Manila, Philippines – The Philippines has been removed from the Tier 2 Watchlist of the Trafficking in Persons Report released this week by the US State Department. The annual report tracks the progress of countries around the world in their efforts and policies to cut down on human trafficking. The Philippines has been identified as a source, destination and transit country for men, women, and children who are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.

For the past two years, the Philippines was tagged as “Tier 2 — Watch List”, a rating which meant that the government had failed to show evidence of trying to meet minimum standards set out in the internationally recognized Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Another Watch List rating would have meant the withdrawal of at least $500 million dollar worth of non-humanitarian aid from the US government.

Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, executive director of the Visayan Forum (VF), an anti-trafficking NGO says that the upgrade is a direct result of the government’s aggressive efforts to expedite the resolution of trafficking cases within 180 days after arraignment. “Within one year, there were 25 trafficking convictions, almost twice the total number of convictions during the past seven years.” “This is proof that with serious political will, through the allocation of budget and personnel, and vigorous partnership with NGOS to prosecute perpetrators and protect victims, we can win the war against trafficking,” Oebanda added.

In December 2010, Congress appropriated $550,000 in the 2011 national budget to fund, for the first time, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s anti-trafficking programs.

Ruby Ramores, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) programme officer said, “It is truly a relief. A consistent collaborative effort across all government agencies is needed to ensure that we stay off the watch list.” According to Ramores, the government and NGOs should work together to address the remaining challenges such as the need to sharpen the provisions of R.A. 9208 known as the anti-trafficking law such as the confidentiality clause which right now applies both the victims and the traffickers.

Filipina Honored as Trafficking in Persons 2011 Hero

In related news, Darlene Pajarito, assistant city prosecutor in Zamboanga City was cited by the US State Department as a 2011 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Hero. Pajarito secured the Philippines’ first sex trafficking conviction in 2005 and the first labor trafficking conviction in 2011. Pajarito has secured more convictions in Zamboanga than have been handed down in any other Philippine city and is recognized as one of the most formidable anti-trafficking advocates in the country.

Each year, the US State Department honors individuals around the world who are dedicated to ending trafficking by protecting victims, punishing offenders and increasing awareness about this modern day form of slavery.

        

By Elizabeth Fox, Sex and Sensibilities.com summer intern

Awesome. Strong. Amazing. Fierce. Incredible.

Women across the world are on a quest to embody these words, to become, as is said in Pinoy slang, “astig”. From Manhattan to Manila, women are asking difficult questions and making bold choices—often leading to big adventures—all in an effort to realize the best, truest version of themselves.

Tweet Sering is no different. Effectively the Filipino Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love), Sering also went on a year-long journey—but instead of going abroad Gilbert-style, Sering, identifying her childhood as the source of the confusion and struggle she had experienced in adulthood, returned to her parents’ home and resolved to stay until, for the first time, she could be truly happy there. At the end of her year, she emerged—not entirely unscathed, but certainly stronger, more self aware, and definitely astig.

Through her journey, Sering kept a blog entitled “I Just Wanna Be an Astigirl” which detailed her thoughts, realizations, and experiences. This March, the blog became a book— Astigirl: A Grown Girl Living on her Own Terms—and on Tuesday May 3^rd, Sex and Sensibilities had the pleasure of teaming up with Sering in “Talk SASsy to Me, Astigirl”, the second in the “Talk SASsy to Me” series of  girl power lectures. In a packed Bo’s Coffee, Sering and a crowd of her fans gathered as she discussed her book, her year at home, observations of modern women, and shared some advice to all of us trying to become more astig.

One of the biggest issues Sering addressed at her talk was today’s incredibly common trend of intra-female competition, or, as she said on Tuesday, argument over “who has the most handsome boyfriend, who is the prettiest, who has the best jeans” and so forth. Women everywhere are trying to overtake their fellow women and sometimes even their friends—a tendency which Sering attributes to the traditional “second class citizen” status of women. “Women are just trying to get to the top, where the male, the alpha is, and in doing so they battle against each other, try to bring each other down,” she said. “But really, what’s so great about being the only woman in your company? Shouldn’t that be a bad thing? Shouldn’t we want all women to be successful; to change the status of women?”

Sering encouraged the audience to find female role models, saying, “Astigirls uphold other women.” Female role models have had a huge influence on Sering’s life, notably American actress, activist, and astigirl Angelina Jolie, and Filipina Josefina G. Belmonte-Alimurung, Vice Mayor of Quezon City.

Sering also encouraged astigirls to fight passionately for the causes they believe in—concluding the evening by announcing her SASsy new campaign: the “Astigirl 100”. If you sell 100 copies of Astigirl by June 1, P10,000 will go to the cause of your choice—be it women, children, animals, the environment—anything! And, if you are unable to sell 100 copies, each book will get you a P50 donation.

All the proceeds from books sold on Tuesday went to the H.E.R.O. Foundation (Help Educate and Rear Orphans of soldiers killed in action), the chosen cause of our very own Ana Santos (founder of SAS).

