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Date: April 24, 2024 Wed
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philippines
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214 total results foundAuthor: Cheesman, Nick Title: The Criminal Justice System of the Philippines is Rotten Summary: This report examines the situation of criminal justice and wanton killings, disappearances, assault, arbitrary detention and torture by state officers or their agents in the Philippines. The report contains details of 110 specific cases, involving 227 victims, including 81 incidents of killing or attempted killing documented by the sister organisation of the ALRC, the Asian Human Rights Commission since 2004, 62 of them since the start of 2006 alone. The remaining 39 cases relate to incidents of torture, disappearance, abduction, illegal arrest and intimidation. The report discusses these individual cases with reference in particular to the country¡¦s defective policing, and inept prosecution and witness protection programme, handled by the Department of Justice. It also discusses them with reference to the role of the military, and in particular, the labelling of persons extrajudicially killed as ¡§enemies¡¨ or equivalent, in order to create a category of citizens for whom the ordinary laws no longer need apply and who may be killed without fear of consequences or the prospect of effective investigation. The manner in which this is now being done threatens the entire criminal justice system, and more broadly, the very fabric of government and democracy of the country. Six suggestions are given for ways to stop the rot, including with reference to the need for an urgent comprehensive review of the Philippines criminal justice system; the rationalising of its deficient witness protection programme and law; the strengthening of agencies for the receipt, investigation and prosecution of complaints against police and military officials; the use of labelling; action on findings into extrajudicial killings; and the enactment of domestic laws on torture, enforced disappearance and other fundamental rights in accordance with binding agreements under international treaties and the recommendations of treaty bodies. (Excerpts from document) Details: Hong Kong: Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), 2007. 192p. Source: Internet Resource; Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Vol. 6, no. 1; Accessed August 17, 2010 at: http://www.article2.org/pdf/v06n01.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Philippines Keywords: Criminal Justice Systems (Philippines) Shelf Number: 113032 |
Author: Verité Title: Hidden Costs inthe Global Economy: Human Trafficking of Philippine Males in Maritime, Construction and Agriculture Summary: workers for almost all parts of the world, particularly the Middle East, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, North America, and Europe. However, certain workforce mechanisms and policies in these developed countries exploit the vulnerabilities of male Filipino workers (OFWs) overseas. The working conditions in these developed countries, combined with the Filipino workers’ significant lack of education on relevant topics, results in migrant workers falling prey to unscrupulous employers and human traffickers. Many of these OFWs are promised jobs that often entail exploitation, violence, poor working conditions, and offer little hope for improvement. Little is known about the trafficking of Filipino men. In the Philippines, as in other countries, the focus of anti-trafficking policy, research, and law enforcement has been almost exclusively on women and children victims, and consequently, more information is known on the industries and destinations into which women and children are often trafficked. Notably, in the last five years, Philippine media organizations have consistently carried reports of male overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) subjected to various exploitative and distressed situations. However, only recently have these situations been explicitly labeled as cases of trafficking. Despite the media mileage and the growing awareness and activism on human trafficking here and abroad, there remains a deep deficit of understanding with respect to male victims of human trafficking; the circumstances that lead to their being trafficked; and the places, sectors, or industries where the exploitation takes place. This discrepancy with respect to attention on male victims of human trafficking has begun to be recognized by policymakers and researchers. At the same time, the operational definition of human trafficking is being slowly expanded to encompass various modes of exploitation of migrant workers, including the exploitation of workers migrating legally under their own will for legitimate forms of employment. Several international organizations have published reports exploring the issue of male human trafficking, in response to the dearth of available studies. Some of these reports show that men are vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation in ways distinct from women, and that men may be less likely to report and talk openly about experiences of exploitation. Although Philippine anti-trafficking laws are constructed in a way that recognizes women, children and men as victims, available government databases reveal that very few cases involving male victims of labor trafficking are ever formally filed for litigation in court. Of the 12 convictions in 2006, when this research project was being conceptualized, none of these cases involved trafficking of men. Moreover, according to the 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, there have been no reported labor trafficking convictions, despite extensive reports on Filipinos trafficked for forced labor domestically and across borders. Both the large numbers of Philippine males employed abroad, and the known labor violations among migrant workers employed in various types of work that are characteristically male, make the plight of male Philippine trafficking victims ripe for exploration. The short-term goal of this project was to build understanding and awareness of human trafficking of Philippine males by expanding the breadth and depth of knowledge surrounding male trafficking. The long-term goal is to make this increased body of knowledge available to governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), corporations, unions and other stakeholders who, through their policy and programmatic initiatives and services, will be able to reduce, via targeted prevention and victim assistance programs, the incidence of male trafficking and mitigate the subsequent devastating impact on victims. Details: Amherst, MA: Verité, Undated. 77p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 25, 2012 at http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/Verit%C3%A9%20TIP%20Report%20Male%20Trafficking.pdf Year: 0 Country: Philippines Keywords: Human Trafficking Shelf Number: 124748 |
Author: Oliva, Roberto V. Title: Philippine Forest and Wildlife law Enforcement: Situationer and Core Issues Summary: The Philippines is one of the 18 mega diverse countries in the world. The country has more than 52,170 described species, about half of which are found nowhere else in the world. Studies show that on a per unit area basis, the Philippines is the top mega diversity country. However, unsustainable logging operations and illegal timber trade continue to pose serious threats to the country’s species richness. In 1917, the country still had 17 million ha, or more than 50% of her 30 million ha land area. Today, the latest estimate shows that only about 7.168 million ha of Philippine forests remain (Philippine Forestry Statistics, 2003). In the 60’s and 70’s the forestry sector was a major contributor to the country’s economy. The Master Plan for Forestry Development of the Philippines (1991) indicated that for almost two decades, agriculture, logging, mining and fisheries together contributed annual almost P15 billion to the country’s gross value added. Although this was almost doubled in 1988 (P25 billion), the share of forestry and logging dramatically plummeted from 12.5% in 1970 to only about 2.3% in 1988. In the 2003 Annual Report of DENR, it was reported that the Philippines—from being a major tropical timber exporter up to the 70’s has become a net importer of forest products (65%-70% of wood requirements). About 18-20 million Filipinos live in the uplands under abject poverty. Details: Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development, 2007. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2012 at: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADL681.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Philippines Keywords: Forest Management Shelf Number: 125311 |
Author: Rabasa, Angel Title: Non-Traditional Threats and Maritime Domain Awareness in the Tri-Border Area of Southeast Asia: The Coast Watch System of the Philippines Summary: The tri-border area (TBA) between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia has been identified as a key hub of terrorist and related criminal activity in Southeast Asia. This geographical space is a well-known transit zone for weapons, explosives, and personnel, as well as a principal logistical corridor for local and transnational terrorist groups. The U.S. government has devoted considerable resources to promoting maritime security initiatives in this region and, through a variety of capacity-building efforts, has been at the forefront of underwriting initiatives in each of the three countries. This approach has necessarily been country-specific, with an eye toward developing solutions that uniquely fit each nation. However, the ultimate goal has been to encourage cooperation and interoperability, both among the recipient states and with the United States. One of the most interesting collaborative initiatives is the evolving Coast Watch System (CWS) in the Philippines. Originally designed to improve maritime domain awareness in the Sulu and Celebes Seas, the concept has now been extended to cover the entire Philippine archipelago. This occasional paper analyzes the security environment in the TBA; evaluates the CWS and the challenges it has yet to overcome; and considers the prospects for an initiative to eventually form the basis of an integrated system of maritime security that would tie together the three states that converge in the TBA—Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The main purpose of this document is to act as a building block to guide further work on how best to establish an effective and viable system of regional maritime security architecture in this sensitive but understudied part of the world. Further analysis on maritime domain awareness (MDA) efforts by Malaysia and Indonesia would usefully complement this study. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2012. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 5, 2012 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/occasional_papers/2012/RAND_OP372.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Philippines Keywords: Maritime Crime (Philippines) Shelf Number: 125481 |
Author: Verité Title: Research on Indicators of Forced Labor in the Supply Chain of Tuna in the Philippines Summary: Verité carried out research on the presence of indicators of forced labor in the production of ten goods in seven countries from 2008 through 2011. Research was carried out on the production of shrimp in Bangladesh; Brazil-nuts, cattle, corn, and peanuts in Bolivia; sugar in the Dominican Republic; coffee in Guatemala; fish in Indonesia; rubber in Liberia; and tuna in the Philippines. This research was not intended to determine the existence or scale of forced labor in the countries and sectors under study, but rather to identify the presence of indicators of forced labor and factors that increased workers‘ vulnerability to labor exploitation. Context / Objectives The Philippines ranks second in the world for tuna caught and fifth in canned tuna production.1 This research was carried out in General Santos City, which is known as the ―Tuna Capital‖ of the Philippines. Due in part to overfishing, yields and profits have been decreasing over the past several years. This has led to a downturn in related parts of the supply chain such as canning and processing. While the tuna fishing sector dominates the economy of General Santos City, recent downward trends have put pressure on workers in the sector. While much attention has been paid to the environmental and economic aspects of the Philippines tuna sector, little has been paid to labor conditions, and even less to specific indicators of forced labor. Within this context, the primary objectives of Verité‘s research were to: obtain background information on certain areas of the tuna sector in the Philippines; create a methodology to study the presence of indicators of forced labor in the Philippines tuna sector; identify and document indicators of forced labor among workers in the Philippines tuna sector; document the broader working conditions that workers in the tuna sector experience; and determine the risk factors for indicators of forced labor and other forms of exploitation in the particular areas of the Philippines tuna sector. Details: Amherst, MA: Verité, 2012(?). 139p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2013 at: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/Research%20on%20Indicators%20of%20Forced%20Labor%20in%20the%20Philippines%20Tuna%20Sector__9.16.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Philippines Keywords: Fishing Industry Shelf Number: 128093 |
