by Zhelle Capindo
According to Sol F.
Juvida in Philippines - Children: Scourge of Child Prostitution, “The
Philippines ranks 4th among nine nations with the most number of children in
prostitution (60,000 to 100,000 as of 1997), with Metro Manila, Angeles City,
Puerto Galera in Mindoro Province, Davao and Cebu as the top five areas for
child prostitution and sex tourism.”
Isn’t it sad to see
that a country like ours which is known as the only Christian country in Asia is also among those who top the list of countries
where prostitution is prevalent? Ironic it seems, right? Not only that. A
report from Coalition Against Trafficking of Women Asia-Pacific states
that “there are around 400,000 to 500,000 prostituted persons in the country
that include women, some male, transvestites and children.”2 In a video clip entitled Prostitution in the Philippines: Finding a Way Out,
the reporter said that: “There are over 5,000 prostitutes in Quezon City alone.”3
Why is prostitution rampant in our country despite the fact
that it is illegal? Are those people peddling flesh in the streets, taxis, bars,
hotels, and even parks merely forced into the flesh trade or they are there on
their own decision? But why when they surely are aware of its consequences?
Causes of Prostitution
Studies show different causes why people are into
prostitution. In R. Barri Flowers’ Prostitution in the Digital Age: Selling
Sex From the Suite to the Street,
he mentioned several theories of the causes of prostitution such as biological,
psychological, sociological, economic, and the ones which we commonly think of
as what drives people into prostitution are what he calls “correlates” of
prostitution like sexual abuse, substance abuse, sexual orientation/gender
identity, survival sex, sexual slavery, and sexual adventure and promiscuity.
Needless to say, poverty (plus perhaps the desire to earn
money in a fast and easy way) is one of the prime reasons why prostitution is
widespread in our country. For countless times, I have seen and heard reports about
women from provinces being recruited to work in big cities like Manila as
household helpers but when they reached the city they are prostituted,
often times without the knowledge of their parents or families. Some would try
to escape but sadly, others will soon give in and continue in the flesh trade
in their own volition (but still under the supervision or control of their
pimps) as it allows them to earn much which they usually send back home to
support the needs of their families, or to help send siblings to school, or
for the medications of ailing parents, but there are cases also that those
individuals being prostituted are not well compensated.
Solutions to
Prostitution
Some of the solutions to prostitution as suggested by the
Philippine Commission on Women are the following: (1) redefine prostitution,
(2) target the demand side; criminalize
those who exploit people in prostitution, (3) decriminalize women in prostitution;
regard them as victims not criminals, (4) define person exploited in prostitution
or a prostituted person, and (5) establish support mechanisms
for prostituted persons to get out of the system of prostitution.
We certainly are not unaware that our country has laws
against prostitution which can aid in working out those suggestions given above
but we are equally aware that because our government is not consistent and persistent
enough to implement its laws, prostitution is becoming a widespread business in
the country. It is even becoming a “tourist attraction,” sad to say. However,
we can still be thankful that in some parts of the country, government officials
are determined to help solve the problems on prostitution. In the video
clip you can see below, the reporter mentioned and I quote:
“In 2005, Quezon City passed an ordinance protecting
prostituted women from arrests. After
six years of visiting the streets, the ordinance is finally fully implemented
today. Now, police arrests the pimps and patrons instead of the prostitutes. Streetwalkers of Cubao say, “Cases of abuse have decreased significantly.”5
Aside from the government, there are several non-government organizations (NGO's), private advocates, or Christian organizations (like the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women in Asia-Pacific and Samaritana Transformation Ministries, Inc.) that help prostituted individuals to get out of the flesh trade. Nevertheless, it is not realistic to think that we can eradicate prostitution in just a short span of time since it has already rooted deep into the system of our society. Or perhaps it may not even realistic to think that it can be totally eradicated. Even Christianity or the Church knows that it is a problem with no “one size fits all” solution. It is a problem that needs special care and attention, effort, time, money, determination, faith, and grace.
The Role of the
Church
So, where can the church be in the picture now? What do we
do to help those people in the flesh trade get out of their unethical and
immoral way of living? Do we even care to reach out to them?
We have seen in Jesus’ ministry how He treated people whom
the community labelled as “sinners” such as the tax collectors, prostitutes, and
adulterers. He did not condemn them but advised them to “go and sin no more”
(John 8:11 ). He dined with
them and took time to minister to them (Matt. 9:10 -13); an act which the Pharisees considered as improper
so they were resentful seeing Jesus spending time with people whom they condemn
as “sinners.” But Jesus rebuked them and told them, "It is not those who
are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick” (Matt. 9:12).
Prostitution cannot be stopped overnight but it is surely
not a helpless, hopeless case. Jesus Himself expressed great hope in sinners
and prostitutes being saved when He said:
“Truly I say to you that the tax collectors
and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God
One small step of reaching out to them may make a great
change in their lives and ours. So, let's get involved. How? Let us ask the
Lord to open up avenues where we can minister to people in the commercial sex
industry. But the questions are: Are we willing to get out of our comfort zones
into the streets? Are we willing to welcome them in our churches? Are we
comfortable having them in our worship services? If not, then we should start
praying for ourselves first; that we will stop acting like the Pharisees and
start imitating what Jesus did - reach
out to the "sinners" with love and compassion -
which may mean going an extra mile if we are really determined to take
them out from darkness into the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Sol. F. Juvida, “Philippines - Children: Scourge of
Child Prostitution,” IPS, 12 October 1997 , in Philippine Commission on
Women: National Machinery for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, Anti-Prostitution
Bill, http://pcw.gov.ph/anti-prostitution-bill (accessed July 26, 2013 ).
2 Philippine Commission on Women: National Machinery for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, Prostitution Bill, http://pcw.gov.ph/anti-prostitution-bill (accessed
3 YouTube, Prostitution in the Philippines: Finding a Way Out, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqE7g-sOAb4
(accessed July 26, 2013 ).
4 R. Barri Flowers, Prostitution in the Digital Age: Selling Sex From the Suite to the Street (
5 YouTube, Prostitution in the Philippines: Finding a Way Out, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqE7g-sOAb4 (accessed