“Talk SASsy to Me, Astigirl” was the second event in “Talk SASsy to Me”, an ongoing series of girl power talks hosted by Sex and Sensibilities. As Santos discussed in her introduction, Sex and Sensibilities is often thought of as solely a sexual health website, but in reality it is much more. “It is about sex and it is about sexual health, but it’s also about this idea of being SASsy and smart,” said Santos. “The relationship you have with yourself should be rooted on a good dose of self-esteem and self-worth. All other decisions you make about your life and how you see others are based on how you see yourself.”

She couldn’t have chosen, therefore, a better speaker than Sering. As Sering once said, “I hope that we realize that the biggest stumbling block to our own success is really ourselves. It’s not the government, our partners, children, bosses, parents, siblings, the church, society, or anything outside of ourselves. I hope we can collectively stop acting like victims and start acting like victors. Personal accountability, I have learned, is one of the hallmarks of true power.”

That’s SASs and that’s astig—when you put them together you get amazing, strong, true, and independent women.

Astigirl: A Grown Girl Living on her Own Terms is available at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4 (hardbound and paperback) and Powerbooks Alabang Town Center (paperback only). Hardbound price is P799. Paperback is P585.

Visit Tweet’s blog to learn more about her, her journey, and the Astigirl 100!

        

by Elizabeth Fox, Sex and Sensibilities.com student intern

Real men know how to start a fire. Real men know how to make a meal. Real men do their own laundry. Real men are distrustful of robots.

You get the idea. But now, thanks to the DNA foundation, there’s a new phrase in this series: Real men don’t buy girls.

The DNA (Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher) Foundation, which was created by the famous duo in order to raise awareness about global human trafficking, challenge the mindsets that perpetuate the industry, and aid trafficking victims, launched a new interactive video campaign this week entitled “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls.” The videos, which focus their condemnation on female sex trafficking, feature some prominent celebrities as they demonstrate their “real man” abilities. In “Real Men Prefer a Close Shave,” for example, Justin Timberlake shaves with a chainsaw. In “Real Men Know How to Use an Iron,” Sean Penn irons himself…a grilled cheese sandwich. In “Real Men are Distrustful of Robots”—well, you’ll have to see for yourself. At the close of each movie, a picture of the real man in question joins a veritable hall of fame of real men—Tom Selleck, Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, and so on. To top it off, add the “Real Men” app on Facebook and you can even put a photo of yourself into one of the movies.

The campaign is, admittedly, little goofy—after all, it is Ashton Kutcher; what else could we expect?—but below the surface silliness is a serious issue. According to the DNA Foundation website, over 12 million people worldwide—men, women, and children—have been trafficked and currently live in modern-day slavery. These innocent people are enslaved for many purposes, including but not limited to prostitution, pornography, forced labor, and indentured servitude.

The Philippines, according to a 2008 study by the National Bureau of Investigation, is one of the top five countries in the world where human trafficking victims come from, as well as a common destination country for trafficked individuals from other countries. Numbers indicate that 80% of Filipino human trafficking victims are girls under eighteen, most of whom will be sent to other countries in Southeast Asia to work as household help, entertainers, or sex workers.

Humantrafficking.org, a web resource for combating human trafficking, estimates that around 350,000 Filipino women and around 80,000 Filipino children are currently being trafficked, many suffering from sexual exploitation. And while Filipinos who travel overseas to work generally do so voluntarily, during their time abroad many will be manipulated in some way. The government supports a variety of prevention programs but the problems persist, and reports exist of immigration officials and police officers who have become involved in the industry.

Last year, the Philippines was listed by the US State Department on the Tier 2 Watchlist for failure to initiate efforts to put a stop to human trafficking. The government has been scrambling to get off that list and progress has been made in the last year. But there is still much to be done by the government to avoid a further downgrading and the potential loss of USD 250million of economic and humanitarian aid.

“Freedom is a basic human right and slavery is one of the greatest threats to that freedom,” says the DNA Foundation website. “No one has the right to enslave another person.” Yet, as Demi and Ashton suggest, the crisis of human trafficking, and especially sex trafficking, will not disappear unless there is a fundamental change in the mindsets of those perpetrating these crimes–men.  The real men need to stand up.

Because they know that “Real men don’t buy girls”.

And as any girl worth her SASs would know, a real man is always better than a knock-off posing as one.

About Elizabeth Fox

Elizabeth is a junior at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where she studies comparative literature, participates in a lot of extracurricular theatre and music, and sleeps very little.

Elizabeth came to Manila hopeful for a new experience and an internship in writing and women’s health. During a lengthy, late-night search through much more tame and lackluster options, Sex and Sensibilities jolted Elizabeth awake by merely having the word “sex” in its title, and appeared as an oasis of SASsy-ness. She shot Ana an email immediately and the rest, as they say, is herstory.

        

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Happy Even After

Happy Even After is a workshop for solo moms (never married, once married, widowed and “tita mommys”) and those who are raising children –theirs or others–on their own.

