CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6 operations, 8 Manobos (including 2 women and 3 children) were massacred by the Philippine military. b. The Bangsa Moro Women’s Organization reported that in 1999 a woman nearly had a spontaneous abortion after being frightened by soldiers conducting a warrantless search through every house in a village in Lake Sebu. This woman’s village has disproportionately higher number of “widows and spinsters,” as the men had perished in the war. c. Amnesty International (2001) reported that in 2000, escalation of armed conflict in Central Mindanao led to the displacement of over 400,000 civilians amidst indiscriminate bombings and human rights violations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). d. Based on the records of evacuation centers managed by the social welfare department and NGOs, about 135,000 to 150,000 persons were displaced by conflict-related incidents from January to November 2001 in Mindanao. Majority of this were women and children. 187. The Philippine Human Rights Commission also recorded cases of violence against women in armed conflict. From 1980 to 1999, about 100 cases were documented as occurring in Regions II, VI, and IX. B. ACTIONS TAKEN Legislation and policies addressing trafficking of women and girl children 188. On 26 May 2003, the Philippine president signed into law Republic Act 9208, or the AntiTrafficking in Persons Act of 2003. Subsequently, the Inter-agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) was formed. Its functions are spelled out in the law. The main features of the law are as follows. a. It defines as criminal the acts of trafficking in persons, and acts to promote trafficking in persons. “Trafficking” covers a wide range of activities that are carried out for the purpose of prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage, removal or sale of organs regardless whether any of these happened in the country or abroad, or whether the victims are Filipino nationals or foreigners trafficked to the Philippines. b. It redefines prostitution, from a crime committed by women only to “any act, transaction, scheme or design involving the use of a person by another, for sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct in exchange for money, profit or any other consideration” [emphasis ours], with the criminal liability assigned to those who promote it through trafficking in persons. c. It sets penalties for various types of offenses related to trafficking. The stiffest sanctions (life imprisonment and a fine of up to PhP5 million) are reserved for any person found guilty if the trafficked person was a child, or the person trafficked died or incurred HIVAIDS, or the offender was related to the victim or a member of the law enforcement units of the government. Fines are to be placed in a Trust Fund that will cover cost of implementing the mandatory programs under the law and other measures to prevent trafficking in persons and to rehabilitate and reintegrate victims to the mainstream of society. 61