Rosario Baluyother birth namedied at a tender young age a destitute and a child prostitute.

Her life
was a harrowing tale of child neglect, daily struggle to have daily ends meet, sexual exploitation, and
injustice!
Rosario was born in the northern Philippine city of Olongapo, which used to be the site of one of the
largest US Naval Base facilities in the Asia Pacific before it was rejected by the Philippine senate in the
early 1990s. Her father left her after her mother died. She eventually started living alone in the streets
after running away from her grandmothers guidance. Rosario, in attempt to afford basic subsistence,
found work as a prostitute near the American military naval base. This red light district was known as a
destination for military men and foreign sex tourists who preyed upon children for prostitution.
At midnight on October 10, 1986, Rosario and a boy went to a hotel room of the Austrian sex tourist Dr.
Heinrich Stefan Ritter. After Rosario had sex with Dr. Ritter, he forced an electric vibrator into her vagina.
Unfortunately, the device broke and left a five-inch long screw in her cervix. For almost seven months,
she carried the broken object on her cervix and died because of the complications the screw brought.
After Rosarios disturbing death, the search for justice of her case went as far as the Supreme Court, but
was later reversed because of evidentiary grounds. The Supreme Court decision was later reversed due to
the inability of the prosecution to probe beyond reasonable doubt that Rosario was under twelve years old
at the omission of the crime; therefore the case did not fall within the jurisdiction of the statutory rape
statute.
Ritterthe accusedwas acquitted. His acquittal was granted despite his own previous admission of
being with Rosario during the time the fragments were lodged in her cervix.
Added to that, there was no comprehensive law in the Philippines during that time that protected Filipino
children from sexual exploitation, even if the country already ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child in 1990. Soon after in 1992, the Child Protection Act was passed and became a landmark law in
the protection of children in the Philippines.
The Plight of the Other Rosarios
Rosarios case is a prime depiction of a failed justice system for children. Her story is a reflection of a
society that failed to protect and provide its children opportunities to reach their fullest potential and
become better members of society.

Sadly, Rosarios story is not stand-alone. Her case is just one example of many other similar stories from
various parts of the world in which children are trafficked, enslaved, and sold for commercial sexual
exploitation. At a very tender age, many of these children are living in destitute. Most have no access to
quality basic education. In various cases, some children are forced to drop out of school to work at a
young age and make daily ends meet in order to support their families. Such conditions make them easy
prey to these child exploiters.
Many of the children being sexually exploited are typically from less affluent communities and are lured
by promises of money and a better life in the city. Some are sold with their parents consent, while others
go into this field of work by their own submission because they are under the assumption that this is the
only option that can help them escape poverty. The saddest case is when children are cornered into this
type of work against their own will. Some of them are brought to brothels as household help and
eventually sexually abused by their employers. Others are sold to become private sex slaves.
Commercial sexual exploitation is increasing in developing countriessuch as the Philippinesdue to
the lack of child protection laws, the laxity of law enforcement, and the lack of programs. This is posing
an increasingly challenging task for developing countries to address. Horrifying to note, more young
people like Rosario are becoming victims of such crimes.
Ultimately, Rosarios death became a battle cry for child rights advocates, like me, to fight and stand for
child protection and justice against commercial sexual exploitation of our children! It became our call for
humanity to have compassion toward all children and for our duty bearers to have concrete actions on
such disturbing acts committed against children!
Child Rights Based Policies
As a child rights advocate, I propose we take a different approach to effectively curb if not totally
eradicate such criminal acts against children. Aside from the collaborative efforts of the existing
international institutions like the United Nations to protect and provide children with opportunities to
nurture and develop, we also need to work among existing regional institutions to be more effective in our
transnational approach of combating commercial sexual exploitation of children. Countries need to
collaborate and share resources, technology, and law enforcement technical expertise to protect children
from such criminal acts. Moreover, we need to impose rigid laws to prosecute those who benefit from
illegally trading children.

The European Unions answer to address the growing number of child trafficking for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation through the Joint Action on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual
Exploitation of Children in 2000 that collectively harmonized the definition of trafficking and child
sexual exploitation among its member states was a brave move. The joint action also set out common
rules for action among member states to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children as
well as judicial cooperation among member states. In July 2010, theCouncil of Europe Convention on the
Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse was enacted as another move
forward in the fight against child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children in the
continent.
From such example, it is effective to advocate at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to
replicate such European action. ASEAN member countries should strengthen law enforcement and the
implementation of child protection measuresboth domestically and internationallyto address the
issue of child trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
Swedish Model Legislation: The Radical Way to Protect Children
The Swedish Sex Purchase Law is another proposed measure that countries can learn from. After years
of policy research, the groundbreaking Swedish legislation passed a law that a) criminalizes the buying of
sex, and b) decriminalized the selling of sex. Accordingly, the law officially acknowledged that
prostitution of women and children is a form of (male) violence and exploitation. On a higher note, it also
advanced the notion that exploiters and clients need to be punished and the victims of prostitution needed
care. Another strategy provided by the law is the availability of the comprehensive social service funds
that allowed victims of prostitution to have a renewed hope in life.
While countries like the Philippines are struggling to curb the illegal trade of women and children,
Swedens radical approach, according to officials, has dramatically reduced the demand for prostitutes
especially children and reshaped attitudes toward the sex trade. Now, reflecting on the Swedish model
legislation, I believe that such would be very much applicable in countries like the Philippines where the
issues of women and child prostitution evidently exist. At first, it would seem like the idea of having the
first human beings on the moon, but it is possible!
It Takes a Community to Raise a Child

It is also important to attack the issue at the community level. I suggest that community stakeholders
should collaborate to provide children with opportunities to grow and become better global citizens that
contribute to their communities.
Moreover, schools, churches and community councils including the children and their parents should be
engaged at all levels of advocacy on child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Making them
aware that engaging in commercial sexual exploitation would not help end poverty; instead it destroys the
childs future dreams and aspirations! Eventually, more partners become local champions to advocate for
the dignity of every child!
Educate to Liberate!
Parallel to such policy and advocacy initiatives, basic education should be made available to all children
especially among girls so that they may reach their maximum potential and make better-informed choices.
Based on my work experiences for World Visions Child Labor Education Project in the Philippines,
having access to quality education liberates children from the chronic cycle of poverty and exploitation.
Furthermore, education empowers children to engage the entire community to advocate on the importance
of education and on the harmful effects of commercial sexual exploitation of children. It inspires children
to lead and participate on these issues that affect them directly. Education engages them to become agents
of change in their communities.
A Call for Action
Despite all the efforts that the global community has imposed, I still believe that little has been done to
genuinely protect our children from commercial sexual exploitation. Every day the number of child
victims that fall into the trap of exploiters is increasing.
Although it has been more than two decades since the day when Rosario died, I feel that her soul is still
searching for justice for herself and the other exploited children who are being deprived of basic human
rights. If she was only alive today, all she would be asking is our humanity to stand for the dignity of
every child around the world regardless of her or his background in life. Her soul is yearning that all
children be freed from exploitation and deprivation of their basic human rights through policy, advocacy,
and access to basic education!

Rosarios plea is a similar plea of all other commercially sexually exploited children around the globe.
They are pleading for our help as duty bearers. Thus, it is our responsibility to act and end such atrocities
committed against our children now!