Author: Puzon, Marco Paa Title: Painted Gray Faces, Behind Bars and in the Streets Street Children and the Juvenile Justice System in the Philippines Summary: The Consortium for Street Children (CSC) is a network of NGOs working with street-involved children, and children at risk of taking to street life in Africa, Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, and Latin America. In many countries around the world street children are particularly vulnerable to abuses in juvenile justice systems: they are highly likely to come into contact with the criminal justice system in the first place, and they are less able to defend themselves from abuse once within the system. In some countries, in the absence of adequate social welfare responses, the criminal justice system is used to warehouse homeless children regardless of whether or not they have committed a crime. In other countries, outdated legislation means that children face harsh sentences for petty (often ‘survival’) theft, substance abuse, begging and ‘vagrancy’. In short, these children are discriminated against and have their rights violated because they are poor. In response to the internationally identified need to address the particular overlap between street children and the criminal justice system, CSC has undertaken a two-year research and advocacy project working with local partners to examine the situation of the human rights abuses of street children in juvenile justice systems in six countries: Kenya, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Romania. Research was undertaken and national, cross-sectoral workshops were convened involving street children themselves, civil society organisations, the police, judiciary, social and probation services and other stakeholders to identify key obstacles to the implementation of international human rights standards for street children in juvenile justice systems in each country. With an emphasis on constructive dialogue and collaboration between civil society and government, the workshops addressed issues of national relevance, examined examples of innovative good practice in this area and outlined recommendations for further action. The project in the Philippines uniquely focused on eliciting the views and participation of children themselves from around the country through a series of creative methodologies that were subsequently shared with the other participating countries. Details: Quezon City: Psychosocial Trauma and Human Rights Program Center for Integrative and Development Studies University of the Philippines; Consortium for Street Children 2003. 231p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2013 at: http://www.pstcrrc.org/docs/Painted_Gray_Faces_Behind_Bars_And_In_The_Streets.pdf Year: 2003 Country: Philippines Keywords: Juvenile Justice Systems Shelf Number: 129209 |
Author: Knowles, Jessica Title: Still Behind Bars: Child Incarceration and Juvenile Justice Policy in the Philippines Summary: This report focuses on the implementation of the 2006 Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act in Metro Manila, Philippines. Details: PREDA Foundation, 2010. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 17, 2013 at: http://www.preda.org/main/archives/still-behind-bars.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Philippines Keywords: Juvenile Detention Shelf Number: 129433 |
Author: Kreuzer, Peter Title: Violence as a Means of Control and Domination in the Southern Philippines: How Violence is Used to Consolitate Power in the Southern Philippines Summary: The level of violence exerted in order to safeguard control and domination is alarmingly high in the Muslim regions of the Southern Philippines. Numerous studies and reports of local politics and society hold the civil war, American colonialism and Philippine internal imperialism responsible for this phenomenon. Despite fundamental changes of the political and economic framework during previous centuries, these ancient patterns of violence have remained a crucial cornerstone of the power of the ruling elite up to today. Thus, reducing violence will only be possible if reformist Muslims and Muslim researchers face up to their own violent roots. This investigation shows that current practices can be traced back to former centuries and identified as an essential part of social order and practices of control and domination rooted in pre-Islamic times. Details: Frankfurt am Main: Peace Research Institute, 2011. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: PRIF Reports 105: Accessed March 14, 2014 at: http://hsfk.de/fileadmin/downloads/prif105.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Philippines Keywords: Violence Shelf Number: 131920 |
Author: Kreuzer, Peter Title: Mafia-style Domination: The Philippine Province of Pampanga Summary: "Mafia-style Domination in the Philippines: Comparing Provinces", Peter Kreuzer develops a model of oligarchy-based Mafia-style domination that integrates the core dimensions of patronage, corruption, illegal business and violence and exemplifies the corresponding social practice in the three regions. With respect to prospects for change, the author remains pessimistic. As long as the electorate continues to re-elect proponents of the status quo and accepts governance through clientelist exchange relationships, the fundamental characteristics of domination will remain in place, even though a focus on rule of law, including a strengthening of the state security forces and judiciary may lead to a reduction of the criminal dimension. Details: Frankfurt am Main: Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), 2012. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: PRIF-Report No. 114: Accessed March 17, 2014 at: http://www.hsfk.de/fileadmin/downloads/prif117.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Philippines Keywords: Illegal Business Practices Shelf Number: 131934 |
Author: Terre des hommes Title: Fullscreen on View: An exploratory study on the background and psychosocial consequences of webcam child sex tourism in the Philippines Summary: In recent years Terre des Hommes Netherlands observed the steady rise of a new form of child sexual exploitation. One that is enabled and fuelled by rapid technological advances, increasing global connectivity, persisting poverty rates, and growing disparity in the global distribution of resources. Terre des Hommes Netherlands received alarming signals from collaborating project partners from the Philippines that new commercial child exploitation trades are evolving and spreading parallel to rising global Internet access rates and developments in communications technology. In child prostitution 'hotspots', like Cebu City in the Philippines, various forms of commercial child exploitation shifted from offline to online, making child abuse material more accessible and more anonymously consumable for a larger number of offenders around the world. Terre des Hommes Netherlands' project partners reported a shift in child prostitution from the streets, bars, restaurants and other public places to hidden venues where children are engaged in sexual interactions with foreigners through webcams. Those children are not only exposed to and engaged in activities that are illegal, they also fall under the radars of organizations involved in helping these children. Furthermore, parents become harder to reach because of the in-house nature of the activities. Webcam child sex tourism, as Terre des Hommes Netherlands calls this phenomenon, is proliferating in the Philippines and spreading quickly. Through the internet, adults offer payment or other rewards to view and direct live streaming video footage of children in the Philippines performing sexual acts in front of a webcam. Similar to child sex tourism, adults seek contact with vulnerable children in other countries for sexual purposes and in doing so dodge the law in their own countries. All it takes is a computer, Internet connection and a web camera or mobile phone. The fact that webcam child sex tourism operations are organized and configured in many different locations makes them harder to discover and much more difficult for gathering evidence against perpetrators. Webcam child sex tourism remained undiscovered until 2011 when the Philippines successfully prosecuted its first case against two Swedish nationals and three Filipinos (BBC, 2011). Children involved in webcam child sex tourism generally perform webcam sex shows from their home computers, from Internet cafes, or from what are known as "cybersex dens": buildings in which women and children are kept, often against their will, in windowless dungeon-like settings. In the Philippines, police raids against such dens are increasingly common. 40% of the victims of webcam child sex tourism have family members who either are involved in webcam sex operations themselves, or who are aware of the child's involvement in webcam sex. In areas like Cordova and Taguig, both located in Cebu province, webcam sex operations have become widespread and family members are aware that there is a lot of money to be earned from it. A description of the nature and extent of the phenomenon has to date never been completed. Details: The Hague: Terre des Hommes, 2013. 67p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: http://www.terredeshommes.nl/upload/dossier/download/TdH-Fullscreen_on_View-Webversie_DEF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Philippines Keywords: Child Prostitution Shelf Number: 132543 |
Author: International Alert Title: Getting Rid of Illegal Guns: Engineering a Peaceful Transition in the Bangsamoro Summary: The recently signed peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commits both parties to undertaking a 'normalisation' process. This entails decommissioning MILF combatants and their weapons, redeploying some government military units and disbanding private armed groups. The proliferation of illegal firearms poses a real challenge to normalisation in the Bangsamoro territory. The success of the normalisation process and the peace process depends on the ability of both parties to effectively address the problem of illegal firearms. This policy brief proposes a three-pronged strategy that combines the work of decommissioning weapons in the hands of ex-combatants and other rebel groups; disrupting the activities of private armies and other criminal groups as well as capturing their weapons; and reforming the institutional framework that guides the control and management of firearms in Philippine society. Details: London: International Alert, 2014. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Brief: Accessed August 12 at: http://www.international-alert.org/sites/default/files/Philippines_PolicyBriefIllegalGuns_EN_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Philippines Keywords: Gangs Shelf Number: 133010 |
Author: Schoofs, Steven Title: Illicit Drugs and Peace: Challenges for the Bangsamoro Peace Process Summary: This policy brief argues that the illicit drug economy should be regarded as a strategic concern in the peace process between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Left unchecked, the combination of drug-related corruption and violence is likely to have an adverse effect on the governance institutions of the future Bangsamoro. Stakeholders in the peace process therefore need to turn their attention to the drug economy and use the implementation of the peace agreement as an opportunity to address the drug problem. Priorities for action include using drug enforcement as a confidence-building measure, insulating the new Bangsamoro police from corruption, providing alternative economic opportunities for poor communities, challenging the sense of impunity among drug criminals, preventing money laundering, and cutting the links between criminals and politicians. Details: London: International Alert, 2014. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Brief: Accessed September 27, 2014 at: http://www.international-alert.org/sites/default/files/Philippines_PolicyBriefIllicitDrugs_EN_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Philippines Keywords: Drug Law Enforcement Shelf Number: 133463 |
Author: International Tax and Investment Center Title: Asia-11: Illicit Tobacco Indicator: 2013 Update for the Philippines Summary: Excise rates on the majority of cigarettes in the Philippines (Low-tax tier) rose by 341% on 1st January 2013. Excise rates on brands in the Mid-tax tier increased by 231%, while "premium-price" brands (High-tax tier) saw an increase of 108% in excise rates. This tax increase has contributed to a 59% rise in the pack price of the most sold brands in both the "low-price" and "premium-price" segments. The price increase on the most sold brand in the "super-low price" segment was highest at 175%. Legal Domestic Sales dropped almost 16% in 2013 from a year earlier. However, this decline was almost fully offset by an increased level of Illicit Consumption. As a result, Total Consumption (legal and illicit) was only down 3% in 2013. There has been a sharp rise in Illicit Consumption from 5.9% in 2012 to an estimated 18.1% of Total Consumption or 19.1 billion cigarettes in 2013. This rise primarily relates to increased consumption of Domestic Illicit cigarettes, which has risen sharply from 5.6% of Total Consumption in 2012 to an estimated 16.3% of Total Consumption or 17.1 billion cigarettes in 2013. There has also been an 800% increase in the consumption of Counterfeit cigarettes, which accounted for 1.8% of Total Consumption or 1.8 billion cigarettes in 2013, compared to 0.2% of Total Consumption in 2012. The cigarette tax revenue loss (excise and VAT) has risen to PHP 15.6 billion in 2013, representing an increase of 497% compared to 2012. Details: Oxford, UK: Oxford Economics, 2014. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 9, 2014 at: http://www.oxfordeconomics.com/Media/Default/landing-pages/asia11/report-asia11-2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Philippines Keywords: Cigarettes (Philippines) Shelf Number: 134220 |
Author: de Boer, Jennifer Title: Sweet Hazards: Child Labor on Sugarcane Plantations in the Philippines Summary: This report aims to illustrate the hazardous labor done by children worldwide by highlighting one particular case. Being illustrative, the report aims at telling the stories of the children's daily working conditions at the sugarcane plantations in Leyte, the Philippines. It does not attempt to be complete in its account of these working and living conditions, nor does it pretend to speak for all children involved in hazardous work of any kind. However, it is Terre des Hommes' conviction that the children from the sugarcane plantations around Ormoc face and voice problems that are of equal importance to other children in the world. Details: The Hague: Terre des Hommes Netherlands. 2005. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 28, 2015 at: http://www.eldis.org/go/home&id=20107&type=Document#.VWdjX09FDct Year: 2005 Country: Philippines Keywords: Child Labor Shelf Number: 129954 |
