PHILIPPINES
Cebu sex trade now uptown, rising
Sunstar.com
It's been about six years since commercial sex workers moved to uptown CebuCity because of intensified police operations in the downtown area.
Cebu sex trade now uptown, rising
It's been about six years since commercial sex workers moved to uptown CebuCity because of intensified police operations in the downtown area.
And despite continued arrests, their numbers are still growing and the implementation of laws remains wanting, said representatives of local non-government organizations (NGOs) working for the protection of child and women victims against abuse.
Filing vagrancy charges against sex workers will never solve the problem, said Mark Albo, advocacy officer of End Child Prostitution, Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (Ecpat)-Cebu.
"There is a wrong interpretation of the law since they go after prostitutes even though they are the victims. They could not also be charged with prostitution if there are no complainants," he pointed out.
No local law
Despite the rescue of women and children who were trafficked from Luzon and Mindanao, the Cebu City Council has yet to approve an ordinance implementing Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
Children's Legal Bureau (CLB) executive director Joan Dymphna Saniel, a lawyer, said they are pushing for the passage of a local ordinance to "strengthen" the implementation of the law through specific and localized provisions.
One provision could be imposing penalties on government officials who fail to report acts of trafficking. Another could mandate that boarding house owners who use their property as a casa be stripped of their business permits.
As of their last check with the office of Councilor Gerardo Carillo, who chairs the committee on social services, Saniel said they learned that the draft measure is still scheduled for final deliberation.
New places, trends
The CLB also reported that the city's red light areas now include the vicinity of Robinson's Place, Harrison Park, Fuente Osmeña, Baseline Restaurant and Gen. Maxilom Ave.
This is aside from those who are in the port area, Plaza Independencia, along M.J. Cuenco Ave., in Barangay Kamagayan and the adjacent streets of Sanciangco, Leon Kilat, Pelaez, Colon and P. del Rosario, as well as the South Bus Terminal area.
Albo said most of the women engaged in prostitution have moved to the uptown area after finding that downtown CebuCity was already very congested around 1999.
Aside from transferring for economic reasons and the increase in male and gay prostitutes, new trends have surfaced in the trade over the years.
Albo said some women-called "taxi girls"-now engage in commercial sex inside taxi units parked in some parts of the city.
There are also mall girls or those who pick up customers in malls. Most of these girls work in bars at night and take time to earn extra during the day if they find customers at the malls.
More and more trafficked women and children are also now working as freelance commercial sex workers in the streets.
And while stakeholders have yet to see the full implementation of RA 9208 nationwide, they are now faced with another challenge-cybersex.
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman lamented during a trafficking conference last week that cybersex is not yet covered by any legislation.
Saniel confirmed that RA 9208 prohibits acts that promote trafficking of girls and women but "advertising" through the Internet is not specifically mentioned thus, it is still a gray area.
After police raided last year the Mandaue City studio of American Daniel Machanik, who was accused of running an Internet dating service where women allegedly undressed while chatting online, no other raids followed.
Saniel said she would not be surprised if pictures of women and minors from CebuCity are on the Internet now.