Sex Trafficking in Southeast Asia

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Sex Trafficking in Southeast Asia

• Melissa Bourdon
• William Brenneman
• Lew Frett
• Allison Hood
• Christina Lee

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The Philippines

• Statistics
• Northern Philippines
• Manila
• Angeles
• Numbers 300,000-400,000 women. 60,000-100,000
  children.

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Causes

• Economic crisis in the Philippines and Southeast
  Asia
• Limited domestic opportunities for working women
  outside of sex tourism
• Women are lured by promise of jobs, higher wages
  and readily attainable visas

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vxHVR7u698nE
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Contributors

• The Philippine governments reliance on
  exportation to provide much needed income
• Failure by the international community to
  properly punish or regulate crimes which lead to
  all forms of human trafficking

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RENEW

• RENEW Recovery, Empowerment, Networking and
  Employment for Women
• Networks with Christian groups, coalitions,
  women's networks and the United Nations to combat
  sex tourism and all forms of abuse against women.
  

http//www.renew-foundation.org
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Success

• The 2003 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act
  criminalizes human trafficking, with penalties up
  to life in prison.
• The law allows private prosecutors, including
  NGOs, to file lawsuits against traffickers.

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What You Can Do

• The Blind Project
• Works towards alliances with indigenous
  organizations in South East Asia to protect those
  most vulnerable to trafficking.

http//www.theblindproject.com/
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Thailand

• An estimated 250,000 people are bought and sold
  annually in Thailand
• There are between 800,000-2 million women and
  girl prostitutes, some without a choice to leave
• Women and children are sent to Europe and 8 other
  countries across the world
• Including the United States
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vMKPimVq3xDs

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Reasons

• The Northern, rural section of Thailand did not
  benefit from the economic boom
• Tighter government control of rice prices
• People in the North live in poverty and look for
  a way to make money

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How it works

• Recruiters go into villages to find girls
• A contract is signed, usually between
  200-2000/girl
• Girls are taken to Bangkok

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Reasons for Being on Global Human Rights Agenda

• Sex trafficking is thriving, not dwindling
• Modest decline in trafficking local women within
  Thailand, outsourcing still rampant
• Destination for sex trafficking from 6 countries
• Including China and Russia

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Actors Involved

• Thai government?
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vL7eIfBFLDtcfeature
  related
• International ??? community
• NGOs ??????

• Unwilling to take effective measures to stop
  and prevent trafficking
• Lack of sufficient intervention and/or
  discipline to halt trafficking
• Orchestrate exit strategies and provide
  shelter for victims

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Solutions and Evaluations

• NGOs
• International Organization for Migration
• Returned 343 people in 2006
• 245 Laotians, 85 Cambodians, 13 Burmese
• Center for the Protection of Childrens Rights
• End Prostitution in Asian Tourism
• Trafficking in Persons Report (U.S. State Dept.)
• 2007 Thailand failed to meet Trafficking Victims
  Protection Act and labeled Tier 2

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Cambodia

• Cambodia is a source, transit, and destination
  country for human sex trafficking.
• Tourism is one of the countrys biggest
  industries.
• Prostitution is illegal in the country.
• The Cambodian sex industry accounts for about 10
  of GDP.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vkHcOdQ4MXtc
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Victims

• Cambodian women and children are trafficked for
  sexual exploitation in Thailand, Malaysia, Macao,
  and Taiwan.
• Women sexual exploitation, forced labor in
  factories or as domestic servants.
• Children sexual exploitation, forced labor in
  organized begging rings, soliciting, street
  vending, and flower selling.

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2006 U.S. Dept. of State Human Rights Report

• 2,000 victims in Cambodia have been trafficked
  into sexual exploitation
• 80 of them were Vietnamese women and girls

• People who sell girls into prostitution
• Traffickers (45)
• Parents (40)
• Fiancee (10)
• Friends (5)

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Protect Act

• Signed into law by President Bush in 2003
• Allows law enforcement officers to use existing
  legal tools for the full range of serious sexual
  crimes against children
• "Trafficking Victims Protection Act"
• 50 million to support the global fight against
  human trafficking

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Why is Sex Trafficking Succeeding?

• After effects of the Khmer Rogue regime still
  felt
• Cambodia is a rigid patriarchal society
• Government Corruption
• Tourism

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Prevention by Cambodia

• Creation of Campaign Against Pedophilia
• 35 of workers are under the age of eighteen
• Raising of HIV/AIDS awareness
• 30 of workers are infected.
• Awareness Raising Campaign for students

http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/403909740
39097
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Response Papers For Today
What do you have to add to our topic that relates
to the readings?

• Lindsey Marvin
• Olivia Rudnik
• Kate Plis

• Melissa Campagnoli
• Nicole Zapata
• Sarah Warren
• Juliette Lynch

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Any Questions?