Author: Kar, Dev Title: Illicit Financial Flows to and from the Philippines: A Study in Dynamic Simulation, 1960-2011 Summary: This study presents a model of the drivers and dynamics of illicit financial flows to and from the Philippines over the period 1960-2011. Illicit flows through unrecorded balance of payments leakages and trade misinvoicing differ from broad capital flight which also includes flows of "normal" or legitimate capital. The larger implication is that models of capital flight that net out a mix of licit and illicit capital are fundamentally flawed. While legitimate capital flows that are recorded can be netted out, flows that are illicit in both directions cannot as the net result would be conceptually equivalent to net crime, an absurd concept. Hence, we argue that traditional models of capital flight understate the problem facing developing countries and they fail to acknowledge the adverse impact that flows in both directions have on them. In contrast, the narrower focus on illicit flows permits an analysis of inflows and outflows, which are treated as separate but interacting transactions that impact both the official and underground economies. Thereby the study affords a fuller understanding of how illicit flows impact a developing country. Starting with a structural equations model the estimation strategy culminates in a vector error correction procedure that yields four salient findings. First, there exists a clear link between illicit inflows and outflows with the latter possibly financing the former. Second, illicit financial inflows drive the underground economy and hamper tax collection. Third, illicit outflows of about US$4.5 billion per annum on average deplete the country's domestic savings, which could hamper sustainable economic growth in the long run. Finally, illicit flows have on average cost the government US$1.5 billion per year in lost tax revenues over the period of 2001-2011. The loss in revenues, representing about 37 percent of the social benefits budget of the consolidated state and local governments in 2011, is significant. Details: Washington, DC: Global Financial Integrity, 2014. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 5, 2015 at: http://www.gfintegrity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Illicit-Financial-Flows-to-and-from-the-Philippines-Final-Report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Philippines Keywords: Corruption Shelf Number: 131843 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "What ... if Something Went Wrong?" Hazardous Child Labor in Small-Scale Gold Mining in the Philippines Summary: In the small-scale gold mines of the Philippines, children risk their lives digging for gold. Some dive for hours, breathing through tubes, at risk of drowning. Some work underground in deep pits, where children have suffocated or been injured. Many process gold with mercury, a toxic metal that is particularly harmful to children. Based on 135 interviews, "What If Something Goes Wrong?" documents the hazards children face when working in small-scale gold mines in the Philippines, including the case of a 17-year-old boy who died in an underground mine in 2014. The report also demonstrates the government's failure to protect children and enforce mining laws and regulations. Human Rights Watch calls upon the Philippines government to monitor child labor; support the most vulnerable families; improve children's access to education and legal employment opportunities for those old enough; and establish a legal, child-labor-free small-scale gold mining sector. As part of these efforts, it should ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury and introduce mercury-free gold processing methods. As a part of their responsibility not to benefit from child labor, the Philippines Central Bank and international gold trading companies should establish robust safeguards to trace the gold back to its origin and ensure that children have not mined the gold they buy. Details: New York: HRW, 2015. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2015 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/philippines0915_brochure_web.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Philippines Keywords: Child Labor Shelf Number: 136945 |
Author: Jensen, Steffen Title: Violence in Bagong Silag: A research report prepared in collaboration between DIGNITY and Balay Summary: This research report is a praxis paper on how to best address the problem of torture and organised violence in poor areas of Metro Manila. It is an example of how research can provide an evidence-based foundation for interventions. During the latter part of Marcos' regime, Bagong Silang (New Birth) was established as a relocation site for the thousands of squatters about to be dislocated from their homes around metro-Manila to clear land for economic development, roads or otherwise. Some were forcibly, while others saw life in Bagong Silang as the possibility for a new beginning. Many of the areas from where the resettled people came were quite violent. Inter-personal violence occurred on a regular basis and crime rates were said to be high. Furthermore, state violence in different forms was also rumoured to be high, as was the violence perpetrated by land owners in order to 'persuade' people to move from the contested land. None of these forms of violence disappeared with the establishment of Bagong Silang. From these initial days of violence, Bagong Silang has maintained a reputation of being a violent and dangerous place with high crime rates; gangs and fraternities being stable elements in the social life, as well as state or state-endorsed violence. Most accounts remain anecdotal or build on hearsay or stereotypes of the poor and the different. This study attempts to address the lack of knowledge. Results of the survey The report is based on a study done in close co-operation with Balay Rehabilitation Center. It explores the nature and extent of violence in Bagong Silang, the emotional, physical and material impact violence have on people's lives and what victims of crime and violence do to seek redress. On the basis of the results from the survey, the report explores two issues in depth - inter-personal violence in communities and state-perpetrated violence. The report concludes that violence is seldom an occurrence between strangers but often emanate from communal conflicts and the maintenance of a patriarchal order of things. Finally, while state violence does not seem pervasive, it does happen. While the state violence often seems to be related to corruption and a sense - on the part of the police - that they are not respected, the police also perpetuate extraordinary forms of violence that are justified as a defence of order. The conclusions from the report may feed into policy and interventions. The last section of the report contains a list of recommendations to especially directed at NGOs and the general public, local government, the police and young men. Details: Dignity: Danish Institute Against Torture, 2013. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Praxis Paper no. 2: https://www.dignityinstitute.org/media/2065764/pubseries_no2lowres.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Philippines Keywords: Interpersonal Violence Shelf Number: 139360 |
Author: Baker, Jo Title: Conditions for Women in Detention in the Philippines: Needs, Vulnerabilities and Good Practices Summary: What are the particular needs, issues, risks and vulnerabilities that face imprisoned women across the world? What challenges and promising practices are common in their management? And where do these practices fall in relation to international standards? These questions lie at the heart of DIGNITY's research into conditions for women in detention in four countries - of which this Philippines country study is one part. The management of women in the Philippines' vast and fragmented penal system demonstrates a broad spectrum of approaches. In some smaller, provincial facilities women are reportedly detained with minimal or no attention to their human rights or particular needs, including the right to be held separately from male inmates, causing strong concern for their safety and wellbeing. In other women-only prisons and pre-trial facilities, visited by DIGNITY in 2013, close attention is given to inmates' welfare, and good practices can be found for other resource-constrained countries - particularly in the management of visits and the use of structured activity to keep inmates active and motivated. In speaking to detainees (as summarized in the section, What Matters Most), DIGNITY has been able to understand the critical importance of ties to the outside world, particularly to children and lawyers, of dignified spaces in which to meet visitors, and of opportunities to take on responsibility, and stay busy. We have been told of the acute need for gender-sensitive healthcare, particularly in areas of reproductive and sexual health, and for survivors of gender-based violence, and substance abusers. Women have spoken of gendered risks and dangers that they face while in detention, including sexual exploitation, mental health risks and harmful forms of misinformation. They have also shared their experiences of abandonment and stigma, which many believe are experienced differently and disproportionately by women. Yet in only one of the country's penal systems, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), is the operational approach gender responsive - and comprehensively so. A series of operational guidelines circulated among staff of the Correctional institute for Women in 2013 has integrated the recently elaborated United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Bangkok Rules) into the management of the prisons. This has ensured that a broad range of measures respond to the special needs and common histories of women, both generally and as members of particular groups, to help protect their rights and ensure their wellbeing. These measures include the development of alternative screening methods to strip searches and invasive body searches, and the recognition that disciplinary sanctions for inmates must never include a prohibition of family contact, especially with children. They ensure that a portion of inmates' earnings are placed in a savings fund to be made available on release, and include the development of strategies to provide gender-specific and individualized psychosocial and psychiatric support, and prevent suicide and self-harm. The memorandum also commendably requires that: "The treatment of prisoners should emphasize not their exclusion from the community, but their continuing part in it," and urges flexibility and assistance for visiting friends and relatives, where needed. In order to ensure that these commendable guidelines offer effective and sustainable protection for BuCor detainees, the next step must be to make them legally binding. Meanwhile, as welfare programmes and guidelines are being championed and developed across this vast penal network, and steps to centralize its procedures are taken, the chance to mainstream gender in policy, operational guidelines and training is being missed. As the number of female detainees continues to grow, it is critical that their needs and human rights are adequately reflected in these processes, in accordance with international standards. Given the positive practices found in visits to both BuCor and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facilities, it is clear that coordination and lesson sharing between staff across these systems could go a long way in achieving this. Details: Copenhagen: Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY), 2015. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: DIGNITY Publication Series on Torture and Organised Violence no. 11: Accessed June 13, 2016 at: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066109/pubserieswid11.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Philippines Keywords: Female Inmates Shelf Number: 139427 |
Author: Tamayo, Adrian Title: Determining Statistical Pattern on the Drug-Related Killing in Philippines Using ARIMA and Poisson Techniques Summary: A univariate time series technique was conducted to determine statistical pattern on killings of drug suspects in Philippines from May 19 to July 7, 2016. The technique reveal a moving average of order 2, MA(2) with a positive coefficient suggestive that value of outcome variable x tend to increase, on the average, than the recent value of x . This means that drug-related killings will tend to be higher than the most current rate; and killings is seen to increase as weekend comes. Poisson regression indicated an average of 13 deaths on a Sunday; only 2 on Monday average; odds of survival increases as well as weekend comes. Finally, the forecast model and the simulation are limited by the data used. Structure of the univariate series may change as additional data are added; this is also true for the forecasted average occurrence. Details: Munich: Munich Personal RePEc Archive (MPRA), 2016. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: MPRA Paper No. 71528: Accessed November 21, 2016 at: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/72518/1/MPRA_paper_72518.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Philippines Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 147848 |
Author: Madanlo, Lalaine Title: Simultaneity of Crime Incidence in Mindanao Summary: The study simulated the predictive relationships of regional monthly crime rates for a period covering January 2009 to July 2013. A six-equation model representing the six regions in Mindanao was estimated using the seemingly unrelated regression (SUR). The SUR estimation shows that the increase of incidences of crimes in Southern Mindanao Region and SOCCSKSARGEN tended a 1.73% rise and 0.85% reduction in crime incidences in Zamboanga Peninsula. Monthly crime rates in Northern Mindanao increases crime rates in Southern Mindanao (1.1%), SOCCSKSARGEN (1.29%), CARAGA (0.22%) and ARMM (0.96%). Southern Mindanao yielded simultaneous increase in crimes with Zamboanga Peninsula (0.21%) and Northern Mindanao (0.36%); yet a drop in crimes in CARAGA (0.08%) and ARMM (0.29%). SOCCSKSARGEN's crime rates rise simultaneously by 0.39% in every percentage increase of crime rates in Northern Mindanao yet plunged by about 0.09% and 0.50% when crimes rise by a notch higher in Zamboanga Peninsula and ARMM. CARAGA posted 0.97% increase and 1.07% decrease of crime rates upon the rise of crime rates Northern Mindanao and Southern Mindanao. Lastly, crime rates in ARMM, on the other hand, tend to increase by 0.63% upon the rise of the same in Northern Mindanao and dipped by 0.58% and 1.09% in simultaneity with Southern Mindanao and SOCCSKSARGEN. Details: Munich: Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 2016. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: MPRA Paper No. 72648: Accessed December 14, 2016 at: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/72648/1/MPRA_paper_72648.PDF Year: 2016 Country: Philippines Keywords: Crime Rates Shelf Number: 144915 |
