Kassandra Weierke
February 3, 2012
GWS 220 02
Paper One
Kamag-anak
The Philippines is a country of
Islands located on Southeast Asia. It’s a striking place of natural wonders
with 65% mountains and narrow coastal lowlands. (Ipswich, 2001.) These narrow coastal
lowlands have strings of coral-fringed islands across the Western Pacific and
some amazing diving and snorkeling sites. The beautiful tropical climate has
stunning landscapes including white-sand beaches and palm trees. Among the
wonders of the Philippines, in Southeast Asia, there is a great deal of poverty
that affects its families, especially women and children. Due to the economic
crunch the traditional family in the Philippines is no longer the same.
Family’s, parents and children, are being split apart for work some leaving by
choice, some traded, and sold. Many women and children are being mistreated and
being abused physically, sexually, and mentally. Also the families that are not
leaving for work are faced with poor nutrition and frightening medical care.
The
population in the Philippines in 2000 was 76.5 million residents. (Ipswich,
2001.) With this high population 55% live below the poverty line. (Walter &
Desai, 2003.)In the average household there are 5.3 family members with the
average age of marriages being 24. In 2000 only 30 million were in the work
force with a vast majority working in agriculture. (Ipswich, 2001.) 55% of the
women in Philippines are working in a variety of places including industries
(12%), agricultures (25%), and services (64 %.) (Seager, 2009.) The national language is Pilipino, which is
based on Tagalog, and many also speak English because it is spoken in higher
education as well as the government. (Ipswich, 2001.)
Kamag-anak is
Filipino for a typical Filipino family is close knit. (Epstein, 2008.)A family
that is close knit consists of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and even cousins. Many
times men believe their masculinity comes from having many children often times
they have affairs or even long-term relations with other women. Their wives are to just cope with it and
accept what their husbands are doing, because divorce is illegal to most
besides the 5% Muslim population. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)The president in
the Philippines is a devoted catholic and believes that divorce is against the
will of the lord, “A man and a woman who became one cannot be separated,” so
those that are catholic it is illegal to be divorced. Since Muslims do not
follow the catholic views they legally can be divorced. (Charlie) Generally in
a family the male figure is the main financial provider and the female is to
stay home and take care of the children, and house hold work. (Epstein, 2008.)The
economic crisis in the Philippines is changing the tradition family where both
women and men are working, but the women are still expected to take care of the
children and the household tasks. (Epstein,
2008.)In other situation the female is working and the Father is staying home
but the mother is still to care for the house and their children. (Epstein,
2008.) On average women make 32% of what men are making. (Parrenas, R.S.
2002.).
Children in
the Philippines are facing difficult times as well because of the economic
crunch in the country. Many children are starving, malnourished, and drop out
of school. The education is still free
for elementary and high school but the number of children attending is
dropping. There are 13 million elementary children and of that only 11 million
are enrolled in school. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)Children between the ages of
12 and 18, 4 out of 10 children are not in school and 6 of 10 reach and
complete their fourth year of school. (Epstein,
2008.) Only 20% of elementary persons go on to college. (De Leon, 2011) In 2010-2011 the educational system in the
Philippines was ranked 69th out of 138 economics in the education system, in
math and science 112th. (De Leon, 2011) The Philippines education
system is not the typical k-12 that we have in the U.S. they have a 10 year
schooling. (Dizon, 2011)The public health systems maybe free but because of the
overpopulations many classrooms are overcrowded and lack supplies. An example is at the Batasan Hills national
High School in the Philippines the average class size is 90 students and most
students have to sit of the floor because of the lack of chairs. (Dizon, 2011)
In the
Philippines there are many violations of child rights in the country’s economic
state. Child labor was still high in
1995 with 5 million children working in poor unsafe conditions, risking their
health and life to survive. (Epstein, 2008.)Most of these children are
violated, abused, and sexually taken advantage of. (Epstein, 2008.)Many
children are not even allowed to leave the work place at any time. According to ILP Philippines has some of the
worst child labor including, trafficking, child prostitution, pornography, pornographic
performance, and also using them in illegal activities. (Epstein, 2008.)The
societal and economic crisis factors in the use of children for labor. Philippines
is over populated, poverty stricken, high unemployment rates, poor educational
system, the political instability and many others, all these factors contribute
greatly in the disgusting conditions these children work in. (Epstein, 2008.)According
to the labor laws children must be 15 or older to work but many are under the
age of 15. Many families are using children under the age of 15, for domestic
work with little pay and they are confined to the home of their employers. (Epstein,
2008.)Many young girls that are in the face of poverty dream of marrying foreigners
and working aboard to help improve the situations they have come accustom too.
