We came to Manila on Wednesday for CYF’s “Street Immersion.” The purpose was to see first hand the issues of the streets, mainly, street children and families, and prostitution. We went to a local mall the first afternoon, an older more run-down mall, but just an afternoon trip to the mall nonetheless. Our project was to observe, in small groups, the culture of mall prostitution. And indeed, it is an entire culture. At any given time there may be as many as 20 women working the mall. They come by themselves or in small groups, and the transactions are generally invisible to the untrained eye. A main physical difference, as explained by one of our teachers, is in dress. Mall prostitutes are not dressed as the stereotype might suggest, but there is indeed less coverage than the average Filipina. A cultural norm for Filipinas is to dress conservatively, with pants or long shorts, and non-revealing loose tops. Not following these norms can be a light bulb in certain environments, such as an older mall, in a poorer location. The actual exchange is subtle and could easily be mistaken for a typical social situation, thus is difficult to describe. One of our staff members was involved in an attempted pick-up by a female pimp. It was that widespread.
In the evening, we observed street prostitution. Dropped off at “hot spots” throughout metro Manila, it was still difficult to pick out the women. I saw more street families than potential prostitutes, maybe a half dozen families with young children, sleeping on boxes, on each street. After some time, I did see that there were a handful of ladies dressed more revealing than most, hanging onto corners and roaming the roads. In one instance, I noticed a woman walk into a store alone, and shortly after, exit to a taxi with two men. In another instance, I watched two very young girls, dressed minimally, catching a jeepney by themselves. Certainly these could have been an innocent exchange, and my naïve mind likes to think so. But the reality and the pervasiveness are there.
Yesterday afternoon was the uplifting part of our immersion. We visited an organization called Child Hope Asia, which does a lot of street education and mobile health work for kids and families. We had the privilege of watching a street education session conducted by the organization staff, and it was amazing. They focused on hygiene, nutrition, and exercise through a number of resourceful and captivating activities. One staff member showed the children a short skit on health using dolls made from used bottles and plastic forks. Talk about using what is around you! The best part, was watching the kids. They are resilient and energetic and eager to learn and laugh and play. They are inspiring, reminding me to keep a positive outlook. If they do, there is no reason I can’t.
Most difficult was our bar immersion last night. I expected, again, to see my stereotype of prostitutes in bars, and again was blown away. Yes, there were large numbers of women who fit the physical match, but more striking were the potential “clients.” We have heard horror stories, new articles, and general story about foreigners, specifically American men, who come to the Philippines for the women, but I never expected to see it. I thought it was a problem of the past. Again, naivety. And again, reality.
I won't leave you on a negative note, because when I think back on the past 2 days I don't see that. I can't get the image of one of the children, swinging around in the air by my friend, dirty and scabby and smelly and smiling like I have never seen before.
Finally, tomorrow we go to Cavite to meet our Supervisors and find out our permanent sites! Wednesday, we visit our sites!
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