International Day of No Prostitution

Last October 5, 2007 was International Day of No Prostitution. Another multi-sectoral forum was conducted. This time, it was on Prostitution and State Responsibility, entitled: “Babae, Bata, Binebenta, Binibili… Pamahalaan May Pananagutan.”

This commemoration is already on its third year, intended to remind all of us, of the plight, not of the prostitutes, but of the prostituted women and children.

A professor of economics, speaker Prof. Rosena Sanchez of the Mindanao Working Group, Ateneo de Davao University, talked about the Economics of Prostitution, that is, its demand and supply. It was said that the four components that make up demand are: (1) the consumers – men, (2) the exploiters – traffickers, pimps and brothel operators, (3) the State, with its laws and policies, and (4) Culture. The supply? The women and children. Yes, they are now reduced to such mere commodities. To quote Prof. Sanchez: “Prostitution has become the source and foundation of patriarchal subordination of women.”

The concept is not something new to us. Actually, everybody knows that it is a form of human rights violation; that the victims experience shame, isolation, prosecution, persecution, harassment, sexually transmitted infections and diseases; that it leads to miscarriage and abortion, drugs and alcoholism, physical abuse and psychological trauma. What most of us do not know, however, is that prostitution is not work. In fact, Prof. Sanchez stressed that it must not be denoted as such. Otherwise, we would be legitimizing prostitution and we would be allowing it to further devaluate into a mere commercial transaction, which is what has already been happening.

One last thing to note. Being in the government, I think we all ought to be aware that we are being challenged. They say we are indifferent; that we lack the political will, funds, facilities and manpower; that we are weak in enforcing the laws; that our program interventions are inadequate and there is no effective system for monitoring and evaluation; and that there is no sufficient coordination between and among agencies. Simply put, they charge us, or maybe have even convicted us, of neglect. How do we plead?