Some of the girls that do go abroad and marry foreigners end up in worse
situations of being abused and battered,
prostituted, abandon, divorced or even dead. (Epstein, 2008.)
Young girls are not only being trafficked abroad but
they are also being trafficked in the own boarder lines they call home. It is
believed that over 1 million children are sold every year for trafficking. (Walter
& Desai, 2003.).) Due to deprivation
in finances, dysfunctional families, the high rate of materialistic wants, peer
pressure, cultural factors, gender issues, and lack of information from
“recruiters” to buy children, cause these Filipino children to be so exposed to
trafficking. (Epstein, 2008.)These “recruiters” are talking about the desirable
chances in different countries and Filipino families are signing contracts in
Dutch that doesn’t promise anything. (Walter
& Desai, 2003.) These contracts of employment are usually for five years or
more at a time with very little time off and no extra money to visit home.
(Parrenas, R.S. 2002.). Once these
young girls and women arrive in new countries they become slaves working in private
homes or in the sex industry with many different levels of control with little
or no pay. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)Trafficking for sexual functions usual
target young girls from the age groups 7 to 16; they are from poor families
that are not able to attend college, and most of these girls were previously
used for domestic work. (Epstein, 2008.)
The female child is to help with taking care
of the younger relatives, cooking, and taking care of the household. (Epstein,
2008.)Many family’s value a child as “to pay the family debts,” which is
allowing children, mainly girls, to be offered to their landowner as a way to
pay of any debt. (Epstein, 2008.)These girls that are given in order to pay a
debt end up being servants and most the time are sexually manipulated. (Epstein,
2008.) Some children in areas that are highly populated with rebels are
recruited to join their rebel groups and used as combaters, spies, cooks or for
the medical crew. (Epstein, 2008.)Most the time these children are killed in
the conflicts between government and rebel wars.
Child abuse is in many forms including
sexual, physical, child exploitation, child labor, prostitution, and
pornography. (Epstein, 2008.) Child abuse and neglect is high in the Philippines
and often time goes unreported. Families generally don’t support the female
that was abused because most cases are rape cases from relatives. Most of the perpetrators are family members,
19% of rape cases were the girls own fathers, 11% uncles, 4% bothers, and 1%
grandfathers. (Epstein, 2008.)Only 5% of sexually abuse cases where from total
strangers. (Epstein, 2008.) In 2007 out of the child abuse cases 77% were rape,
16% physical abused, 2% physical with sexual abuse, and 1% neglect. (CPU, 2007)
Out of the four types of abuse above (rape, physical abuse, physical with
sexual abuse, and neglect) are mostly done to females. 98% of sexual abuse case,
67% neglect cases, and 47% of physical abuse cases are gender specific to
females. (CPU, 2007)
The women in the Philippines have some
different chances and also many barriers.
