Concluding Statements
The data were collective analyzed by the consortium, although completion of nuanced data
and deeper analysis are ongoing. A significant number of the women were minors when
they were victimized, especially those in prostitution. This related to their early sexual
abuse experiences, which in counseling processes with the peer facilitators reveal the
erosion of their sense of self, considering themselves as ‘damaged goods’ who think to
themselves: “why not earn from this, since I’m used daily anyway.”
The context of trafficking and prostitution can be gleaned from the character of the source
areas, which figure as consistently low in human development indices. This is the context of
poverty. In some ethnic communities, there are still arranged marriages from which the
girls escape. This pushes them to go with recruiters and land in trafficked situations.
Host or destination areas are characterized by high tourist influx such as El Nido and Davao.
Most of the consumers are local but many lists foreign men among the demand side. The
profile of abusers – being men socialized to privileges, with relative greater power assumed,
especially as earning men – internalized entitlements over the women and the children –
their bodies and their lives.
All regions have victims-survivors. While there is none recorded in BARMM, we find the
Muslim women victimized in sexual exploitation outside of the region. The highest incidence
are in areas with high urban poor presence such as Pandi and surrounding areas in Bulacan,
which is a relocation province for informal settlers in the National Capital Region (NCR) and
has been a source area of trafficked persons. With online trafficking, it is the site of all
elements in the trafficking process. Olongapo City has been a historical spot of trafficking
and sexual exploitation, given the demand created by the entry of US military vessels
through the area. Southern Leyte has also been historically a hotspot/source area given
poverty incidence and being in the typhoon route.
The areas of Olongapo, Pandi, the NCR and Davao are also base areas of our partner
organizations, making it easier for them to reach survivors in the proximity. Of course,
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