Author: Kreuzer, Peter Title: If they resist, kill them all: Police vigilantism in the Philippines Summary: In May of 2016, Rodrigo Duterte was elected President of the Philippines and inaugurated into office on June 30. During the election campaign he was already focusing on ridding the country of drug-related crime and indicated his willingness to tolerate, if not support, the killing of suspects by the police. After entering office, he officially launched a comprehensive campaign against drug-related crime that has since cost the lives of several thousand suspects. While anonymous vigilantes are responsible for a significant share, if not the majority of these extralegal killings, in four months the police killed more than 1,000 suspects in so-called "legitimate encounters" that were justified as actions carried out in self-defense. This report then looks at a vastly under-researched phenomenon: extrajudicial police vigilantism involving killings by on-duty police officers that are masked as "legitimate encounters" with criminals. It argues that, while the Philippines have a strong tradition of death-squad killings, this has been complemented for a long time by a practice of "social cleansing" that did not make it necessary for agents of the state to deny complicity: official police vigilantism. On the contrary, such vigilante killings could be utilized as evidence of a strong state. However, in the past such police vigilantism was a local phenomenon. This changed under the new president, who nationalized the local practice and thereby changed its dynamics. This report provides an overview of the pattern of killings of suspects by members of the Philippine National Police while on duty currently taking place. The main section of the report analyzes past patterns of “legitimate encounters” in a number of selected regions and provinces of the Philippines. The integration of these two datasets allows for a comparison not only among regions and provinces but also over time. Consideration of this quantitative data is complemented by sketches of the dynamics driving current reactions to the new policy in a number of provinces and cities. Going beyond the Philippines, this study also provides a comparative dataset on similar forms of deadly police violence for a small set of countries, regions and cities that permits a comparison of past and present Philippines practice. The detailed analysis shows that: • in most, but not all of the various case studies, there has been a long tradition of police-vigilantism, • regions, provinces and cities that have exhibited higher levels of police vigilantism in the past tend to react more strongly to the presidential campaign that legitimized extralegal killings under the pretext of a "legitimate encounter," • those cases with the highest levels of police vigilantism both now and in the past tend to be the most "developed" ones, fulfilling a metropolitan function at either a national or regional level, • there is no link between threats to the police and their willingness to kill suspects in "legitimate encounters," • prior to the present wave of extrajudicial killings, the magnitude of violent "legitimate encounters" was moderate, although they were carried out by clearly vigilante police forces targeting suspects, • while the patterns of "legitimate encounters" have not changed in the current campaign, the number of extra-legal killings has risen dramatically since the election of President Duterte, • Philippines police officers did not have to learn a new practice; they did not have to unlearn firmly established convictions about due process. They transformed an established but sparingly used practice into a key instrument for reducing crime and for strengthening institutions, • local leaders' reactions to the presidential campaign depend to a significant extent on the local leaders' past perceptions of utilizing the police as a force for "social cleansing" and the leaders’ current power base in the face of rising pressure to conform to the central leadership’s expectations. Going beyond empirical analysis of the data on past and present police vigilantism in the Philippines, I maintain that the present administration uses police vigilantism on the national level to simulate a strong state and thereby achieve widespread public acclaim and acquiescence. By establishing the Philippine National Police as his power base, the new president has within a few months successfully hollowed out democratic checks and balances and installed himself as the foremost “boss” at the national level. While forceful personalities are a regular feature of Philippines politics, their power is normally limited by other bosses who contend for power and wealth. Like Ferdinand Marcos before him, Rodrigo Duterte is well on his way to neutralizing this division of powers – the only one that works well in the Philippines during "normal" times. Currently, it seems that the Philippines are on a direct path toward a regime that may be likened to an electoral dictatorship, where a president, through the shrewd manipulation of public discourse and the resulting outstanding public support, and with the help of the national police, is succeeding in subjugating the various political families that make up the Philippines political elite. Details: Frankfurt am Main: Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) 2016. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: PRIF Report No. 142 : Accessed February 1, 2017 at: https://www.hsfk.de/fileadmin/HSFK/hsfk_publikationen/prif142.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Philippines Keywords: Deadly Force Shelf Number: 145096 |
Author: Amnesty International Title: "If You Are Poor, You Are Killed": Extrajudicial executions in the Philippines' "War on Drugs" Summary: Since President Duterte took office in June 2016, there has been a campaign of violence against alleged drug offenders. More than 7,000 people have been killed, roughly one-third during formal police operations and the rest by unknown shooters. Based on 110 interviews and the documentation of 33 cases, this report shows that many drug-related killings are extrajudicial executions that directly implicate the police. The report also describes how the "war on drugs" has targeted the poor disproportionately. It reveals how at least some unknown shooters are assassins paid by police officers Details: London: AI, 2017. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 15, 2017 at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa35/5517/2017/en/ Year: 2017 Country: Philippines Keywords: Drug Offenders Shelf Number: 145790 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "License to Kill" : Philippine Police Killings in Duterte's "War on Drugs" Summary: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" has produced a campaign of unlawful killings by Philippine National Police personnel and unidentified "vigilantes" that has resulted in the deaths of more than 7,000 suspected drug users and dealers since July 1, 2016. Duterte's public endorsement of the campaign implicates him and other senior figures in possible incitement to violence, instigation of murder and in command responsibility for crimes against humanity. "License to Kill": Philippine Police Killings in Duterte’s “War on Drugs,” is based on several dozen interviews with family members of victims of police killings, witnesses, journalists and human rights activists. The report exposes the falsehood of official police reports that invariably assert self-defense to justify unlawful police killings. Instead, police routinely carry out extrajudicial killings of drug suspects and then cover-up those crimes. In several instances Human Rights Watch investigated, suspects in police custody were later found dead and classified by police as "found bodies," casting doubt on government assertions that most killings have been committed by vigilantes or rival drug gangs. The report also documents the lack of a cohesive approach by the Philippines’ allies, including the United States, Japan and the European Union, to pressure the government to stop these killings and to bring the perpetrators to justice. The report calls for Duterte to publicly denounce extrajudicial killings and press for the investigation and prosecution of police and other officials implicated in such abuses. In addition, the United Nations should launch an independent international investigation into the killings. Finally, the report urges foreign donors to immediately suspend any assistance or weapons sales to the police until the "drug war" killings end and meaningful investigations into those killings are underway. Details: New York: HRW, 2017. 134p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed march 2, 2017 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/philippines0317_web_1.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Philippines Keywords: Deadly Force Shelf Number: 141291 |
Author: Tulauan, Mayra Madria Title: Perceived effectiveness of the recruitment and selection process for uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police Summary: This study was undertaken to: examine the relationship between the perceived effectiveness of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Recruitment and Selection Process (RSP) for Uniformed Personnel (UP) and the individual performance of police officers as perceived by the PNP personnel; describe the level of effectiveness of the PNP RSP for UP in terms of its implementation; identify the factors affecting its effective implementation; explore the important factors to produce responsible, competent and effective police officers as perceived by the PNP personnel; and to examine if there is significant difference between the individual police performance as perceived by the PNP personnel and as perceived by the public. A model of evaluation on effectiveness of the PNP RSP for UP has been developed following an examination of current literature and integrating job experience and observations of the researcher and her colleagues. This model was tested via a survey of 625 PNP personnel and 625 residents of Metro Manila, Philippines, drawn through stratified random sampling. Quantitative-descriptive research approach was used. The cross sectional survey method involved a personally distributed self-completion questionnaires designed to measure the responses of the PNP personnel and the public in the sample. This questionnaire captured information reflecting the perceptions of PNP personnel assigned in the National Headquarters (NHQ) and National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) about the level of effectiveness of the PNP RSP for UP in terms of its implementation, the factors affecting its effective implementation as well as the important factors to produce responsible, competent and effective police officers and the individual performance of police officers. Likewise, it captured the perceptions of the public in Metro Manila on the individual performance of the police officers assigned in NHQ and NCRPO. Data analysis was made using descriptive statistics, T-test and Pearson correlations aided by SPSS to determine the relationships between the variables. The findings of this study suggest that the individual performance of the police officers as perceived by the PNP personnel is significantly influenced by the effectiveness of the implementation of the PNP RSP for UP. Further, the PNP RSP for UP is generally implemented effectively but there are factors affecting its effective implementation. There are four facilitating factors as perceived by the PNP personnel, which promote the effective implementation of the PNP RSP for UP, which are: Effective PNP leadership or supervision; Effective external oversight; Establishment of effective grievance committee on recruitment and selection process for uniformed personnel and penalty system for violators; and Honesty, competency and commitment of the personnel implementing the RSP for UP. Details: Beppu, Oita, Japan: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, 2014. 185p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed June 14, 2017 at: http://r-cube.ritsumei.ac.jp/bitstream/10367/6079/1/51212601.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Philippines Keywords: Police Officers Shelf Number: 146173 |
