Thursday, November 7, 2013

Domestic Worker Treaty Signed by the Philippines and its Impact on Human Trafficking

Housecleaners, nannies, and many woman workers all over the world (forty countries) gathered in Uruguay with community organizers and trade unionists to establish the first global federation of domestic workers.  This was this past October.  Over two years ago on Sept. 5 2011, the first global labor standard, the ILO Domestic Workers Convention was entered at a very similar gathering.  Since the adoption of this domestic workers treaty, these people who gathered in Uruguay have helped to bring out new laws and protections to domestic workers in over 25 countries, as well as adding new members.

Ten countries have ratified the treaty since its inception: Uruguay, the Philipines, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Italy, Bolivia, Paraguay, South Africa, Guyana, and Germany.  Some of the efforts taken by the Philippines address the risks faced by migrant workers, specifically they have prohibited employment agencies and employers from charging recruitment fees from workers.  Other countries who signed the treaty are following suit, e.g. Argentina setting a 48 hour work week and more.

This can be seen as a demonstration that serious enforcement against forced labor and stronger rights for laborers in general advances rights and protection for trafficking victims.


Full account available at

Monday, November 4, 2013

Dutch NGO Uses Virtual 10 Year Old Filipina to Track Down Cyber Sex Tourists

Terre des Hommes Netherlands, a Dutch Non-Government Organization dedicated to stopping child exploitation in developing countries, created a virtual 10 year old Filipina named “Sweetie” (complete with Filipino accent) to track down predators online.  In a span of 2.5 months, Terre des Hommes Netherlands was able to identify 1,000 plus adults who were willing to pay their virtual Filipina in order to have her perform sex acts via web cam while they pleasured themselves.  Terre des Hommes Netherlands’ researchers were able to determine that the identified adult solicitors hailed from more than 65 countries.

Video footage of their efforts and full article can be found on the source site: http://www.terredeshommes.org/webcam-child-sex-tourism/


To learn more about Terre des Hommes Netherlands, please visit: http://www.terredeshommes.nl/languages/en