According to Sol F. Juvida inPhilippines - 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 inAsia 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 andSamaritana 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 July 26, 2013 ).
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 (Santa Barbara , Calif July 19, 2013 ).
5 YouTube, Prostitution in the Philippines: Finding a Way Out, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqE7g-sOAb4 (accessed July 26, 2013 ).
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