Creation of a Red Light District in the Philippines
Daydreamer
CREATION OF A RED LIGHT DISTRICT IN THE PHILIPPINES The term red light district first appeared in print back in 1894 in an article from The Sandusky Register, a newspaper from Sandusky, Ohio. According to the author of the article, Paul Wellman, the phrase red light district along with other terms associated to the American Old West originated from Dodge City, Kansas that homed the most well known prostitution district in the 19th century including the Red Light Saloon. In modern history, the phrase red light district is often linked with De Wallen, Amsterdam, which is home to the largest, most popular red light district in the world. However, red light district is actually a general term that means district or area where sex-related industries thrive or flourish. Among the industries or businesses usually present in these districts are brothels, sex shops, sex museums, etc. There are several countries across the world that have legalized prostitution and created a red light district in the process and then there are some, where the sex industry is merely tolerated. However in countries like the Philippines, prostitution is not legal despite it being very widespread. It is estimated by the government and NGOs that more than 800,000 people are involved in prostitution in the Philippines alone. Of those 800,000, around 60,000-80,000 are children. These numbers aren’t representative of Filipinos being trafficked to other countries as sex workers or Filipinos who aren’t being accounted for. Statistics show that most of these people who are being trafficked come from the rural area and are living in impoverished areas. Despite efforts from several NGOs, both local and foreign, prostitution and sex trafficking continue to be a growing industry in the Philippines. Even the Philippine government has already taken steps to combat this growing industry but from little to no avail, which now begs the question, should we continue this uphill battle to
CREATION OF A RED LIGHT DISTRICT IN THE PHILIPPINES The term red light district first appeared in print back in 1894 in an article from The Sandusky Register, a newspaper from Sandusky, Ohio. According to the author of the article, Paul Wellman, the phrase red light district along with other terms associated to the American Old West originated from Dodge City, Kansas that homed the most well known prostitution district in the 19th century including the Red Light Saloon. In modern history, the phrase red light district is often linked with De Wallen, Amsterdam, which is home to the largest, most popular red light district in the world. However, red light district is actually a general term that means district or area where sex-related industries thrive or flourish. Among the industries or businesses usually present in these districts are brothels, sex shops, sex museums, etc. There are several countries across the world that have legalized prostitution and created a red light district in the process and then there are some, where the sex industry is merely tolerated. However in countries like the Philippines, prostitution is not legal despite it being very widespread. It is estimated by the government and NGOs that more than 800,000 people are involved in prostitution in the Philippines alone. Of those 800,000, around 60,000-80,000 are children. These numbers aren’t representative of Filipinos being trafficked to other countries as sex workers or Filipinos who aren’t being accounted for. Statistics show that most of these people who are being trafficked come from the rural area and are living in impoverished areas. Despite efforts from several NGOs, both local and foreign, prostitution and sex trafficking continue to be a growing industry in the Philippines. Even the Philippine government has already taken steps to combat this growing industry but from little to no avail, which now begs the question, should we continue this uphill battle to
References: Legalizing Prostitution is Violence Against Women-GABRIELA Philippines. (n.d.). GABRIELA Philippines-Militant Women 's Movement in the Philippines. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://www.gabrielaph.com/2012/10/22/legalizing-prostitution-is-violence-against-women/ Anti-trafficking operations - CNN.com. (n.d.). CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/06/world/asia/freedom-fighters-record/index.html Basa, M. (n.d.). Should the PH legalize prostitution?. News | Multimedia | Citizen Journalism | Social Media - RAPPLER. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/33-editors-pick-moveph/15103-should-the-ph-legalize-prostitution Coorlim, L. (n.d.). Undercover journalists trawl Manila 's seedy red light district - CNN.com. CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/06/world/asia/freedom-fighters-undercover Filipinos.. (n.d.). 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES - CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY. Chan Robles Virtual Law Library :: www.chanrobles.com :: CHANROBLES and ASSOCIATES LAW FIRM. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://www.chanrobles.com/article2.htm#.Ui49Wby6ztY How the Red Light District of Amsterdam came to be.. (n.d.). Amsterdam Red Light District Guide. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://www.red-light-district-amsterdam.com/red-light-district.html Human trafficking: Preying on the most vulnerable - CNN.com. (n.d.). CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/08/world/asia/freedom-fighters-stats/index.html Ilagan, L. (n.d.). OPINION | Legalizing prostitution means legitimizing violence against women - InterAksyon.com. InterAksyon - Philippine News Online. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://www.interaksyon.com/article/47105/opinion--legalizing-prostitution-means-legitimizing-violence-against-women Patria, K. (n.d.). Legalize prostitution, UN urges PH - Yahoo! News Philippines. Yahoo! Philippines News - Live 2013 Philippine Elections News Updates and Results. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://ph.news.yahoo.com/legalize-prostitution--un-urges-ph.html Coorlim, L. (Director). (2013). The Fighters [Documentary]. USA: CNN.