CATW-AP executive director Jean Enriquez

19 August 09 – The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Philippines-based Coalition Against Trafficking in Women- Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) conducted the first ever all-male youth workshop on gender sensitivity in Thailand on May 9-10.

Lynette Corporal/IPS – Of those who applied for slots, 30 university students from Bangkok were selected to participate. CATW-AP executive director Jean Enriquez talks to IPS about the significance and impact of the workshop on changing the misconceptions of men about women and helping put a stop to violence against women.

This is the first time that a workshop on gender sensitivity was held for males in Thailand. How did the idea come about?

UNIFEM initiated the project, and we understand (it was) also inspired by the presentation we made at its conference on ’Men as Partners to End Violence Against Women’ on Sep. 3-4, 2007, where a young male graduate of our camps spoke.

Our project in the Philippines started in 2004. We have since conducted eight camps across the country involving 350 young men. This was followed by camps on ’Gender Issues, Sexuality and Prostitution’ for young women to address their vulnerability to sex trafficking. The graduates of the camps have become advocates (against) sexual violence and have created a multiplier effect as they mobilise at least 100 to 300 more young people to every forum they organise.

Based on what the participants in Thailand shared during the workshop, how would you describe the views of young Thai men on gender sensitivity as compared to other men in other Asian countries?

What actually stood out is the similarity in terms of socialisation. It is clear that patriarchal values cut across races. There are numerous efforts to help women, children, perhaps even men in the sex industry in Thailand. But efforts to challenge buying/consumption, and therefore this component of the demand side to sex trafficking, is still wanting. An enabling environment coming from the academe, government and civil society that widely critiques male consumption of sexually trafficked persons would facilitate young people’s understanding that there is a norm among duty-bearers to oppose such practices.

How do Thai men view issues of gender equality, homosexuality and masculinity?

Homosexuality is not a difficult issue for young Thai men, who recognize that homosexuals have rights similar to heterosexuals. Particularly challenging for them is removing ideas that blame women victims of rape and prostitution. There are strong beliefs among them that women want or provoke rape. The massive sexualisation of women’s images in media shapes their inclination to believe that women want sexual violence.

What other misconceptions about gender-based violence surfaced during the workshop?

That women enjoy pornography and are being used in the sex industry, that men should earn more than women, and that women should primarily perform housework.

What are the dangers of young men seeing themselves as ’protectors’ and ’helpers’ of women who have been subjected to various kinds of violence. Shouldn’t they instead see women as ’equals’?

Chivalrous ideas — which are still underpinned by views that men are strong and women are weak — are the normalised definitions of ’gentlemanhood’. Some may come from positive values as respect, but the training asserted that those have to be reinvestigated (to see if there are) assumed weakness on the part of women and assumed strength and privilege on the part of men.

As for proposals for concrete actions on fighting violence against women, the training included, for example, a proposal such as “don’t assume that women want to be protected; rather ask if (they) need help”. One should act based on capacities and skills on observed forms of violence against women. Collective actions are encouraged.

What kind of feedback and commitment did you get from the participants at the end of the workshop?

The feedback (from the participants) was very heartening. They expressed interest in working with CATW-AP and UNIFEM. Many young students want further training. They even want to come to the Philippines, having heard of our long-term programmes. Many admitted to acts they deem are violative of women and committed to start (correcting their actions).

A basic parameter of the training is creating a conducive and safe space for young men to share and reflect on their socialisation, thinking, beliefs and behaviour, so as to facilitate authentic redefinition of masculinities towards more positive relations with themselves, (the) women around them, other sectors considered marginalised (i.e., children, homosexuals, etc), and society at large.

Your future plans? Will there be future workshops in rural areas as well?

JE: We hope we can get involved in training other stakeholders such as teachers in rural areas in Thailand. We would not pretend that we can learn the (Thai) language quickly to be able to train young people in the rural areas; learning the language is crucial. In our experience, it has not been difficult to reach out to schools in the rural areas.

