CEDAW/C/SR.327 English Page 7 against women. Police officers, judges and prosecutors received gendersensitization training. 39. There was as yet no comprehensive database on the incidence of violence against women, partly because of underreporting and partly because agencies receiving complaints could not effectively address them owing to limited resources and understanding of the problem. Some data were, however, available from the Department of Social Welfare and Development. 40. Incest was the least reported but a frequently committed form of violence. The law provided that prosecutions were possible only on the filing of complaints by victims, and in practice pursuit of incest cases was problematic. 41. Violence had long-term consequences for women and family members, with children sometimes becoming runaways. A cultural atmosphere demeaning to women denied the Philippines the full talents of its women. Community traditions and attitudes resulted in indifference and silence in the case of violence against women, although that silence was now being broken. The Government was seeking to sensitize society and to enact and enforce protective laws. 42. Criteria had been developed by the Government to rid textbooks of gender stereotypes, and training was being provided in the use of gender-neutral instructional materials. Training institutions had expressed a willingness to integrate gender concerns into their curricula. 43. Senate Bill No. 541 was still under study. 44. Non-governmental organizations worked with local officials with regard to local ordinances affecting girls and women. Several organizations were involved with issues such as the human rights of prostitutes, child prostitution and migrant workers. The legislation on prostitution and traffic in women was under review. Prostitution was punishable under the Penal Code. 45. The "hospitality industry" had been used by the former Government to cater to tourists and United States military personnel. Many related establishments, fronts for prostitution, had been summarily closed. Current debate on prostitution centered on the need to penalize traffickers and customers rather than women, since prostitution was an institutionalized form of violence against women. 46. Five Senate Committees, on labour, women and family relations, foreign affairs, constitutional amendments and justice and human rights, were considering the plight of Philippine domestic workers and entertainers abroad. 47. The elimination of all sexually exploitative practices and of all violence against women was a strategic goal. Legal and criminal sanctions, however, were not enough, and poverty alleviation measures were also required. The demand side of prostitution and trafficking must also be dealt with. Studies indicated that poverty, unemployment and a lack of education or skills drove women into prostitution. Since organized crime syndicates were involved, both national and international approaches were required. The Philippines was a signatory to the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. A pilot study on traffic in women between the / ...