Home Causes Effects Solutions Life Stories References About Us Interactives

 

CAUSES

Attending school is not an option for many of the families in the Philippines. Most families do not make enough money to be able to pay for their children’s schooling. With no education, the only job opportunities available are those that only provide low-income. With limited education or no education at all, the families have less resources for advancement. In order for the families to be able to make money, many families send their children away from home and into the urban areas. When girls move into the urban areas to try to find work, recruiters “inform” them of the “trade” in manipulative ways so that the young women do not understand what is really going on and what is truly held in store for them. Those that were trafficked, fell into the system between the ages of 16 and early 20s. (Santos, Aida F. Belarmino, Noreen. Ignacio, Raquel B.)

Just like the girls that did not have any education, there are also girls that had the chance to attend elementary school, high school or college but could not finish due to different problems with money or in their family life. These girls are easily manipulated as well. In the case of one girl when asked about her travel documentation, she answered, “None. And I didn’t look for one [document] because I didn’t know anything about procedure, all I knew was that I was going to Japan.” (Santos, Aida F. Belarmino, Noreen. Ignacio, Raquel B.) The same question was asked of another young woman. She answered, “He didn’t ask for anything from me, he said he’d take care of all my papers, which were all faked.” ( Santos, Aida F. Belarmino, Noreen. Ignacio, Raquel B.)

This happened to most of the girls. They were promised help or were only given parts of what their job included. Those that were guaranteed decent jobs ended up working in nightclubs and bars. Nevertheless, in each woman’s circumstance, they were lied to. Each were made to believe that going into the trade would give them the security of high income and housing privileges. However, when they reached their destination, they ended up in another country and received only a small fraction of what they were promised in the beginning. Others were told that their transportation there would be provided and taken care of, but instead, the payment was taken from their paycheck. (Santos, Aida F. Belarmino, Noreen. Ignacio, Raquel B.)