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| Issue 01/07 September 2007 |
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SPOTLIGHT ON:
Trafficking in South East Asia
Few phenomena compound the brutality of violence as the trafficking of women and children, usually deceived, beaten or intimidated into submission into the commercial sex trade. In Southeast Asia alone, it’s estimated that at least 220 000 to 225 000 women and children are trafficked in and out of the region every year to fuel the sex tourism industry.
In South East Asia, the relatively weak economies and destabilized regions feed a healthy supply of young, innocent girls into the sex trade. These girls are easy targets for traffickers as they live in economic hardship, with little education and few alternatives. Often, corruption among law officials and the government also plays a key role in the success of the trafficking network.
The trafficking networks in South East Asia are primarily of Asian origin, though there are growing links with organized networks in countries of Eastern Europe and South America. Although trafficking does take place internally, most of these networks operate transnationally, either by living in or establishing local partnerships in source countries. The networks are often closely linked to other sectors of the national or international crime industry, such as loan sharking, gambling, drug and arms trafficking and corporate extortion.
The supply countries include Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The destination countries include Cambodia, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. To get a better idea of the migration routes, refer to the diagram below.
 Every year, hundreds of thousands of young lives are destroyed by the violence and degradation of working in the sex trade. These women do not choose to be sex workers, but are sold or tricked into sexual servitude. Apart from long term impact to their reproductive health, STDs, and unwanted pregnancies, many of these girls also suffer the psychological damage of sexual activity that is not understood or that causes shame and guilt. They are also shunned by society and find it difficult to re-integrate back in the community once the sex trade has exploited their youth and market value.
In the words of Nu, “I feel ashamed about being in prostitution, but I can't change my past. It is very difficult to get off night life, when you have been in it for so long. Society does not accept us. Only women in prostitution won’t look down on me, and can understand me.”
Reference: “Trafficking in Persons: a Gender and Rights Perspective
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM-East and Southeast Asia Regional Office,
Bangkok) and the United Nations Inter-agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Mekong Sub-region
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EVENT REPORT:
Men as Partners to End Violence Against Women
On September 3rd and 4th 2007, a Regional Conference on ‘Men as Partners to End Violence Against Women’ was held at the United Nations Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The National Committee for UNIFEM, Singapore was one of the organizers for this conference that had about 120 participants from government and civil society from 10 countries in East and Southeast Asia – Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam and Australia.
  The conference touched on the important role men play in ending Violence Against Women (VAW), and provided a forum for our male partners and advocates to share ways in which they have contributed to end violence against women – both at a personal level and in their institutional roles. Key male representatives from the public office and civil society presented success stories on laws and programs that have helped to reduce VAW in their respective regions. One common obstacle, particularly in traditional developing countries, was the difficulty in reshaping cultures and social attitudes that have long accepted VAW as a function of patriarchal norms - a way to show ‘manhood’. Having a history of violence during his childhood, or living in a family with violence can also influence a man to be perpetrator of violence.
The conference succeeded in bringing together men working in their own capacities to address the problems that VAW brings to the community. The conference also established that the two main solutions to the problem are 1) The institution of laws to protect victims and penalize men who commit violence and 2) The need to provide education, counseling and training to boys and men, in order to instill the right attitudes and behavior toward women. Because at the end of the day, it is clear that VAW is not just a women’s issue, but a humanitarian concern that shatters the very fabric of society.
The Regional Conference was organized by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Royal Thai Government, in collaboration with UNIFEM East and Southeast Asia Regional Office Bangkok, UNIFEM National Committee Australia and UNIFEM National Committee Singapore.
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EVENT REPORT:
Screen Shots at the Asian Civilisations Museum
Saturday, August 18th: UNIFEM Singapore partnered up with the Asian Civilisations Museum to deliver the program ‘Traffic and Travails: Women and Children for Sale’. Despite the rain, over 30 people gathered to watch two documentaries and participate in the dialogue session that followed. The topics touched on the trafficking of women and children in South East Asia, as well as the plight of migrant workers internationally as well as in Singapore.
Bridget Lew, President of H.O.M.E. which runs a shelter for migrant workers says that on average, she gets one to two runaways daily, including maids who have been abused or ill treated by their Singaporean employers. She also recounted a recent incident whereby a Thai lady was trafficked into Singapore as a sex slave to service 20-30 foreign workers daily. Bridget says: “One of the greatest ironies of this ordeal is that the police wanted to jail the lady for over-staying. She is a victim in this situation and should not be penalized.” At this point, Singapore has yet to come up with Anti-Trafficking Laws that address victims of trafficking.
The Documentaries featured at the event were ‘Stop the sale of women and children’ about Indonesian women and children who are driven by poverty to leave their homes, and ‘Trading Women’ about the trade of women in the South East Asian Sex Industry. This industry is estimated at a value of $8 billion, and involves over 250,000 girls/women yearly.
After an intense afternoon, most participants were understandably weighed down with the gravity of the issues. Genevieve, a teacher, laments: “Now that I know about these issues, I really want to know what I can do to help? These atrocities need to be stopped.”
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ANNOUNCEMENT:
Take part in the AWARE Sexual Harassment Survey
Our friends at AWARE are conducting a study on sexual harassment in the workplace in Singapore. As part of the study, they are collecting survey responses on the topic. This survey is open to both men and women and will only take 4-5 minutes. All results are for the use of AWARE research only, and all personal information provided will be kept strictly private and confidential, to be used for compiling statistical data only. No actual names and contact details will be used in the study. The survey can be filled out online at http://askme.digitalboomerang.com/index.php?sid=14
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ANNOUNCEMENT:
Michael Ewing-Chow recognised as Social Entrepreneur of the Year
On 3 September, UNIFEM Singapore's honorary secretary was recognised as the Social Entrepreneur of the Year for his work spearheading the launch of both the UNIFEM Migrant Workers Program and aidha. The award was presented at a gala ceremony hosted by NUS’ BINGO (Business Incubator for Global Business)
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ANNOUNCEMENT
In Loving Memory of Irene Loh
We would like to formally acknowledge an appreciation to Ms Irene Loh for her generous contribution and support to UNIFEM Singapore. Ms Loh passed away on 30th July 2007.
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