Author: Hunter, Marcena Title: Follow the Money: The Philippines Summary: In artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), a sector that employs approximately 15 million people around the world, mercury is often used to help extract gold from mined ore. Although inexpensive and relatively effective in extracting gold from ore, mercury emissions and releases can cause serious harm to people and the environment when handled unsafely. Recognising the threat, a call for global action was initiated in 2009 which culminated in the adoption of the Minamata Convention in 2013. The Convention mandates a reduction, and elimination, if possible, of mercury usage around the world, including in ASGM. As of this writing, the 50th instrument of ratification has been submitted to the Minamata Secretariat and the Convention will enter into force on Aug. 16, 2017. Signatories to the Convention include many gold-mining countries, including Mongolia and the Philippines. While ASGM is a significant global sector, the vast majority of ASGM is informal (and/or illicit) and unregulated, i.e. operating without the required licenses or legal approval. Pervasive informality is a result of several factors, including: onerous licensing requirements that create a barrier to entry for many miners; a lack of clarity in legal texts governing artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM); insufficient or inaccessible legally mandated mining areas; a lack of awareness of legal requirements amongst miners; and miners' inability to access administrative capitals. This omnipresent informality can prevent miners from accessing necessary resources such as trainings and legitimate forms of credit; render them vulnerable to bribery and extortion attempts (particularly by police and other government officials); and drive them to work in dangerous locations that are less accessible to law enforcement. Experience has shown that options to introduce and maintain environmental compliance through pure voluntary compliance ("formalization-free") are unlikely to see long-term success. Specifically, with regard to mercury usage by ASGM, the informality of much of the sector can impede the delivery of non-mercury technology, trainings and the distribution of information materials to miners and processors, thus creating a knowledge vacuum in the sector about the dangers of mercury. It can also prevent authorities from adequately policing the use of mercury in mining communities and processing regions, and controlling its distribution. Financial flows, in particular illicit financial flows (IFFs), play an integral role in perpetuating informality (as well as illegality) in the ASGM sector. IFFs are defined as "money illegally earned, transferred or used" and can flow into and out of ASGM operations. The informality of much of the sector is often appealing to illicit financiers, as it helps to keep illicit activities and related profits, such as gold smuggling, tax evasion and money laundering, hidden from governments. Thus, wide-scale formalisation of ASGM is arguably not something such financiers would want to see occur, nor would they be likely to advocate in the mines they help to finance. In addition, the lack of access to formal financing means informal or illicit financing options are often the only options available to artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMers), making investment a low-risk, high-profit venture for illicit financiers. Moreover, IFFs are often reinvested back into the sector and community, with buyers providing economic benefits to local populations outside of mining, further perpetuating informality and contributing to a sense of legitimacy around informal ASGM practices and associated financial flows.8 Consequently, financial flows can significantly contribute to a self-reinforcing cycle of informality (and illegality in some instances), which can be difficult to break without a nuanced understanding of the financial flows linked to ASGM and their impacts on mining communities and local populations. The formalisation of ASGM and the elimination of mercury usage go hand-in-hand. Building a better understanding of financial flows and their impact on ASGM is therefore vital. Recognizing the need for a greater understanding of gold-related financial flows to strengthen international responses, the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (Global Initiative) and Levin Sources established the GIFF Project in 2015 to provide greater insight into this issue and to develop solutions that will improve efforts to formalize the ASGM sector globally. UNIDO has become a strong partner and advocate of the GIFF Project and advocating for a better understanding of financial flows linked to ASGM Details: Vienna: United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2017. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 5, 2017 at: http://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/philippines-report-_20.11.17_low.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Philippines Keywords: Corruption Shelf Number: 148700 |
Author: Wilmann, Stein Marius Title: Private Means to Public Space and Order: The Private Policing of Public Space in Makati, Philippines Summary: This study explores the private security industry in the Philippines through the private policing of mass private property (quasi-public space) in Makati. The study has also sought to ascertain which possible consequences the policing of mass private property has had on surrounding public space. Private policing of quasi-public space takes on a global character through its manifestation in malls, gated communities, office complexes, recreational parks, and country clubs. As a result, its commonality elicits further research on the matter. How did this trend emerge? Who does the policing? And what is private security's relationship with private property? By first deconstructing what policing really means, this paper identifies, discusses, and investigates the role of each component constitutive and influential on policing activity. The paper then analyzes this sequential information from a private security perspective. The purpose for isolating the various components is to ensure transferability of established theory on the matter of private policing to a Filipino context. A descriptive chapter on relevant topics in Makati such as demographics, land use, crime, and the private security industry form the contextual backdrop. The case study on private policing activity in Forbes Park is then analyzed within the theoretical framework and contextual backdrop of Metro Manila. Details: As, Norway: Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 2012. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed December 5, 2017 at: https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/187893/SMW%20MA%20Thesis%202012.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2012 Country: Philippines Keywords: Private Security Shelf Number: 148709 |
Author: Sy, Emerson Y. Title: Trading Faces: Utilisation of Facebook to Trade Live Reptiles in the Philippines Summary: The trade in live reptiles as pets has increased significantly in the last three decades with Asian countries playing an increasing role as important trade hubs and consumers. In the Philippines, all non-native and native reptile species are protected under the Wildlife Act of 2001 and enthusiasts are required to obtain permits to keep reptiles legally. Physical markets were traditionally the main source of live reptiles, but some illegal wildlife traders suspected to have been displaced by successful enforcement actions have increasingly turned to online platforms to continue their illicit trading activities. Facebook is an immensely popular social networking website with more than 47 million active monthly users in the Philippines. Recognising the increasing importance of Facebook in live reptile trade, TRAFFIC researchers conducted a three-month survey from June-August 2016 to elucidate current trade dynamics, analyse trends, and identify areas for future work. CITES trade data for non-native reptiles imported to the Philippines from 2005-2016 were also analysed to determine species and quantities imported into the country over the 12-year period. A total of 2245 unique live reptile advertisements representing 115 taxa and a minimum of 5082 individuals were posted by 1046 traders in 90 pre-selected Facebook groups. The cumulative membership (i.e. summed membership without removing people who were members of multiple groups) in the 90 Facebook groups at the beginning of the survey was 359 328, but quickly increased by 11% within three months. The estimated potential value of all advertised reptiles recorded during this study was PHP26 451 345 (USD570 148). The results of this study were shared by TRAFFIC with the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and Facebook to augment their trade data and for follow-up action. The top 10 most commonly-traded species alone accounted for 82% of all animals recorded to be offered for sale on Facebook. Thirty four percent of traded taxa are native and legally protected in the Philippines, including the two Critically Endangered Philippine Forest Turtles Siebenrockiella leytensis offered. Practically all available native specimens found for sale were likely collected illegally from the wild since there are no credible commercial captive breeding programmes in the country. Based on current Philippine wildlife law and regulations, at least 80% of documented online traders in this study were deemed involved, knowingly or otherwise, in illegal trading activities. Research also showed that within Metro Manila, the preferred method of parties to finalise a transaction is to meet at a pre-arranged place such as at the trader's residence, pet center or train station. Philippines also reported the import of 6078 live non-native reptiles representing 72 taxa, from 25 countries between 2005-2016. Fifty two percent of taxa (n = 60) available in trade were internationally regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Five non-native CITES Appendix I-listed reptiles, representing 36 animals were also recorded for trade in the 90 Facebook groups. None of them had importation records, according to the BMB, and were therefore traded illegally. This includes the 20 Critically Endangered Radiated Tortoises Astrochelys radiata endemic to Madagascar and the seven Endangered Big-headed Turtles Platysternon megacephalum. Further, 33 non-native CITES Appendix II-listed species were also offered for sale on Facebook. Of these, 28 individuals from eight species had no importation records since 1981, meaning they were very likely acquired and being traded illegally. The availability of non-native species, including CITES Appendix I-listed taxa, without legal importation records suggests smugglers exploited loopholes in the implementation of Philippine wildlife and Customs rules and regulations. The weak implementation of wildlife law and corruption, where there have been recent reported cases with airport personnel facilitating trade, are factors affecting wildlife trade governance at seaports and airports. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) anti-illegal wildlife trade efforts will continue to be undermined unless import/export loopholes are addressed and those individuals involved are held accountable to the full extent of the law. The trade also directly threatens native and endemic reptiles due to unabated wildlife poaching throughout the country. Details: Selangor, Malaysia: TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, 2018. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 1, 2018 at: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/27803939/1516283835030/Facebook-Reptile-Trade-Philippines.pdf?token=CejcV%2BesSUguyxJBC0RKP5hWCVc%3D Year: 2018 Country: Philippines Keywords: Animal Poaching Shelf Number: 148958 |
Author: Latonero, Mark Title: Technology and Labor Trafficking in a Network Society. General Overview, Emerging Innovations, and Philippines Case Study Summary: While interviewing survivors of labor trafficking for this report, researchers heard from a young woman in the Philippines who applied for domestic work in the Middle East. She recounted the way her friend, already working abroad, had called and sent texts of encouragement and eventually put her in touch with a recruiter. She was promised that her documents would be arranged with an employer before her flight to begin work. Upon her departure, the recruiter said that plans had changed. She was told her work papers and airline ticket would be issued in Malaysia. The woman was put on a boat and spent over a week crossing the Sulu Sea from one island to another. She was isolated. Her only means of communication was her mobile phone. Not wanting to worry her family (they had high hopes for her employment), she communicated only with her friend, asking for advice and reassurance. Even if she had been able to access the Internet, it is unclear whether she possessed the skills or knowledge to search for the appropriate online resources. Once in Malaysia, she was put into a van with others. While traveling to an unknown destination they were apprehended by police. Interrogated and imprisoned, the young woman managed to sneak her phone into jail and made one last call. Finally, the friend passed along word of her plight and the Philippine government intervened. After a month in prison she was repatriated and is currently in a rehabilitation shelter in Manila. This report finds that isolation from the technologies and social networks that connect individuals to support and services is an indicator and risk factor for labor trafficking. Stories of isolation are unfortunately common in cases of labor trafficking. What is striking in the case above is the central role played by technology. The woman's mobile device both connects and disconnects her from illegal recruiters, employers, family, friends, social services, and assistance. This speaks to the larger premise of this report - new information and communication technologies (ICT's) have become an integral part of the networks that underpin labor trafficking in the 21st Century. Yet little research exists on the impact of technology in exacerbating or addressing the isolation, fraud, force, and/or coercion so often at the heart of trafficking cases. There is a lack of evidence-based research on any relationship between technology and labor trafficking either within or across national borders. To effectively intervene in labor trafficking, the impact of technology needs to be addressed by policy makers, governments, NGOs, researchers, and the private sector. Throughout the world, the rapid diffusion of technologies, such as social media, mobile devices, and the Internet, is impacting social, economic, and political life at an unprecedented scale. We live in a "network society" where technology and the flow of information are crucial forces of global social change. The network perspective helps us examine labor trafficking in a new way - not only as an economic, regulatory, or legal problem but as an issue driven by the technologies connecting networks of actors. This research report is the first to investigate the relationship between technology and labor trafficking. This project began in early 2014 and was made possible by a grant from Humanity United. The research builds upon the Technology and Human Trafficking Initiative, launched in 2010 at the Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy at the University of Southern California. The evidence gathered and analyzed in this report is based on public documents, websites, interviews with key stakeholders in the US and internationally, and fieldwork in the Philippines. With little previous research on the topic, this study is inherently exploratory. Thus this report's primary goal is to frame technology's impact on labor trafficking and to establish a set of definitions, theories, terms, themes, recommendations, and principles that can guide future research and policy. Details: Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, 2015. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 9, 2018 at: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/files/2015/10/USC_Tech-and-Labor-Trafficking_Feb2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Philippines Keywords: Domestic Workers Shelf Number: 149415 |