This feature was produced by IPS Asia-Pacific under a series on gender and development, with the support of UNIFEM East and South-east Asia Regional Office

source: Human Rights Tribune

Alma Bulawan, President of Buklod-Olongapo, a survivors’ group in the Philippines, has been awarded yesterday by Soroptimist International as one of its 12 Unsung Women Heroes Awardees.

Bulawan is a survivor who changed her life and now helps women in prostitution in the Olongapo-Subic area change theirs. Alma advocates for a different future for these women through education, social and livelihood alternatives that do not lock them in lives of sexual and economic exploitation.

Another awardee is a staff of another CATW-AP member organization, DAWN. Her name is Mary Joy E. Barcelona: a survivor of sexual trafficking who was hounded by the “Japayuki” stigma. Learning of her rights as a woman, Mary Joy endeavored to get a college education; now, she coordinates an Alternative Livelihood Program and helps women with similar experiences, inspiring them to be triumphant survivors of life.

Related news : Extraordinary achievements of ordinary women honored

Activist Jean Enrique speaks in Vancouver yesterday.

Many women in desperate situations are forced into the sex trade to survive, and until poverty and addiction are addressed women will continue to have to sell their bodies.

This was the message of several international feminist activists, who were at the downtown YWCA yesterday for an event hosted by the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter.

Jean Enriquez, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women-Asia Pacific, said when other options aren’t available, some women turn to prostitution.

“Because the Philippines is one of the major suppliers of domestic workers and caregivers (abroad), there will be a lot of them displaced and they will be vulnerable to prostitution,” she said.

Young Sook Cho, president of the Centre Of Human Rights in Korea, said Vancouver plays a direct role in the trafficking and prostitution of foreign women because many of them are lured here under the guise of a better life.

METRONEWS.CA

MANILA, Philippines – The upcoming Second Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in Manila, would do nothing more but sell Filipino workers to the world, the leader of a union-organizing group for migrants in Hong Kong said.

According to Josua Mata, secretary-general of the Alliance for Progressive Labor (APL), the Philippine government would be keen on enticing other countries to employ OFWs.

“It’s a huge jobs fair for our government. I strongly suspect that our government’s interest is basically to try to forge bilateral agreements and find new markets for our primary export – the workers,” Mata told GMANews.TV on Friday.

The APL leader doubted if the results of the two-day forum would truly benefit Filipino workers because the GFMD is a non-binding and non-committal forum.

“It may produce tons of documents and very little else,” he added.

During the GFMD’s launch in March, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr, said that the government would assure that the forum would not be another “talk shop” of foreign leaders.

Conejos, who serves as the forum chairman, said they would take out the ‘politics’ in the meeting and instead invite “high-level policy practitioners” and migration experts in the discussions that would stretch from October 27 to 30.

He noted that the Philippines needs to impress upon other countries that the government is bent on safeguarding the welfare of Filipinos overseas so that their respective governments will also follow suit.

Mata said that the Philippine government had already signed numerous agreements with other countries but very few of them have been implemented.

“In reality, the migrant workers won’t get anything from that forum,” he said.

Jean Enriquez of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women echoed Mata’s cynicism toward the upcoming GFMD.

“I might be the most cynical among the migrant groups here,” Enriquez said during the launch of the People’s Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights in Quezon City.

“The government has its own interest and that is to send more Filipino workers abroad,” she added.

According to Enriquez, the government’s goal of sending out 1 million Filipino workers every year reflects its policy on making overseas migration a permanent solution to the economic development of the country.

Meanwhile, Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy, said that they would hold a rally from October 22 to 30 at Rajah Sulayman Park to hold the Peoples’ Global Action on Migration Development and Human Rights.

According to her, they hope to trumpet the cause of Filipino migrant workers who have been treated as “disposable and cheap” foreign workers.

The Philippines was unanimously chosen by participating countries to host the 2nd GFMD from Oct. 27-30 after Brussels hosted the first forum last year.

It is also the first and only Asian country so far invited to host the event, next to Greece, Argentina, and Spain. – MARK JOSEPH UBALDE, GMANews.TV

Labor and migrant workers’ group are set to gather this month in Manila to call on the government to once and for all prioritize the overseas Filipinos’ rights while depending on their remittances to save the country’s falling economy.