March 20, Sunday 2PM to 5PM, Powerbooks Greenbelt 4

Get inspiration from other single moms who have been there. Navigate your way through legal issues with  the help of guest speaker, Atty. Raquel Aspiras who specializes in Family Law Look good, feel good with help from beauty experts

Everything you need to know to make your own happy even after ending.

Reservation is required. Please call or message 0927.307.9608 to reserve a slot. Registration fee of Php200 covers refreshments, giveaways and a donation to the AFP HERO Foundation.

Powerbooks Power Card members will be given FREE access to the workshop. Just present your membership card.

        

The path of being a single mom is sure to have its share of surprising twists and edge-of-your seat turns. But what we perhaps don’t hear enough of is how it can also be rewarding and fulfilling–a testament to one’s resilience and self-relief.

Here are three simple but powerful tips that can make the journey of being a single mom less of a bumpy ride.

Look for a role model

If hanging out with your other married friends or “in a relationship” friends is like rubbing salt into the wound and making you feel singled out, then stay away for a while. It may work better for you to find someone who knows what you’re going through—like other single moms who have been there and have survived. Look for someone who is sincerely positive about the experience of living and loving single motherhood. You’ll soon find the positivism rubbing off on you.

Empower yourself with practical information

Educate yourself about what your rights and options are. Find out what laws (like the Solo Parent Act, for example) exist to protect you and your child. There are a lot of useful and practical laws, there just aren’t enough people who know about them. Learn as much as you can about the legal system, managing finances, and even psychology or self-motivation. As with anything in life, information is power. And when you are a single mom, information is vital to empowering yourself.

Make yourself pretty

You heard it right. Don’t neglect your health or your appearance. Make an effort to look good; it has nothing to do with trivial capriciousness.  Sure, it’s tempting to just get up from bed and head straight off for work without so much as a look in the mirror, but it won’t help your self-esteem much.  The first step to feeling good about yourself is looking good. Look for cost-effective ways to pamper yourself and give yourself a pat on the back.

There are many kinds of solo moms out there–those who were never married, were once married, widowed, tita mommys who stand as guardians and are taking care of other people’s children as their own, even  OF wives who, on a day to day basis, stand as single moms. Whatever the circumstances, these moms are all looking for ways to make certain situations work for rather than against them and make their own happy even after.

SexAndSensibilities.com conducts “Happy Even After”: a workshop series designed to help other single moms get back on their feet again or just cope with dynamics of solo parenting.

The next Happy Even After workshop will be on March 20, 2011, between 2PM to 5PM at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4. Registration fee of P200 covers refreshments, giveaways and a donation to the Armed Forces of the Philippines HERO Foundation.  Please call 0927.307.9608 to reserve.

“Happy Even After” is supported by Myra-E, Nivea Sunblock, Del Monte Fruit Juice, P&G Salon Professionals (makers of Wella and Clairol) and Powerbooks, the official workshop venue.

        

It’s turning out to be a W-E-T summer…during this dizzying season of sizzlin’ hot and shiverin’ cold tell us, how do you do keep a hot date from turning a HOT date into a DUE date?

1. Tell us: In the alternating seductive bed weather and hot-hot summer, how do LICK condoms keep you from turning a .hot date into a due date?

2. Fill in the blank: “LICK condoms is the best way from turning a HOT date into a DUE date because ___”

e.g. I know I’m protected from any surprises or yucky diseases!

Leave your answer in the comments section of this post. You don’t have to tell us your real name, but you do have to give us a functioning email address so we can notify you in case your entry is chosen.

3. You can enter as many times as you like as long as your entry is different every time.

4. Contest runs from March 4 to March 28.

5. Ten (10) winners will get a FREE LICK condoms gift pack with EZ lubricating jelly sachets discretely delivered to a mailing address of their choice PLUS a Victoria Court Privilege Card entitling them to a FREE stay (Metro Manila branches only). One grand prize winner among the 10 will be chosen, and will be given a FREE LIMITED EDITION LICK hoodie on top of the gifts from LICK, EZ and Victoria Court.

6. Winners will be notified by email by April 5, 2011

        

Your best girlfriends will be there for you through sick and sin and everything else in between. Kick off  Women’s Month by celebrating girl power.

We’re giving out a free party for you and 15 of your friends at SPA Victoria, one of the posh and luxurious party rooms of Victoria Court Cuneta. And of course, we’re making it so simple to join. Just tell us about you and your friends and why you deserve to party at SPA Victoria to the comments section of this post. Don’t forget to end your comment with a link to your favorite barkada picture.

We’ll choose one lucky winner who will get to take 15 of her other friends for an all-expense paid party at SPA Victoria, Cuneta.

Example: This is a pic of me and my best gal pals in Boracay. We’ve been friends since grade school, but still make it a point to go out once a year for an annual all-girl bonding session. Sometimes it’s in Tagaytay or somewhere near, but this year was special—we trooped to Boracay for a three days of fun in the sun!

Mechanics:

Winning entry will win a FREE party at SPA Victoria, which will include the following:

–Food and drinks for 15 people
–FREE use of the room for 5 hours
–FREE use of the room amenities

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