Author: Yllana, Grace R. Title: Watchdogs that do not Bite, Nets that do not Catch, and 'Perps' Policing Themselves: Why Anti-corruption Multi-level Governance Efforts Fail in the Philippines Summary: The transnational nature of grand corruption in developing countries, and its resistance to the onslaught of Anti-Corruption Multi-Level Governance (ACMLG) efforts over the past two decades, has been an increasing source of concern for the international community. More disturbing is why, despite vast resources devoted to such efforts, have corruption levels not gone down, particularly in the Philippines, a country celebrated for its return to democracy with the advent of the People Power Revolution that ousted the Marcos dictatorship. The hypothesis that ACMLG does not lower levels of corruption is tested by comparing and contrasting one country, the Philippines with five other countries of similar background to see what may account for similarity or differences in ACMLG outcomes. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are used in comparing the presence and activities of AC MLG such as international and national legal frameworks, government programs and agencies, and civil society participation to corruption indices reported by Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, World Bank World Governance Indicator for Control of Corruption, Global Financial Integrity's Flow of Illicit Funds Index, Global Integrity Scorecard corruption score and the Bertelsmann Transformation Index. In addition, Philippine economic, social, and political correlates of corruption are compared and contrasted with select countries. This research finds the economy and not politics or culture, to be the biggest predictor of corruption. Differences in elite behavior are also a predictor of corruption and area for more research. This answers in part why intensive political institution building has not produced the intended results in the short term. Moreover, this research found that ACMLG efforts did not factor in the reality of state capture by predatory elites in developing countries. It lacks logic to expect the main beneficiaries of corruption to themselves take action against their own interest. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by mapping and correlating relevant ACMLG efforts with measured levels of corruption to answer the question of whether or not and why such efforts have failed. The gaps in the body of knowledge in current anti-corruption strategies unearthed by this research brought forth new solutions. For example, the use of US qui tam laws, also known as Lincoln's law, enabling private citizens to have standing in filing suit on behalf of the state, may help curb corruption in developing countries. Since this research found the core problem to be the unlikelihood of having the most powerful and corrupt to file suit against themselves, qui tam laws can potentially be the solution to this fundamental problem. Adam Smith's and James Madison's "greed to counter greed" formulation inspires this research's idea of "bounty hunters" tracking and recovering illicit wealth, cost being the biggest reason for failure. This research prescribes pre-emptive actions by reallocating resources from information and self evaluation strategies to successful litigations by shifting the burden of responsibility to multinationals, banks and financial institutions in first world countries, which are often the harbingers of and havens for stolen wealth. Also prescribed is an economic thrust to ACMLG efforts, such as debt forgiveness and restructurings as overlooked prescriptions and possibly the most effective anti-corruption initiatives. Details: Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati, 2013. 584p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 17, 2018 at: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/pg_10?0::NO:10:P10_ETD_SUBID:89945 Year: 2013 Country: Philippines Keywords: Bribery Shelf Number: 150251 |
Author: Naufal, George Title: Exploitation and the Decision to Migrate: The Role of Abuse and Unfavorable Working Conditions in Filipina Domestic Workers' Desire to Return Abroad Summary: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries host at least 2.4 million foreign domestic workers, who are legally excluded from national labor laws and regulations, thus placing them in precarious social, legal, and economic conditions in the GCC labor markets. Despite the recent growth of academic scholarship on domestic work in the GCC and beyond, little attention has been paid to absconding foreign domestic workers and the complex role abuse plays in determining their future decision to migrate. This paper examines the likelihood that Filipina domestic workers will migrate after absconding from their previous employer. Applying a unique dataset of absconding Filipina domestic workers collected at the Philippine Labor Office (POLO) in Qatar between 2013 - 2015, we find that abuse and poor working conditions do not act as deterrents for future migration. Paradoxically, absconding domestic workers who have been financially abused are more likely to want to return and seek employment abroad. This study offers empirical and theoretical insights into the connection between migrant exploitation and domestic workers' desire to migrate once again. Details: Bonn: Institute of labor Economics (IZA), 2018. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper No. 11677: Accessed August, 24 2018 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp11677.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Philippines Keywords: Abuse Shelf Number: 151251 |
Author: Santos, Soliman M., Jr. Title: Primed and Purposeful: Armed Groups and Human Security Efforts in the Philippines Summary: A joint publication of the South-South Network for Non-State Armed Group Engagement and the Small Arms Survey At the centre of this book are the 'primed and purposeful' protagonists of the Philippines' two major internal armed conflicts: the nationwide Communist insurgency and the Moro insurgency in the Muslim part of Mindanao. Steeped in first-hand knowledge of the conflicts and containing the most detailed, insider-informed group profiles available, this book offers a deeper understanding of the country's many armed groups-from the ideologically driven and militarily strong to the opportunistic and criminal. Part One covers: the various peace processes and negotiations; ceasefires; counter-terrorism; disarmament, demobilization, and integration into the armed forces and police; and small arms control. Part Two comprises detailed profiles of 14 rebel or non-state armed groups in the Philippines. The groups are neither static nor easily classifiable. The profiles provide a snapshot of the groups and are offered as guides to constructive engagement where possible. This volume argues that while these non-state armed groups and their offshoots are undoubtedly part of the human security problem in the Philippines, they must also be part of the solution. Details: Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2010. 474p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 19, 2018 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/D-Book-series/book-12-Philippines/SAS-Armed-Groups-Human-Security-Efforts-Philippines.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Philippines Keywords: Firearms Shelf Number: 151587 |
Author: Santiago Oreta, Jennifer Title: Gun Proliferation and Violence: Complicating Conflict Dynamics and Peace Building Summary: The discourse on gun proliferation has often been about finding ways to stop the mounting arm-related hostility that has taken away countless lives and dreams. Inevitably, it leads to the question of how much and to what extent arms proliferation has become the stimulating factor as well as consequence of violence afflicting a society. In our search for solutions that might work, we are led to deal with issues that are very complex. In the peace process, the matter of armaments has been an issue to be addressed both on the peace tables and on the ground. Communities have time and again taken a stand in between warring factions or armed groups, such as the peace zones three decades ago to the peace pens and the zones of peace in recent times. On the peace tables, the issue of armaments is being dealt with in an upfront and forthright manner now more than ever. We know that, in relation to and beyond the issue of arms, we have to deal with the roots of conflict. Inevitably, we have to address the fundamental issues of poverty and good governance, and the peoples ability to trust in their government and to believe that the future can still be brighter. The further complication arises when and where it becomes difficult to separate between the arms that fuel conflict and the arms that fuel crimes. Across different peace tables, this is mutually acknowledged as a complex situation needing mutual cooperation and mutually-reached solutions. However, the already confusing situation can get worse with much help from reckless media reporting. Fortunately, the strident call to abandon peace talks at one time has been met with an even firmer resolve to pursue the peaceful path, by no less than our President, Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Guns, to most people, represent security and power. The peace process is about relocating the locus of that security and that power from arms that maim and kill, to the heart and tradition of communities that create and honor life. The leadership of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has brought about a shift in perspective in peace and security. Peace is not just the absence of war or conflict, but is the sum total of the conditions that ensure human and social well-being in all its dimensions. This is the core theme of the government's Philippine Development Plan for 2011 to 2016, where a specific chapter on Peace and Security (Chapter 9) is included. Details: Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Department of Political Science, OPAPP, UNDP Country Office in the Philippines, 2017. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2018 at: http://www.securityreforminitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Gun-OPAPP-Pub_Revised-Prepress_060712.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Philippines Keywords: Gun Violence Shelf Number: 153407 |
Author: Anttila-Hughes, Jesse K Title: Climate of Discontent: Weather, Typhoons, and Crime in the Philippines, 1990-2008 Summary: We combine nineteen years of regional Filipino crime data with climate data to test three distinct hypotheses regarding climate variability's influence on crime. Mirroring recent results in the climate and conflict literature, we find that high temperatures are nonlinearly associated with increases in the murder rate. Consistent with the literature suggesting a causal link between poverty and crime, we find that climate conditions associated with low crop yields increase rates of property crimes. Lastly, we find that tropical cyclones increase property crime rates the year following impact, consistent with prior evidence suggesting that cyclones' poverty effects are substantial but take time to emerge. Our findings demonstrate that climate variability can influence crime rates through multiple distinct economic and noneconomic channels in a middle-income country, and in particular support both the growing consensus that high temperatures increase rates of interpersonal violence as well as a causal interpretation of poverty's association with property crime. Details: San Francisco, CA: University of San Francisco, Department of Economics, 2015. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 21, 2018 at: file:///C:/Users/AuthUser/Downloads/ClimateOfDiscontentWeatherTyphoons_preview.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Philippines Keywords: Climate Change Shelf Number: 153336 |
Author: Bjorkman Nyqvist, Martina Title: Understanding Human Trafficking Using Victim-Level Data Summary: Quantitative research on human trafficking is scant due to lack of data. This study makes use of a unique survey we collected on former victims of trafficking and vulnerable women and girls in the Philippines. We start by exploring the correlates of trafficking and show that household composition (in particular the presence of older sisters) and plausibly exogenous measures of health and economic shocks predict the likelihood of being tracked. We then study the effects of trafficking on victims' intertemporal and risk preferences using entropy balancing. We find that trafficking victims are not differentially patient, but they are more risk-loving. Our novel data and findings are pertinent to the design of policies intending to prevent trafficking and reintegrate victims. Details: London: Centre for Economic Policy Research, 2018. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Paper DP13279: Accessed February 15, 2019 at: https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=13279 Year: 2018 Country: Philippines Keywords: Child Labor Shelf Number: 154615 |