Women are still low paid, but the females that have not faced terrible
obstacles are more likely from wealthy and prominent families. (Walter &
Desai, 2003.)Even though many employment opportunities are opening up for women
they are still reduced to the lower paying jobs such as: maids and nannies; teaching
and nursing professions. (Walter & Desai, 2003.).) Gender bias still plays
a role in women receiving a job over a male; males are still more likely to
receive a job than a woman. In the high
positions of private companies women are more likely to have jobs as vice
president or treasurers because the biases way of thinking that woman are more
honest than a male. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)The women who are not so lucky
to work in a private business are most likely to work in agriculture or street
vendors. Some of these small venders only have an inventory of $50 dollars. (Walter
& Desai, 2003.) Women who are lucky enough to find employment in their
country are mostly likely are pressured to accept male advances of sexual
harassment just for job security and sometimes even promotions. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)No jobs are safe
from sexual harassment in the Philippines. Few women join the military but many
that do even report cases of sexual harassment and abuse. (Walter & Desai,
2003.)Domestic works, chambermaids in hotel also are harassed not just by their
employers but also by the clients. Many times they are asked to “Lie down or be
laid off.” (Walter & Desai, 2003.)
The poverty is so high in this country many
women and their children are paying the consequences. Many are migrating to other countries to work
as maids, “entertainers”, or nurses. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)The money these
women send back is benefiting their family financial but the children are
emotional damaged. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)The Philippines has become so
reliant on this transcontinental exchanged that this countries politics are
being reluctant to ensure the women’s safety and many are still being illegally
trafficked. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)
In 1999 these foreign currencies were close to $7 billion. (Parrenas, R.S.
2002.) Since the Philippines government is so corrupted with constant
investments going to other nations they now relay on the high foreign currency
provide by many Filipino women. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)
Many doctors
and nurses are migrating to other countries to help their families financial;
because of this the county has a major shortage of health care providers. The
statistics show that for every 24,417 people there is one doctor and to every
22,309 there is one nurse. (Epstein, 2008.)AIDS statistic has been increasing
because of illegal prostitutions. Many male tourist travel to the Philippines
for sex and even form organized sex tours. Most of the tourist want young women
and children due to the fact they are “less likely” to have any sort of
infection. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)There is a myth that is going around the Philippines
that the only way to cure AIDS is to sleep with a virgin, which is exposing
many young girls to contract AIDS. (Walter & Desai, 2003.) Eating disorders
in this country are not common but there are many malnourished and underweight
because of the lack of food. It is believed that 70-80% of children are
malnourished and 50% of women are anemic.
(Walter & Desai, 2003.)The lack of food and increasing number of
pregnancy is causing women to be more inclined to get cancer. Also the poor
environmental conditions in parts of the country have polluted water from
industrial waste products from companies, air pollution, smoking, and the high
carcinogens in the work place have increased the number or patients with
cancer. (Walter & Desai, 2003.)
This country is in a financial crisis that is
affecting the entire populations. Families are being forced apart to financial
support their children’s needs. Children are being forced to work illegally and
in poor life threatening conditions. Women and children are being mistreated
and abused physically, sexually, and mentally. The families that remain in the Philippines
are lacking the proper nutrition and medical attention they need and deserve.
Charlie, E. (n.d.). The legalization of divorce in the Philippines
76.
CPU.
(2007). Facts and figures: Child abuse child protection unit network 2007
De
Leon, M. V. (2011, June 15). Philippine education ranked 'poor'. Retrieved
Dizon,
D. (2011, June 06). Ph education system not ready for k 12. Retrieved
Epstein,
I. (2008). The greenwood encyclopedia of children's issues worldwide.
(Vol. 1, pp. 347-357).Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Ipswich, M. A. (2001). Philippines, background notes on countries
of the world 2003.
Academic Search Premier, Accessed January 31, 2012.
Parrenas,
R.S. (2002). Human sacrifices: What happens when women migrate and
Leave families behind? The
case of the Philippines raises some troubling questions.
Women's Review of Books,
19(5), 16.
Seager, J. (2009). The penguin atlas of women of the world. (4th
ed., p. 112,120).
Penguin Books.
Walter, L., & Desai, M. (2003). The greenwood encyclopedia of
women's issues worldwide:
Asia and Oceania. (Vol. 1,
pp. 417-435). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
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