PHILSTAR EDITORIAL: HUMAN TRAFFICKERS
MANILA, February 28, 2005 (STAR) There’s no going around it: Japan is limiting the entry of all foreign entertainers, and that includes our very own japayukis. No matter how hard Philippine officials try to give the impression that Tokyo is softening its stance, it simply isn’t happening. Last Friday Japan’s Cabinet approved a bill cracking down on those who bring foreign women into that country for employment as sex workers.The only concession Philippine officials could get from Tokyo was that Filipinos currently employed as legitimate entertainers in Japan would not find their contracts cancelled or drastically shortened once the crackdown is in full force. There was also an assurance that Tokyo would continue hiring legitimate foreign entertainers, but obviously there will be a bias against young women whose principal skills are dancing and karaoke singing.
Human trafficking is a global problem, and the Philippines is a major source of women who end up in the international flesh trade. While some women voluntarily sell themselves for sex, most are victims who find themselves forced into the flesh trade after being promised other jobs and paying hefty placement fees. Many of these women are often too embarrassed to return home and admit that they have been forced to become sex workers overseas.
Tokyo wants to clamp down on Japanese crime rings, or yakuza, that bring women into that country from Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America for prostitution and forced labor. Manila should welcome this move and focus on the opening of the Japanese market for foreign nurses and caregivers. There is a boom in nursing and caregiver courses in the Philippines. Prospective japayukis who do not want to become health workers can be assisted by the government in acquiring other skills that will make them less vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
Human trafficking is a problem that has worsened in the past years due to globalization. The Philippines, whose women are among those exploited for sex in many countries around the world, should do its part in stopping human trafficking. Instead of complaining about lost jobs and remittances from japayukis, Manila should commend Tokyo for cracking down on human trafficking, and even cooperate with the Japanese government to make the campaign a success.
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2005
by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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