Author: Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Title: Philippines: I'll kill you along with drug addicts - President Duterte's war on human rights defenders in the Philippines Summary: The Philippines has the unflattering reputation of being one of the most dangerous countries in the world for human rights defenders. Human rights defenders in the Philippines, particularly land and environmental rights defenders, have historically been the target of extrajudicial killings and other abuses as a result of their work. For more than a decade, United Nations (UN) human rights mechanisms have expressed concern over the Philippines' poor human rights record, and in recent years, increasing attention has been brought to the plight of human rights defenders in the country. Since President Rodrigo Duterte took office on June 30, 2016, the government has taken measures that have actively contributed to an increasingly hostile environment for human rights defenders. Of particular concern is the large number of defenders who continue to be killed as a result of their work. From July 2016 to November 2018, at least 76 land and environmental rights defenders, 12 journalists, and several civil society and labour activists were killed in relation to their work. They have also been subjected to attacks, threats, and acts of intimidation. Meanwhile, members of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) have been harassed and their mandate called into question. The credibility of UN experts has similarly been attacked with slandering of UN officials. In the political sphere, the Department of Justice has pursued criminal charges against a number of Duterte's political opponents who had taken strong pro-human rights stances. In particular, Senator Leila de Lima and Senator Antonio Trillanes have both been arrested and face spurious charges. This report documents the dramatic deterioration of the situation for human rights defenders under Duterte, which is the direct result of his administration's disregard for human rights. The worsening situation for human rights defenders has been exacerbated by Duterte's violent rhetoric and the ongoing 'war on drugs,' the continued impunity for human rights abuses under his presidency, and the imposition of martial law over the entire island of Mindanao since May 2017. In order to support the research necessary for the preparation of this report, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders ('the Observatory') conducted a 10-day mission to the Philippines in August 2017 to gain a comprehensive understanding of the political dynamics and the environment in which human rights defenders operate in the Philippines. Members of the mission met with representatives of civil society, government officials, and foreign diplomats in both Manila and Davao City. This report also makes numerous recommendations to improve the situation for human rights defenders in the Philippines. Details: Geneva, SWIT: The Author, 2019. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 5, 2019 at: http://www.omct.org/files/2019/02/25257/philipppines_hrd_report_2019.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Philippines Keywords: Drug Addicts Shelf Number: 154805 |
Author: Maguire, Edward Title: Baseline Assessment for Project Lantern Summary: This report presents the findings from a study conducted in October 2006 to examine sexual trafficking in minors in Cebu, Philippines. The study was conducted by Crime and Justice Analysts, Inc. (CJA), an independent research and evaluation firm specializing in criminology and criminal justice. The International Justice Mission (IJM) retained CJA to support its work in reducing the number of sex trafficking victims by conducting a formal, scientific study collecting quantitative data that will help measure the impact of a new initiative, Project Lantern. The project is designed to reduce the incidence of sex trafficking in the target area by strengthening local capacity to successfully locate, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators, thereby leading to increased expectations of criminal sanctions for violating trafficking laws. The baseline study described here is the first of three waves of data collection designed to measure the availability of sex-trafficking victims in Cebu. Together, these three waves will be used by IJM and its contractors to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. IJM provided CJA with a list of eight indicators or proxies intended to measure the availability of child sex trafficking victims. CJA then deployed a team of 10 people (including eight investigators, one data collection expert, and one security expert) to the Philippines for training and data collection. The eight investigators each spent seven (and in some cases eight) nights visiting bars, brothels, massage parlors, malls, a red light district, and other locations where people seeking sex go to find prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. The eight investigators posed as sex tourists and sought out prostituted or commercially exploited minors. They engaged in training on age estimation and used a number of age-confirmation processes to determine whether someone was in fact a minor. While conducting their covert observations, the investigators systematically collected data on a number of variables having to do with the people they were meeting and the places they were visiting. As they gathered the necessary data, they submitted it regularly to a centralized command center using cellular telephones (either by voice or by text). The data were entered into a series of databases by a data coordinator at the command center. Those databases, as well as the qualitative field notes written by the investigators at the end of their shifts, constitute the primary data sources for the findings presented in this report. During the course of the study, the investigators made 84 visits to bars, 12 visits to brothels, 19 visits to massage parlors, 16 visits (walk-throughs) to malls, and four visits to a busy red-light district. Out of the 94 bars, brothels, and massage parlors visited by the investigators (some were visited multiple times), commercially exploited minors were located in 35. Altogether, the investigators observed approximately 1,550 prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. Of these, 103 (6.6%) were confirmed as minors. Across all attempts to locate minors, it took our investigative teams, on average, 113 minutes to locate a minor. The report presents a more detailed look at the study's findings. The results of the baseline study confirm the presence of prostituted or commercially exploited minors in Cebu. Although our investigators routinely encountered token resistance to their efforts to find minors, the fact that they were able to find them so quickly and so easily suggests that there are many to be found. The investigators were unable, despite their best efforts, to locate prostituted or commercially exploited preteens; most of the minors we discovered were 16 or 17 years old. Our findings also suggest that minors come to be employed in the sex trade through different routes, although all of them are considered "trafficking victims" under Philippine law. Some appear to seek the work out of economic necessity; several minors told us they forged their paperwork to get the job. Others fit the more conventional image of a sex trafficking victim in the sense that they were taken involuntarily from their homes, they are moved around to work in different cities depending on customer demand, and they show visible signs of maltreatment and poor living conditions. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the extent to which criminological interventions like Project Lantern have been subjected to independent, external evaluation to assess their effectiveness. The new emphasis on evaluation research is part of a larger movement in several disciplines toward "evidence-based" policymaking. We applaud IJM and the Gates Foundation for their willingness to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. The result will be an increased understanding of sexual trafficking in minors and hopefully an enhanced capacity to implement effective solutions. Details: Fairfax, VA: Crime and Justice Analysts, 2007. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2019 at: Rutgers Criminal Justice Library. Year: 2007 Country: Philippines Keywords: Brothels Shelf Number: 155953 |
Author: Maguire, Edward Title: Wave 2 Assessment for Project Lantern Summary: This report presents the findings from a study conducted in August 2008 to examine sexual trafficking in minors in Cebu, Philippines. The study was conducted by Crime and Justice Analysts, Inc. (CJA), an independent research and evaluation firm specializing in criminology and criminal justice. The International Justice Mission (IJM) retained CJA to support its work in reducing the number of child sex trafficking victims by conducting a formal, scientific study collecting quantitative data that will help measure the impact of its Project Lantern initiative. The project is designed to reduce the incidence of child sex trafficking in the target area by strengthening local capacity to successfully locate, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators, thereby leading to increased expectations of criminal sanctions for violating trafficking laws. The wave 2 study described here is the second of three waves of data collection designed to measure the availability of child sex-trafficking victims in Cebu. Wave 1 of this study was conducted in October 2006. Together, these three waves will be used by IJM and its contractors to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. IJM provided CJA with a list of eight indicators or proxies intended to measure the availability of child sex trafficking victims. During wave 2, CJA deployed a team of 11 people (including eight investigators, two data collection staff, and one security director) to the Philippines for training and data collection. The eight investigators each spent eight (and in some cases nine) nights visiting bars, brothels, massage parlors, malls, a red light district, and other locations where people seeking sex go to find prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. The eight investigators engaged in training on age estimation and used a number of age-confirmation processes to determine whether someone was in fact a minor. They then posed as sex tourists and sought out prostituted or commercially exploited minors. While conducting their covert observations, the investigators systematically collected data on a number of variables having to do with the people they were meeting and the places they were visiting. As they gathered the necessary data, they submitted it regularly to a centralized command center using cellular telephones (either by voice or by text). The data were entered into a master database by two data coordinators at the command center. This database, the qualitative field notes written by the investigators at the end of their shifts, and photographs and audio/visual footage taken of suspected and confirmed minors, constitute the primary data sources for the findings presented in this report. During the course of the study, the investigators undertook 88 visits to bars, 4 visits to brothels, 10 visits to massage parlors, 8 visits (walk-throughs) to malls, 2 street encounters, 9 pimp encounters, and 8 dates. Out of the 69 bars, 3 brothels, and 10 massage parlors visited by the investigators (some were visited multiple times), commercially exploited minors were located in 15. Altogether, the investigators observed approximately 1,335 prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. Of these, 29 (2.2%) were confirmed as minors. Across all attempts to locate minors, it took our investigative teams, on average, 5 hours and 15 minutes to locate a minor. The report presents a more detailed look at the study's findings. The results of the baseline (wave 1) study confirmed the presence of prostituted or commercially exploited minors in Cebu. Wave 2 of the study also confirmed the presence of prostituted or commercially exploited minors in Cebu, though in reduced numbers: 29 (2.2%) in wave 2 compared to 103 (6.6%) in wave 1. Our investigators routinely encountered token resistance to their efforts to find minors in wave 1. It took a greater amount of time for our investigators to locate minors during wave 2, suggesting that the prevalence of minors in the sex trade has decreased. As in wave 1, the investigators were unable, despite their best efforts, to locate prostituted or commercially exploited preteens; most of the minors we discovered were 16 or 17 years old. Based on our interviews with minors, we know that many enter the sex trade through different routes, although all of them are considered "trafficking victims" under Philippine law. Some appear to seek out the work out of economic necessity; several minors told us they forged their paperwork to get the job. Others fit the more conventional image of a sex trafficking victim in the sense that they were taken involuntarily from their homes, they are moved around to work in different cities depending on customer demand, and they show visible signs of maltreatment and poor living conditions. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the extent to which criminological interventions like Project Lantern have been subjected to independent, external evaluation to assess their effectiveness. The new emphasis on evaluation research is part of a larger movement in several disciplines toward "evidence-based" policymaking. We applaud IJM and the Gates Foundation for their willingness to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. The result will be an increased understanding of sexual trafficking in minors, and hopefully an enhanced capacity to implement effective solutions. Details: Fairfax, VA: Crime and Justice Analytics, 2009. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2019 at: Rutgers Criminal Justice Library. Year: 2009 Country: Philippines Keywords: Brothels Shelf Number: 155955 |
