Ian Scott Public Interest Internship Program - Osgoode Hall Law ...

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Costanza Pauchulo, Osgoode Hall Law School, Class 2012 Recipient of funding through the Ian Scott Public Internship Program Report: ECPAT, Phillipines This summer I, and my partner Erin Dunsmore, spent three months in Manila working for the Philippine branch of an international organization called “End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes” (ECPAT). The main projects of ECPAT Philippines include advocacy for legal reform, community awareness campaigns and the promotion of youth participation programs. These projects focus on addressing the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in the Philippines. This includes advocating for preventative and deterrent measures at national, regional and international levels as well as developing partnerships with government officials and other civil society members. ECPAT Philippines also runs a temporary shelter, known as the “ECPAT Home”, for girls and boys who have been victims of CSEC. The shelter provides access to legal counsel, social workers, education and community involvement activities. A recent accomplishment for ECPAT was the passing Republic Act 9775, the Anit-Child Pornography Act, in November 2009. ECPAT actively lobbied for the passage of this act which lays out new and stricter guidelines regarding the possession and distribution of child pornography in the Philippines. This bill will enable Philippine Law Enforcement to aid children by instituting penalties against those who circulate damaging and illegal pornographic materials, and represents a significant step towards positive change. Our Summer Internship Our main project throughout the summer focused on the city of Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan. This city was chosen because of its growing tourism industry. There is a concern on the part of ECPAT, as well as some of those living within Puerto Princesa, that this increase will be accompanied by an increase in the prevalence of child sexual exploitation. Our 22
task was to conduct a sociological analysis of the state of child protection laws and programs in the city and to assess the general attitudes of city officials and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives on the issue of CSEC within their city. We began our project by conducting general background research into the problem of CSEC in Southeast Asia. We then studied international instruments such as, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as Philippine laws on child protection. The Philippines has some of the strongest and comprehensive child protection laws in the region; however, there a problems with enforcement and implementation of the social programs outlined by these laws. After completing this research, we traveled to Puerto Princesa for one week where we conducted approximately fifteen interviews with city officials from various departments as well as one interview with the representative of a local NGO. After reviewing and compiling our data for our report, our final conclusion was that although, at present, the problem of child sex tourism is perceived to be minimal within the City, several risk factors exist that may exacerbate the problem as tourism increases. These factors include poverty, rapid increase in migration and population growth, lack of data or monitoring of current incidences of child prostitution or pornography, lack of resources to fully implement social programs, minimal awareness or recognition of the potential problem, and lack of employment. In addition to this project, we also participated in community awareness seminars in Manila and on the island of Boracay, assisted with fundraising initiatives, attended court hearings and conducted legal research in the areas of criminal procedure and constitutional law. We also went on a weekend retreat with our co-workers and the girls living in the ECPAT Home to a rural area near Manila. This retreat provided an unforgettable opportunity to gain a broader perspective on Filipino life and culture and to build stronger relationships with the people at ECPAT. 23
Page 1 and 2: Ian Scott Public Interest Internshi
Page 3 and 4: Press Release, November, 2005 New O
Page 5 and 6: Kofi Achampong, Osgoode Hall Law Sc
Page 7 and 8: the overall submission. In the end,
Page 9 and 10: social justice, Ian Scott did much
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Page 13 and 14: worked in the Refugee Status Determ
Page 15 and 16: The majority of my internship as th
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Page 27 and 28: Iqaluit in July Sylvia Grinnel Rive
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Page 33 and 34: with 80 per cent unemployment. As a
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