Republic of the Philippines Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee. Represented by Anonymous Langley High School, McLean VA

Transcription

1 Republic of the Philippines Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee Represented by Anonymous Langley High School, McLean VA

2 Country: Philippines GA 3: Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee Background Information: This is where you research and cite the information regarding your country s basic information. Include information such as a country s location, demographics, type of government, religion, land type, GDP, etc. You are including information that would give the reader a preview of how the country should be understood. Consider various factors that may impact one s understanding of the country (e.g. have there been recent wars? Is it a former colony? etc.) The concluding lines might look something like this: According to the 2004 CIA report, the Filipino government is on the Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime (CIA.gov). This is one result of Philippines being a fairly new nation that is learning to deal with both domestic and international issues. Topic One: The Use of Child Soldiers According to United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF), a child is defined as anyone under the age of 18. Children all over the world are abducted from their homes and forced to fight. Child soldiers are used for some of the most dangerous missions that the army does: making and laying mines, fighting in the front line, collecting intelligence, and serving as primary fighters in ambush attacks (PBS.org). Is it right to put children as young as nine into these situations? Children who are abducted by and made to fight by these groups are both boys and girls. Not only are girls taken from their

3 homes into military groups, but they are made to fight and they are often raped and are made to become wives to older male officers. The Republic of the Philippines feels that this is completely wrong. According to the Filipino Constitution, The protection of children in situations of armed conflict is also stipulated in RA Article X (22) (b) provides that: children shall not be recruited to become members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines or its civilian units of other armed groups, not be allowed to take part in the fighting, or used as guides, couriers, or spies. Though child soldiers have been used in the rebel military groups, such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), The Abu Sayyaf Group, and The New People s Army, the national armed forces, do not use child soldiers. The Filipino government condemns all groups, whether they are rebel militia groups, or government sponsored armies, that use child soldiers. The Filipino government also feels that it is wrong to recruit children for the armed forces as well. Topic Two: Sex Trafficking According the Philippine Star s report in 2004: As poverty worsens and living conditions deteriorate, the number of women and children who become vulnerable to sex-trade increases. As the crisis intensifies, women's economic rights are incessantly infringed upon. Presently, women and children make up the largest section of the reserved labor force. According to government reports, the number of unemployed has reached 3.9 million and 40% of these are women. The Philippines has an awful economy, and these women and children go into this to raise money to buy food for their families. Is the Filipino government saying the human

4 trafficking is okay? No. The Filipino government absolutely opposes the trafficking, battery, and abuse of women and children. The Philippines is the first country in Asia to pass Anti-Child Abuse Laws (URI.edu). The biggest problem for the Philippines is sex tourism. Every year, hundreds of thousands of men pour into the Philippines for sex tours. Philippine Children s Foundation reports that every year, around 13,000 Australians, second in number to Americans, a year visit Angeles City, a center of prostitution surrounding the former Clark U.S. Air Force base in the Philippines. The purpose of these tours is for foreign men to sleep with underage girls. The girls have been found to be as young as 11 years old. Another issue regarding Sex trafficking is the issue of Mail-order brides. Every year, thousands of poor, Filipinas are exported from the islands. These women are told that they are getting jobs and will be able to start a new life in a better country. This is a lie. These women are sent all over the world, normally Germany and Australia, and become brides to these men. These women tend to be from small villages that do not know a word of English, nor do they know that what is happening to them is illegal. Every year, the Filipino government cracks down on prostitutes, club-owners, and tourists, who come on sex tours. Since the 1990 s, the government of the Philippines has been cracking down on sex offenders. In November of 1997, two British tourists were arrested and sentenced to 17 years in prison for paedophilia also known as pedophilia which is sexual activity of an adult with a child or sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object. Also, in October of 1997, a mother was sentenced to 10 years in prison for forcing her 15 year old daughter to become an exotic dancer (URI.edu).

5 Topic Three: Rights of Prisoners of War In discussing the rights of Prisoners of War (POWs), it is essential not only to set legal standards on the treatment of captured enemies, but also to establish a system that addresses the enforcement of any passed legislation. In addition, recent affairs in the United States involving the terrorism suspects held by the U.S. government illustrates that any ambiguity in the classification of POWs from the Geneva Convention must also be resolved for future years. The Philippines vehemently believes in established rights for POWs, illustrated by Filipino ratification of both the original Geneva Conventions in 1951 and Protocol II in However, we believe that the questioning of the current rights is not what should be focused on at this time. In reality, it is the enforcement of these regulations that needs to increase. We the delegation of the Philippines, in order to establish justice and ensure equal rights for those captured in the time of conflict, propose that a specific committee be founded for the investigation into POWs mistreatment and for the observation of the treatment. With a committee set in place to act upon any slight disturbances and to check the holdings of detainees regularly, they will be able to enforce the rights promised by the Geneva Conventions, come up with any additional rights that may be needed, and set a standard in the world of POWs. On the question of how POWs and terrorists are defined, the Philippines believes that the current standards set by the Geneva Conventions shall stand, and although adamant opponents of terrorism, we believe that a new set of regulations need to be set in

6 place to define a terrorist and his rights. They too are humans fighting for a cause they believe in, and do deserve some rights, despite the atrocities they have committed. Therefore, we call for an establishment of rights for those considered terrorists acting apart from recognized governments.