On 17 June, ECPAT Korea (TacteenNaeil) conducted a meeting to raise public awareness about the issue of child sex tourism in Philippines and to publicly announce a project to end child sexual exploitation. The meeting was attended by representatives from 20 different media outlets and public response to the resulting press has been very positive.
At the meeting, ECPAT Korea took the opportunity to share the results of a 2012 research paper that was conducted on Korean child sex offenders travelling to the Philippines. This research was carried out in Cebu, Angeles and Manila and featured interviews with both victims and advocacy workers. Researchers also observed brothel activity and highlighted abusive and sadistic sexual behaviour by Korean men, including a preference for children. The study highlights that sexual exploitation by Korean men towards Filipino women and children often resulted in pregnancy (so called “Kopino” children), many of whom are at risk for sexual exploitation. Sex trafficking of Filipino women and children to Korea was also highlighted as an area of concern.
With the support of ECPAT Philippines, ECPAT Korea will continue its work in eradicating the sexual exploitation of Filipino children and will also look to expand its activities and focus to other countries. Read the full report here: Research Report(Korean version)