Children hurt by Boracay tourism: study

(photo of Kathie Villalon/sunstar-Iloilo)

BORACAY ISLAND -- A non-government organization, which aims to generate public awareness on the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) phenomena, shared recently the results of a study it conducted on the effects of tourism on children in this world-renowned island. End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (Ecpat), also known as ECPAT International, is a part of a global network of agencies and individuals, working to end child sexual abuse and exploitations.

Dolores Alforte, executive director of Ecpat-Philippines, said the study stemmed from the airing of GMA TV-7's I-Witness documentary in 2003 yet. The documentary, titled "Ligaw sa Paraiso," featured four girls, aged 17 and below, who claimed to be engaged in the sex trade in Boracay.

Help call Ecpat-Philippines Advocacy Officer Josefina Alforque said with the help of GMA 7 reporter Maki Pulido, who conducted the said documentary, two girls sought the assistance of Ecpat on March 28, 2003.

"One of them was part of the I-Witness documentary. They claimed that they were first sold for P1,000 each by a pimp to a foreigner staying in Boracay. Allegedly, the foreigner even took a video of them while having sex.

Their first encounter led them to prostituting themselves," said Alforque. "But they escaped Boracay because of the negative impact brought about by the airing of the documentary," she added. A subsequent study on the extent of CSEC in Boracay in 2004 identified 11 young women and three boys, most of whom were actively involved in the sex trade. Of the 11, five were minors, aged between 14 and 17, at the time of the interview. All 14 of them claimed they were sold by a pimp to a foreign client.

All said their first sexual abuses happened when they were 11-15 years old. Nine of those interviewed came from Aklan, Capiz and Iloilo; four from the three barangays of Boracay (Manoc-Manoc, Balabag and Yapak); one from Mindanao; and another one from Albay. Three of them claimed they were victims of domestic trafficking.

Child exploitation Lawyer Anjannette Saguisag of Ecpat-Philippines said some people use tourism as a means to get access to child exploitation. Boracay is no exception as it caters to some 200,000 tourists every year. Koreans constitute the largest number of these tourists. They are also among the most frequently mentioned sex tourist clients by the girls interviewed. Other foreign sex tourists come from Japan, France, Germany, England, China and the United States.

The study, however, showed that there were also Filipino sex clients and even foreign gay tourists who seek young boys as sexual partners. The term "lady boys" was coined here to refer to prostituted males and boys, dressing up and acting like girls. The study showed they were more prone to violence and discrimination.

The CSEC victims interviewed claimed that payment for their sexual services vary depending on the time the client wants to spend with them.

On the average, they get P1,500 to as much as P5,000 from 30 minutes to a whole night of service. On the whole, those identified in the study claimed they have, at least, one to two customers per night. Peak season in Boracay also spells more customers for the minors.

"According to them (minors), they would work as many as seven days a week when the situation calls for it. The money they get from their clients was usually sent to their families who, they claimed, are not aware of what they are doing," Alforque said.

She added that most of the girls interviewed expressed that although they do not like what they do, "they are forced to do it because they have no other opportunities for work that provides them with a fair pay." Advocacy campaigns With the unearthing of CSEC in Boracay and the recorded new victims in December 2006, Alforque said intensified advocacy campaigns were conducted.

A special committee for the protection of children to which Ecpat is a member conducted a community dialogue with different stakeholders here recently.

During the dialogue, the need to conduct a situational analysis and training among stakeholders to fully understand the situation related to CSEC was recommended.

The findings of the situational analysis were shared recently at Patio Pacific here. It was attended by representatives from the departments of Social Welfare and Development 6 (DSWD), departments of Tourism (DOT) and Education (DepEd), Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Malay, Boracay Special Tourist Police, Kiwanis Club of Boracay and Iloilo, Boracay Foundation Inc., barangay officials and Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines (PYAP).

Participants were urged to converge efforts and services to combat the proliferation of child sexual abuse and exploitation here.

Among others, strict imposition of municipal ordinances on curfew on minors after 10 p.m., restricting minors to enter amusement centers, and banning the use and sale of intoxicating liquors and cigarettes to minors were re-iterated.

Malay Social Welfare Officer Magdalena Prado said the MSWDO has laid down its preventive and rehabilitative measures against CSEC. These include massive information drive among minors on the curfew ordinance, self-awareness, team building and counseling. Government measures For its part, DSWD continues to advocate for the strict implementation of the Anti-Trafficking of Women and Children Act (R.A. 9208) and the Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act (R.A. 9262) to local government units.

"We urge policemen and barangay officials to be more vigilant. They, along with concerned citizens, could check on suspicious-looking foreigners especially those who are accompanying very young Filipina girls in checking-in in hotels and going to establishments," said Acting Regional Director Teresita S. Rosales of DSWD FO6 who attended the Ecpat forum.

Asking for the legalities of a possible paternal relationship of a minor-Filipina and adult-foreigner is one of the most basic and effective ways to prevent a potential child sexual abuse case, Rosales stressed. (ALJornadal/with a report from DSWD)