some of the points mentioned.
ReplyDelete(1)IJM works to rescue minors and victims of sex trafficking and only works in countries were laws against sex trafficking and trafficking of minors are already in place. Selling a minor for sex is against the law regardless of whether or not the minor willingly entered into that situation or not. Regarding adult victims of trafficking, there are women, brought from other rural areas or islands, who are decieved into thinking they will have a job as a waitress, nanny, etc. and then are sold into the sex industry. While they may not be physically held against their will, there are other reasons why they can't leave. These women could be considered adult victims of trafficking who might want the opportunity to leave the sex industry. IJM is not trying to change the law, but rather are simply holding people accountable to them. IJM hopes to build up governments and law enforcement, not tear them down.
(2)IJM is aware a portion of the sex industry is composed of voluntary sex workers who have made a choice to participate in this type of work for whatever reason (whether it is to provide for their families, to alieve poverty, to meet a husband, because they enjoy it, etc.) IJM is not forcing anyone to do something they don't want to do. When IJM assists law enforcement in an operation, all women and girls at the establishment must be removed in order to identify the minors and adult victims of trafficking. However, any adult non-victim is free to leave the next day. IJM wants to give these women other options and offers them the same aftercare services that they offer minors and victims if they want to take advantage of them (shelter, medical care, counseling, job training, educational training, etc.), but they don't force anyone to do so.
(3)To Ben's comment regarding reducing exploitation through awareness raising methods in the community to reduce deception - IJM also works to raise awareness in the community about trafficking issues and conducts community trainings. What is difficult is that some of the girls are trafficked in from very rural areas where it would be difficult to have awareness raising campaigns in all necessary locations. One of IJM’s foundations is “structural transformation” meaning that IJM doesn’t just work in intervention, but also in prevention. IJM works to solidify community infrastructures and government systems and encourage a movement of law-abiders so that these offenses don’t happen in the first place.