Posted on Thursday, October 3, 2002

Dreams, deception lure sex workers

By Inday Espina-Varona, Maricel Cruz, Jena Balaoro and Ma. Ester Espina

Second of 4 parts

(Part 1 explored the haunts of young sex workers in Manila. But the commercial sexual exploitation of children is not confined to the metropolis alone, as this installment shows.)

He barged into the national spotlight with his audacious notion of inviting senators to join his sex cult. But news reports on Leonardo Erobas gave short shrift to the 20 children in the 17 sexually graphic photos mailed around the country.

Small, chic Bacolod, famous for its aristocratic snob appeal and gracious lifestyle, hides a sordid underbelly — gangs of children, most of them hooked on drugs, roam around the city selling their flesh.

Erobas, who is still at large, admits he paid his models, some as young as 12 years old, P80 each to be photographed while having sex with him and each other. The freelance photographer’s Manda­lagan district shanty serves as his studio; at least two photos of pre-pubescent boys were taken on the cogon fields of Bacolod’s reclamation area, center of a bustling food and recreation trade.

Only four children have been taken into the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) centers. Police filed last Friday two seduction char­ges on behalf of 15-year-old victims. Social workers are still searching for three teenage girls, former wards of the government, to file charges for violation of Republic Act 7610 against Erobas.

Erobas, police say, promised the children future wealth as princes and princesses of his sex cult. He told the kids rich patrons would flock to partake of their sexual feasts. He would house them, feed them, clothe them, and provide for all their needs and whims. They only had to share their bodies.

Coerced

It is not the first time Negros Occidental, the lush Sugarlandia Bacolod belongs to, has been dragged into child prostitution.

Last August, American Vietnam War veteran Victor Pearson was sentenced on two counts of rape, involving the first of eight girl victims and 87 rape charges.

The 15-year-old victim, like her colleagues, was Pearson’s household help. They lived and worked in a sprawling Ilog town compound that was a cross between a boot camp and a harem. When cops raided his home, they found 60 VHS tapes of live sex scenes.

One by one, Pearson raped his victims, introduced them to orgies — inviting his powerful local pals, including leading lights of the bureaucracy. Other older women in his household, also victims of the American, could only hold the girls as they cried.

In media interviews, and in his legal defense, Pearson claimed the girls willingly shared their bodies. As a defense witness, one of his “live-in lovers” claimed, “He loved all his house helpers and provided their needs.”

Private prosecutor Rowena Guanzon notes the law protects minors because they lack maturity and are often financially or emotionally dependent on their molesters. In the case of Pearson, one of his victims had a mental age of less than 12 years old — opening up the possibility of a capital sentence.

Guanzon, who specializes in cases of child abuse, says many prostituted children are deceived, enticed or forced into the business. Almost always, adults push these children into the sex trade.

 “A lot of them are deceived by people who recruit them in the guise of legitimate employment like household work, factory work (and the like). Because they are children … they really have no in­formed consent to be prostituted.”

Children are defined as those below 18 either in biological age, mental or psychological capacity. This definition is stipulated in Republic Act 7610 or “Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act” in the Philippines, which was approved on June 17, 1992, as well the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Crushed dreams

Michelle, 15, ended up as a commercial sex worker after she was promised by her gay neighbor a profitable job. The girl had been forced to drop out of high school due to her family’s financial problems. Her father had three wives; her mother was too busy caring for three other siblings.

Michelle, interviewed with the help of police officers and social workers monitoring her reha­bilitation, says she didn’t have a complete idea of her prospective job.

“Basta iniisip ko na kikita ako at kung marangal naman,” she recalls. (I just wanted to earn money in an honorable job.) Her friend, Rhona, brought Michelle to an Avenida nightclub. The girl wore a body-hugging tank top, mini-skirt and heavy make-up. She was immediately hired.

During her first day, the manager required her to just “entertain” customers for “table talk,” or just be one of those girls to sit in a so-called “aquarium.” She found the job boring. “Nakaupo ka lang dun. Suwerte mo kung madalas kang mapili ng customer,” she notes. (You just sat there and were lucky if a customer chose you.)

Michelle got a P50 daily allowance. Tips varied; on a good day, she could earn P500, plus P20 commission per drink ordered. Soon, Michelle was drinking five shots of tequila nightly.

Two days after joining the club (which is still open, despite the raid that netted Michelle and several minor colleagues), the manager asked if she could dance sexy. The girl did not give it a second thought. “Alam ko mas exciting yun kaya hindi na ko nagdalawang isip. Alam ko rin na pag sayaw mas mataas ang kikitain ko.” (It sounded more exciting and I knew I could earn more.)

At first Michelle would just don skimpy apparel. After two nights, she was down to a bikini. One more night and she was taking everything off.

The work took its toll. “Hindi ko naman kakayanin na sumayaw ng hindi ako nakainom. Syempre mahihiya ka pag ganun,” she explains. (Without alcohol, I would be too ashamed.)

After a few weeks, she was offering sex for a fee. Her greatest fear was infection with STDs and the HIV/AIDS virus though she frequently required partners to wear condoms.

The child who once dreamt of being a nurse has a hard time believing in her dreams but says she plans to go back to school to learn some skills.