Author: Maguire, Edward Title: Wave 3 Assessment for Project Lantern Summary: This report presents the findings from a study conducted in May 2010 to examine sexual trafficking of minors in Cebu, Philippines. The study was conducted by Crime and Justice Analysts, Inc. (CJA), an independent research and evaluation firm specializing in crime and criminal justice issues. International Justice Mission (IJM) retained CJA to support its work in reducing the number of child sex trafficking victims by conducting a formal, scientific study collecting quantitative data to help measure the impact of its Project Lantern initiative. The project is designed to reduce the incidence of child sex trafficking in the target area by strengthening local capacity to successfully locate, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators, thereby leading to increased expectations of criminal sanctions for violating trafficking laws. The wave 3 study described in this report is the final of three waves of data collection designed to measure the availability of child sex-trafficking victims in Cebu. Wave 1 of this study was conducted in October of 2006 and wave 2 was conducted in August 2008. We also present findings here comparing data across the three waves of data collection. Together these three waves of data will be used by IJM and its contractors to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. IJM provided CJA with a list of eight indicators or proxies intended to measure the availability of child sex trafficking victims. During wave 3, CJA deployed a team of 11 people (including eight investigators, two data collection staff, and one security director) to the Philippines for training and data collection. The eight investigators each spent seven nights visiting bars, brothels, massage parlors, malls, red light districts, and other locations where people seeking sex go to find prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. The eight investigators engaged in training on age estimation and used a number of age-confirmation processes to determine whether someone was in fact a minor. They then posed as sex tourists and sought out prostituted or commercially exploited minors. While conducting their covert observations, the investigators systematically collected data on a number of variables having to do with the people they were meeting and the places they were visiting. As they gathered the necessary data, they submitted it regularly to a centralized command center using cellular telephones (either by voice or text). The data were entered into a master database by two data coordinators at the command center. This database, the qualitative field notes written by the investigators at the end of their shifts, and photographs and audio/visual footage taken of suspected and confirmed minors, constitute the primary data sources for the findings presented in this report. During the course of the wave 3 study, the investigators undertook 114 visits to bars, 7 visits to brothels, 8 visits to massage parlors, 12 visits to malls, 13 street encounters, 8 pimp encounters, and 6 dates. Out of the 68 bars, 5 brothels, and 8 massage parlors visited by the investigators (some were visited multiple times), commercially exploited minors were located in 10. Altogether, the investigators observed approximately 1,369 prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. Of these, 21 (1.5%) were confirmed as minors. Across all attempts to locate minors, it took our investigative teams, on average, 7 hours and 29 minutes to locate a minor. This report presents detailed findings from wave 3, while also providing an overview of findings from all waves of the study. Results from the wave 1 and 2 studies confirmed the presence of prostituted or commercially exploited minors in Cebu. Wave 3 also confirmed the presence of prostituted or commercially exploited minors in Cebu, though in reduced numbers: 21 (1.5%) in wave 3 compared to 29 (2.2%) in wave 2, and 103 (6.6%) in wave 1. Our investigators routinely encountered token resistance to their efforts to find minors in wave 1. It took longer for our investigators to locate minors during wave 2. During wave 3, investigators found locating minors to be even more difficult than in the two previous waves, suggesting that the prevalence of minors in the sex trade has decreased over time. As in waves 1 and 2, the investigators were unable, despite their best efforts, to locate prostituted or commercially exploited preteens. The majority of minors discovered across all three waves of this study were 16 or 17 years old. Based on our interviews with minors, we know that many enter the sex trade through different routes, although all of them are considered "trafficking victims" under Philippine law. Some appear to seek out the work out of economic necessity; several minors told us they forged their paperwork to get the job. Others fit the more conventional image of a sex trafficking victim in the sense that they were taken involuntarily from their homes, they are moved around to work in different cities depending on customer demand, and they show visible signs of maltreatment and poor living conditions. Over the past decade there has been an increase in the extent to which criminological interventions like Project Lantern have been subjected to independent, external evaluation to assess their effectiveness. The new emphasis on evaluation research is part of a larger movement in several disciplines toward "evidence-based" policymaking. We applaud IJM and the Gates Foundation for their willingness to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. This investment in quantitative research is sorely needed to shed light on human trafficking, a topic about which much has been written but little is known. Even relatively straightforward questions like whether prosecuting traffickers will reduce trafficking have still not been settled. For instance, one commentator noted "there is little evidence that prosecutions have any significant impact on aggregate levels of trafficking." The culmination of the Project Lantern evaluation will help improve knowledge about sexual trafficking in minors, and contribute to an enhanced capacity to implement effective solutions. Details: Fairfax, VA: Crime and Justice Analysts, 2010. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2019 at: Rutgers Criminal Justice Library. Year: 2010 Country: Philippines Keywords: Brothels Shelf Number: 155954 |
Author: Haarr, Robin Title: Evaluation of the Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children in the Philippines: 2003-2015 Summary: The overall goal of International Justice Mission's (IJMs) Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children in the Philippines was to reduce the prevalence of child sex trafficking in the three project areas by addressing specific gaps that exist in the local public justice system. IJM's primary strategy was to support and build the capacity of public justice system actors to enforce anti-human trafficking laws and provide quality aftercare to child sex trafficking victims through the government and other relevant stakeholders. In the three project areas, IJM's Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children focused on three common outcomes: -Increased capacity, will and mandate of regional and national Philippine law enforcement to investigate and intervene in suspected sex trafficking cases; -Increased quantity and quality of child sex trafficking prosecutions in the Philippines, resulting in an increase in the number of convictions; -Increased capacity of Philippine government and private social service providers to process sex-trafficking survivors immediately post-rescue, provide trauma-informed care and reintegrate sex trafficking survivors into local communities. IJM's Program was premised on a Theory of Change (ToC) that evolved over time. In essence, the ToC was that improving enforcement of anti-human trafficking laws would increase the prosecution and conviction of traffickers, leading to an increased deterrence from sex trafficking and resulting in reduced prevalence of child sex trafficking. The ToC was also premised on the understanding that by improving government aftercare services and delivery of those services to sex trafficking victims, IJM would be able to increase victim recovery, reintegration, and restoration. Evaluation Objectives: The objectives of this external evaluation are to assess the relevance, effectiveness, and impact of IJM's Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children in the Philippines during the period of 2003 to June 2016, as well as to assess the potential for sustainability of results achieved. Evaluation Methods and Processes: To ensure that the evaluation approach was as thorough and reliable as possible, different analytical tools and data collection methods were utilized (evaluation methods were in keeping with the Terms of Reference for this consultancy). These included: -Desk review of IJM documents, training materials, evaluations, and prevalence studies related to their Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children in the Philippines; -Analysis of data from IJM's Casework Tracking Management System (CTMS); -Consultations with IJM management and staff from Headquarters (HQ) in Washington, DC USA and the Philippines Field Offices (FO) in Cebu, Manila, and Pampanga; -In-depth interviews with IJM management and staff; -In-depth interviews with IJM's partners and stakeholders; -Consultation on preliminary findings and conclusions with IJM HQ and Philippines FO management and staff. Details: Washington, DC: International Justice Mission, 2017. 211p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2019 at: https://www.ijm.org/documents/studies/philippines-csec-program-evaluation.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Philippines Keywords: Anti-Human Trafficking Shelf Number: 156545 |
Author: Kennert, Matthias Title: A Militarized Political Weapon: The Philippines' War on Drugs Summary: Since July 2016, communities in the Philippines have been subjected to a violent nationwide police crackdown on illegal drugs, which has courted international condemnation and prompted a possible investigation to be opened by the International Criminal Court. The Philippine leader, Rodrigo Duterte, who took office as president in June 2016, rose to political power on the back of promises to end the country's 'drug crisis'. The illicit drug economy of the Philippines exists - and thrives - owing to the complicity of law-enforcement agents, politicians and the military with the drug-trade networks. Ironically, the very people who are tasked with tackling the country's illicit drug trades are instead colluding and cooperating with drug traders for their own financial gain. Police officers, soldiers and politicians of all ranks have assembled a protective net around the country's drug markets for their own economic benefit, in what has become a highly enmeshed narco-political web. The chief of the Philippines National Police (PNP) has claimed that more than 300 of his officers are conspirators in the drug business, while the president of the Philippines, Duterte, in 2016 named five police generals as playing a central role in sustaining the drug trade. The sheer scale of this collusion led some members of the security sector to comment: 'When the [drug war] campaign started, we realized that the problem was bigger than expected, with many branches of the political system deeply entrenched in the drug trade.' Details: Geneva: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2019. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 24, 2019 at: https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/TGIATOC-Drug-related-violence-in-the-Philippines-report-1938-web-2.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Philippines Keywords: Drug Enforcement Shelf Number: 156608 |
Author: Shaw, Dave Title: Child Sex Trafficking in Metro Manila: Using Time-Space Sampling to Measure Prevalence of Child Sex Trafficking in Metro Manila, the Philippines Summary: Introduction: This report presents the results of a 2016 study to measure the prevalence of child sex trafficking in establishments and street-based exploitation in District 5 of Manila City, Makati, Paraaque, Pasay and Quezon City in the Philippines. The study was conducted by International Justice Mission in February and March 2016. The Wave 3 study described here is the third of three planned waves of data collection designed to measure the availability of child sex trafficking victims in Metro Manila. Understanding the current nature and scale of child sex trafficking phenomenon is critical to an effective response. However, very little reliable data regarding the phenomenon is available. Past estimates of the prevalence of child sex trafficking in the Philippines, and Metro Manila more specifically, vary widely. The U.S. State Department's 2006 Human Rights Report cites estimates from NGOs that 60,000-100,000 were trafficked for sex in the Philippines annually, but no information is given as to how those estimates were developed (U.S. State Department, 2006). A 2013 policy brief by the Philippine Commission on Women cites an unidentified 2009 study that estimated there were 800,000 CSWs in the Philippines, half of whom were children (Philippine Commission on Women, 2013). Accurate assessment of child sex trafficking in the Philippines is difficult because children exploited for sex are a "hidden" population due to the clandestine nature of the crime. These studies are an attempt to provide accurate data on child sex trafficking in Metro Manila by systematically identifying, documenting and analyzing current cases of child sex trafficking in the target area. This data will assist IJM, other anti-trafficking NGOs and the Philippine Government in measuring and evaluating the impact of past anti-trafficking efforts, as well as in guiding future initiatives. Details: Washington, DC: International Justice Mission, 2016. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2019 at: https://www.ijm.org/documents/studies/ijm-manila-final-web-v2.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Philippines Keywords: Anti-Trafficking Shelf Number: 156593 |
Author: Desierto, Desiree A. Title: Grand Corruption by Public Officials: Measuring Theft and Bribery Summary: A public official that has discretionary power over the government budget can obtain rents by stealing government revenues or receiving bribe payments in exchange for spending those revenues. When the official steals revenues, she foregoes the bribes she could have earned had she spent the revenues instead. Because theft and bribery are thus jointly determined, a reduced-form approach cannot reveal the extent of corruption, nor the true cost to social welfare. I propose a structural approach in which the direct effect of government revenues on the public official's accumulated wealth measures the rents she earns from theft, while its indirect effect through public spending measures the rents she earns from bribery. I demonstrate the method using asset declarations of municipal mayors from the Philippines. I find that government revenues increase the mayors' rents from theft, but decrease their bribe-rents to a sufficiently large extent such that total rents decrease. Details: Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2019. 90p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 15, 2019 at: https://desireedesierto.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/desiertomarch2019.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Philippines Keywords: Bribery Shelf Number: 156980 |