Volume 14, Number 2, December 2004

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Philippines

Angel (not her real name) was first sexually abused by her uncle when she was eight years old. At that time, Angel was working rather than going to school, selling sampaguita flowers on the streets of Metro Manila to help support her family. When her uncle began abusing her, she was so ashamed that she chose not to tell anyone in her family. Later, when he began selling her to strangers, she decided to run away and live on the streets. After a few months of stretched existence, she found herself living in a shelter with other children who were lucky enough to find refuge from the streets.

Melissa Ward , BS, conducted field studies in the Philippines for four months in 2002 on this topic. For the past one and a half years, she has been in South America with a long-term service project.

Jini L. Roby, JD, MSW MS, is from the School of Social Work, Brigham Young University. Jini Roby has researched trafficking in the U.S., the Pacific, and Africa.