“The Peoples’ Global Action strongly urge the Philippine government, along with the rest of the government participants in the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), to desist viewing migration principally in economic terms and as national development strategies, while pushing back the protection of migrant workers’ basic human rights and interest in the international migration agenda,” the group said in a statement.

The 2nd GFMD, which was launched by President Arroyo in Malacañang, focused on “human capital development” and labor mobility. The forum is also an opportunity for the Philippine government to negotiate with other member governments for overseas job opportunities.

“Opening salvo ito. Basically to make a public announcement na this month mayroong mga global events that are taking place here and we are also taking part in all of these,” said Ellene Sana of the Center for Migrant Advocacy.

Focus on overseas workers’ rights

The People’s Global Action (PGA), a collaboration of dozens of international and local migrant workers and labor groups, announced in a forum in Quezon City Friday a series of activities, including protests, which will focus on overseas workers’ human rights.

Sana said their group sees a limited space for civil society groups and organizations in the GFMD mainly because the assertion is that the forum is an “intergovernmental process, informal, voluntary and non-binding.”

“Para siyang talking shop and in fact, they said they will be dealing with practical things, doable things. Very limited and direct interaction with GOs [government organizations]. Primarily ‘yon ang sinasagot ng parallel event namin to give a venue for more participation for civil society in taking of the issues of migration. Ang daming issue diyan. It’s not even confined to the three main issues that government identified sa GFMD,” Sana said.

The events will kick off October 22 at the Rajah Sulayman Park in Manila.

The group said the government should make sure that the overseas workers’ human rights are protected before thinking of profits maintaining that “migrant workers are human beings, not commodities.”

Given that migration is a global phenomenon, the government should not only concern itself with maximizing the benefits and minimizing its negative impact.

“Ang contentions namin hindi mo puwedeng hindi ugatin ‘yon kasi hindi mo maso-solve yung paikot-ikot na problema ng migration. Definitely ‘yong mobility we respect that,” she said adding “unfortunately ‘yon ang frame ng discussion ng GFMD. Hindi sila mag-uusap ng mga pag-uugat. Ang pag-uusap nila it can be something na country to another country. Ano bang practical nating mapa-project?” said Sana.

The government must recognize the pressing needs of the 8.7 million overseas Filipinos.

“Kailangan mayroon ka din konkretong gawin para ‘yong kanilang araw-araw na pamumuhay, as well as taking into considerations the families they left behind, hindi magiging ka-unbearable ang situations,” said Sana.

She believes that there should also be an assessment on the progress of talks.

“Are we making progress especially on the protection part? Kailangan ito kasi this is an expensive talking shop,” she said.

Labor export vs local unemployment

The PGA also scored the government’s “labor export policy,” which the group viewed as an unfortunate twist to President Arroyo’s platform propaganda of providing decent jobs to Filipinos.

Jean Enriquez of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) said the statistics would show that the government is indeed implementing the labor export policy instead of generating local employment.

“Ang taunang target ng pamahalaan ay magkaroon ng 1.5 milyong trabaho. Lumalabas sa labor force survey na nag-ge-generate na trabaho mula noong 2006-2007 ay 200,000 at walang kasiguruhan ng trabaho ditto,” Enriquez said.

“Yung 1M ay trabaho patungo sa labas ng bansa at ito ay taunang target ng POEA [Philippine Overseas Employment Administration]. Kung may ganitong target ang POEA klaro na ito ang kanyang patakaran, ito ang pumapaloob sa mahigit 1M target ng pamahalaan na trabaho para sa ating mga Pilipino,” said Enriquez.

Filipinos who are not able to find jobs in the Philippines are forced to take the risk of working abroad. The group stressed that they are not against migration, but insisted that it should not be a “forced migration.”

“Migrant workers, especially women and the undocumented have been subject to a long history of human rights violations, gender oppression, unjust and even inhumane, labor conditions, and discrimination,” the group said.

Studies have shown that despite earning bigger salaries abroad, an overseas worker usually goes home to a broken family.

“The spouses and children they left behind have borne the brunt of separation, if not the breakdown, of their families, the full effects which we have yet to see and feel generations down the line,” the group said.

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