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Sexual Health Exchange, 1998 - no. 1

Combating sexual exploitation at the macro and micro levels

The Third World Movement against the Exploitation of Women (TW-MAE-W), an international NGO with headquarters based in the Philippines, does advocacy on global issues (e.g., root causes of exploitation) and campaigns against sex tourism and military prostitution. In 1987 TW-MAE-W began providing direct services at the local level.

Getting to know the community

As part of a programme called "Encounter Meals," Sister Mary Soledad Perpiñan (Sister Sol) asked cigarette vendors to invite bar girls to the parish hall to share a meal so they could get to know one another better. Sister Sol was able to learn what the women wanted in their lives and to suggest other ways to earn an income. The programme really got going after Brother Andrew, head of La Salle University, offered scholarships to learn computer work to a mama san (brothel manager), her daughter and two bar girls.

From this small beginning, TW-MAE-W created seven dropin centres and three homes around the country, run by 35 female staffmembers. In addition, the Bethany Transition Home in Quezon City, Manila, houses 10-20 women, all of whom have outside jobs.

Sister Sol is the only fulltime nun working on the project, but her congregation, the Good Shepherd Sisters, has young sisters (novices) who stay in the homes on Tuesday nights. The young nuns also work with the girls during the week and some weekends. Male seminarians conduct psychosocial and theology sessions in the home. This allows the young women to learn how to relate platonically to men, i.e., in a manner other than as sex clients. The seminarians also learn about feminism and women's issues from the girls, thereby ensuring mutual education on gender sensitivity.

Learning new ways

The girls (some as young as 13 years) and women who come to the homes and centres have all been exploited in some way. They may be battered wives, survivors of incest or girls who have been sold or tricked into the sex trade. They reach TW-MAE-W in various ways. Some request the chance to come themselves by calling a telephone hotline for sexual abuse victims; others are referred by social workers and NGOs. Many of the girls are orphans or come from broken homes.

981CombatingAt the NGO Forum on Women in Huairou, China, TW-MAE-W survivors´ group performed "They are so Sweet, Sir", a play on internationa l sex trafficking based on the book by that title and their own experiences

 

When they first arrive in the Quezon City home, the young women take part in a threemonth "recuperative course". Rather than being required to work they are given a chance to rest and participate in group dynamics. They attend psychosocial sessions in which they can talk about their problems, get to know one another and distance themselves from the situation they have just left behind. They are invited on field trips and even visit relevant meetings held at the university. They also take classes on basic literacy and numeracy.

After the introductory period, the girls are asked what they would like to do. According to their goals, they are asked if they want to continue their education (e.g., completing primary school grade 6, going to high school or getting some vocational training) or to get a job. Some of the girls are given the chance to work in the centres or homes, e.g., as a receptionist or group aide. Inhouse vocational training is given as well. Some years ago, a couturier who was a person living with AIDS came to live at the Quezon City home. In gratitude for the care he received, he taught the girls sewing. The sewing machines in the home are now used for further training. Other incomegenerating projects include beekeeping (honey production), candlemaking, catering and Chinese massage (using a professional massage table). One woman who left the home now runs a homeservice massage business.

Basic health services are provided to the residents and dropin centre clients. Once yearly, women are offered the chance to participate in pretest HIV counselling. If they decide to have a test it is given free of the normal 800 peso charge by the Department of Health. Posttest counselling is also given. The Manila home currently has one woman and her threeyearold son who are HIV-positive.

To broaden their interests, the girls are encouraged to concern themselves with other issues. Presently, for example, they are being instructed about the El Niño environmental phenomenon, being urged to conserve water in the dropin centres and homes. They  participate in political and social issues as well. Some girls do public advocacy work against the sex trade, publicly telling their stories; they also participate in AIDSrelated activities, e.g., helping organize the Quezon City International AIDS Candlelight Memorial and Mobilization celebration every May in collaboration with local government.

Sister Mary Soledad Perpiñan, Third World Movement against the Exploitation of Women, 41 Rajah Matanda, Project 4, Quezon City 1109, Philippines; Tel. 63-2-913-9255; Fax: 63-2-913-6435; e-mail: Sol@phil.gn.apc.org

 


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