‘Abhorrent crime’

“Commercial Sexual Exploita­tion of Children (CSEC) in the Philippines: A Situation Analysis,” prepared by the DSWD and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) describes the problem as “one of the most abhorrent manifestation of human depravity — because innocent and defenseless children are victims.”

Historically, prostitution is one of world’s oldest, the result of the interplay of political, economic and socio-cultural systems and processes.

According to the study, the existence of CSEC during the pre-Hispanic period is difficult to establish because its practice was not explicitly mentioned in most literature. Nonetheless, it may be construed that the practice of slavery, which dominated the social system during the period, could have provided the environment for exploitation of women and children.

“The relationship between the master and the slave was anchored on power. The slaves were at the disposal of their master and were expected to satisfy the needs and desires of the latter, which could have included sex. However, sexual relationship at that time did not have a commercial value because it was done out of duty or obligation to the master.”

Under colonial rule covering several years, Filipinos were generally denied of their right to decide for the future. The Filipinos had to depend on their colonial masters for their economic survival. Patron-client relation­ships developed which allowed the powerful (patron) to exercise control over the powerless (client), to the point that the latter had to sacrifice some principles, out of debt of gratitude, in exchange for some benefits or privileges.

Until today, there are cases of parents who peddled their own children for sex for pecuniary advantage. As Guanzon notes, Negros’ hacienda system, feudal to the core, provided a perfect atmosphere for exploitation of women and minors.

In the Philippines, prostitution started to flourish during the 1960s when the US Naval bases arrived in the country.

Conflicting figures

War in the countryside during the Marcos regime led to mass dislocation and migration to urban centers.

CSEC thrived during the 1970s and 1980s. In Manila, Ermita and Mabini became popular tourist destinations, abounding with prostitutes in nightclubs and bars that serviced foreigners and locals.

But even with the absence of the bases and years of downtrend in tourism, CSEC still exists — malls, theaters, public parks abound with young prostitutes.

DSWD records and data from End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), show an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 children are involved in the sex industry.

The DSWD claims the number of prostituted children increases by 3,266 annually. The Philippines is the fourth country with the most number of prostituted children.

In 1986, ECPAT reported that the number of prostituted children was estimated at 20,000. It revised the estimate to 40,000 in 1992 and 60,000 in 1993. Today, ECPAT says the figure is more than 75,000 children — and 300,000 women.

The DSWD has a much lower official figures — only 660 from 1999 to 2001. Of that number, 659 were girls and only one was a boy.

Majority of prostitutes are young, aged 15-20 years old and have few job skills. Many of them were victims of incest and child abuse.

There is no accurate data on the magnitude of the CSEC in the country because most victims are afraid to come forward — for lack of an alternative.

Boys: Ignored, neglected

However, according to 143 social hygiene clinics nationwide, there are 43,477 registered commercial sex workers. These records show that all sex workers are women and girls.

That is a statistical impossibility and in the few nights The Manila Times roamed the streets of Manila, Quezon City and Makati, many of the prostitutes were male.

Although, there is no gender disparity between the causes of the sexual exploitations of boys and girls, Maria Elena Caraballo, director of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), notes that sexual exploitation of boys is often sidelined at the high-profile international conferences, where the focus is on girls.

But, says Caraballo, “Boys and girls are equally vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. As such, there is a need to ensure that there is no gender bias in policies and initiatives for the protection of girls and boys from commercial sexual abuse.”

Experts note that the overwhel­ming numbers of streetchildren are boys. They are often forced to beg and peddle drugs or act as pimps for girls. Widespread cases of sexual abuse and violence by their peers and exploiters have been recorded.

Male streetchildren, like girls, belong to poor families, seek work to support their families. The boys are often illiterate.

However, young males make most of their money by soliciting drugs on the streets, followed by prostitution. They are introduced to homosexual communities, which encourage them to depend on goods and presents in return for sexual services.

Most of the huge number of reports presented at world conferences detail research on girls, and refer to boys under the general category of children.

“The government is also looking into the cases of young boys that are engaged in prostitution but most of the victims are girls and that is why we are more focus in addressing the cases of girl-child,” Caraballo admits.

CSEC is often linked to a country’s socio-economic situation.

Caraballo explains that rescued child prostitutes are often runaways. They cite poverty, broken family, sibling rivalry, authoritarian child rearing practices, or plain stubbornness as the major roots of their troubles.

Fending for themselves with little alternative support systems in place forces children to live on the streets. Here, they come into contact with pimps, prostitutes or sex syndicates who drag them into prostitution.

A substantial number of children say their parents are aware of their activities. Fast cash may be one of the reasons why parents keep mum about their child’s work, says Caraballo.

Based on the DSWD-UNICEF study, Filipino CSEC victims were initiated into the sex trade between the ages of 10 to 18 years (average is 15.7 years). They work an average of 10 to 12 hours per day and more than 5.6 days a week, with income ranging from P390.35 to P1,027.73 per day.

They got into the sex trade through the influence of peers, their own decision, they were lured or deceived, and were forced into the sex trade.

Caraballo notes the formidable “political” challenges that face sectors trying to stem CSEC, despite existing laws.

While the legislative foundation for upholding child protection rights is well in place, there is a great gap between enactment on children’s rights and the children’s enjoyment of these rights, she adds.

(To be continued)

First Part | Third Part