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'500KFilipinosengageinprostitution'
ByArtemioDumlao(philstar.com)|UpdatedFebruary11,20136:23pm

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BAGUIOCITY,PhilippinesSexworkersinthecountryarereachingthehalfamillionmark,anongovernmentorganizationsaid.
"Tex",aBaguiobasedrightsadvocateandamemberofthePhilippineSexWorkersCollective,saidthatasthenumberofsexworkersgrowssodoesthenumber
ofcasesofabuseandviolenceagainstthem.
"Thereasonwhysomuchabusehappensisthattheyarenotrecognizedbylawandthegovernment...,"Texsaid.
AnNGOcalled"WomenHookersOrganizingForTheirRightsandEmpowerment(WHORE)istreadingthethornypathtowardgovernmentrecognitionofthis
historyoldjobcalledprostitution.Theprojectwouldstartwithaphotographycontestinthecitythataccordingto"Tex"willlendahumanfaceto"hookers"or
"whores",whoalsohavehumanrightsandneedgovernmentprotection.
Texsaid"aslongaspovertyisthere,youexpectmorepeopletoengageinprostitution."
Hesaidthereareabout500,000sexworkersinthecountry,3,000ofwhomareinBaguioCity,oneofthecountry'stoptouristdraws.
88%

57%

Amongothers,Filipinosexworkersfacehealthissues,madeworsebyfearofbeingdeniedaccessto
healthservices.
WHORE,whichhasbegan"talking"toandorganizingsexworkersinBaguio,Texsaid,hastakennote
ofvariousanecdotes,illustratingthestigmathatsexworkersfaceastheyhaveyettosecure
recognitionfromthegovernment.

46%

68%
7,367

3,490

"Inthemostextreme(cases),wehearofsexworkerscomplainingofrapetoauthorities,butrarelyget
seriousresultsonthegroundthattheyarenotbelievedtohavebeenrapedbecausetheyare
prostitutes.Asifsexworkershavenorights,"Texsaid.
InBaguio,morethan300sexworkers,mostlystreethookersincludingmales,are"talking"with
WHORE.

Whenfinallygivenlegalrecognition,theadvocacygroup,amemberoftheAsiaPacificSexWorkers
UnionandtheSexWorkersASEAN(AssociationofSoutheastAsianNations)group,saidsexworkers
"canbecomemembersofunionsfightingfortheirrightsandwelfare."
InThailand,sexworkersarerecognizedbythegovernmentandareabletoraisetheirconcernstothegovernment.
ButwearenotgoingfordecriminalizingsexworkerswhilecriminalizingclientsliketheSwedishmodel,Texsaid.Itdidntevenworkthere.
WHOREsadvocacyisfacingdauntingchallenges,however.
Forone,theCatholicchurchhereheadedbyCatholicVicarCarlitoCenzonoftheBaguioVicariateisopposingthelegalizationofsexworkers.
Noway,Cenzonsaid.
EventhesupposedlyliberalwomensgroupGabrielaisagainstlegalizingprostitution.
"Legalizing[prostitution]isnotanoption,butinstead[thegovernmentmust]removethem(prostitutes)frompoverty,saidCordillerawomenIgorotleaderMila
Singson,regionalcoordinatoroftheGabrielaWomenspartylist.
AlthoughSingsonsaidhergrouphasrescuedanumberofwomenwhobecamesexslaves,shebelievesthat"womeninvolvedinprostitutionshouldbe
criminalized."
TheUNreportSexWorkandtheLawinAsiaandthePacificsaidthatlegalrecognitionofsexworkasanoccupationenablessexworkerstoclaimbenefits,to
formorjoinunionsandtoaccessworkrelatedbanking,insurance,transportandpensionschemes."
"Indecriminalizedcontext,itsays,thesexindustrycanbesubjecttothesamegenerallawsregardingworkplacehealthandsafetyandantidiscrimination
protectionsasotherindustries."
Decriminalization,accordingtotheUNinvolvestherepealoflawscriminalizingsexwork,beingclientstosexworkersorengaging

inactivitiesassociatedwithsexwork.
Itshouldalsorepeallawsthatrequiremandatorytestingortreatmentforhumanimmunodeficiencyvirus(HIV)orotherSTIs,

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'500KFilipinosengageinprostitution'|Nation,News,ThePhilippineStar|philstar.com

aswellaslawsthatallowdetentionofsexworkersforrehabilitationorcorrection.
UNisrecognizingthatFilipinosexworkersremainhighlyvulnerabletoSTIsincludingHIVaswellassexualandphysicalabuseduetostigmaalthoughthecountry
hasintroducedlawsaimedatpreventingHIVandprotectingtherightsofinfectedpatients.
ButtheUNsaid,theselawsoffer'limitedprotections'tosexworkersamidthecontinuedenforcementofcriminallawsagainstsexworkersanddifficultiesin
accessingthejusticesystemtoenforcetheserights."
SexworkaswellasbusinessesengagedinsexareillegalunderPhilippinelaws,withpenaltiesupto30daysimprisonmentforfirstoffenseanduptosixmonths
imprisonmentforsubsequentoffenses.

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