A Case Study Of The Problem Of Child Trafficking In The Philippines

“Human trafficking is so hidden, you don’t know who you’re fighting- the victims are so scared, they’re not going to tell you what’s happening to them.” (Kralis) The fact that child trafficking is so hidden we will never know the exact number of children affected by this. “In 2002 the International Labour Organization estimated that some 1.2 million children were being trafficked worldwide every year...serving as domestic slaves, field or factory workers, prostitutes, unwritten organ donors or-- in the case of 250,000 boys and girls--child soldiers.” (Conradi 1209) If in 2002, 1.2 million children were being trafficked, imagine the amount of children being trafficked now. Child trafficking is a major problem in the world, devastating those
Many times females and males from other countries often result in becoming a mail order bride to provide a better future for themselves. “Control, abuse, and exploitation are industry standards in the mail order bride business, and are clearly demonstrated through the case studies of two Filipino mail order brides. Emelita Reeves was a Filipina woman from the town of Cebu who connected with her husband, Jack Reeves, through an IMB called Cherry Blossoms. She left her home in the Philippines when she was just 18 years old to marry Reeves, a retired U.S. Army Officer thirty years her senior. She became pregnant after marrying him, but Reeves was convinced the child was not his. The day before she was going to leave him, she mysteriously went missing and her body was later found near Lake Whitney. Emelita was his fourth wife, and his previous two wives; also mail order brides, both died allegedly from accidental and suicidal causes, respectively. Reeves was later convicted for the murder of Emelita and his third wife. Despite the horrifying risks of physical and sexual abuse that mail order brides face, the hope for a better life in America still encourages families to participate.“Male” brides are not often discussed and are not considered a commercial commodity like Filipina brides, but they deal with
Laws are a tremendous thing when it comes to establishing consequences for the traffickers and establishing rights for the victims. A few different organizations and governments have set up different documents with multiple articles helping state the rights of the children. Article thirty-four and thirty-five of the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child state “(34) State Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. For these purposes, State Parties shall in particular take all appropriate national, bilateral, and multilateral measures to prevent; (1) The inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activities; (2) The exploitive use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices; (3) The exploitive use of children in pornographic performances and materials. (35) State Parties shall take up all appropriate national, bilateral, and multilateral measures to prevent the abduction of, the sale of or the traffic in children for any purpose or in any form.” (Pink 169) Although laws are not going to completely abolish child trafficking it will provide consequences to those who are involved in this