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Seven Bars Ordered Permanently Closed For Trafficking Minors
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Tuesday, 25 March 2008

PHILIPPINES- The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has ordered the permanent closure of seven clubs in which trafficked minors were prostituted, following an appeals process initiated by the IJM Philippines legal team. The bars were initially closed in January 2006 after IJM conducted operations in cooperation with the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation – Violence Against Women and Children Division to remove minors held in prostitution at the bars.

Rulings like this are vital as IJM works toward permanent structural change that prevents the future victimization of children.
IJM’s initial operation in January 2006 at the bars resulted in the rescue of 16 minors, four trafficked adults, and the arrest of 24 perpetrators. Trials against many of the perpetrators are still ongoing. The bars and nightclubs, located in Makati City along a popular racetrack where horse races were held weekly, were a hub for prostitution.

Following the operation, the bars were closed for their violations of Philippine law. However, two months after the bars were ordered closed, a government office lifted the orders despite the clear evidence of violations of anti-trafficking law at the bars, stating that the closure for two months had been “lesson enough” for the bar owners. IJM Philippines filed an appeal to challenge the decision, and in February the Office of the Philippine Secretary of Labor granted the appeal, reinstating the order for the permanent closure of the clubs.

The Department of Labor and Employment’s ruling to mandate the permanent closure of an establishment found to have prostituted minors is the first of its kind, and sets a clear precedent for future cases. In the past, it has been unclear whether the closure of an establishment found to have prostituted minors was to be temporary or permanent under Philippine labor law, given that the relevant law simply had not been applied before. Rulings like this are vital as IJM works toward permanent structural change that prevents the future victimization of children.
 
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