| |In by Ethel Farrales The film is looped to replay over and over again. Each time it replays, the names of the characters and places change, but the devastating conclusions remain the same: Woman, in her early 20's, enters the shabby room. She is reporting to her new position as a "guest relations officer" - a position she applied for through an agency in her home country, the Philippines; an agency that was recommended by the government for women in search for work abroad. She now finds herself in a foreign country with only a contact name - her employer. She goes to meet him in anticipation of fulfilling all the hopes and dreams of her desperate family back home in the province. But what she does not foresee is that her employer is also waiting in eager anticipation. He is planning great things for her - special things. He looks her up and down. “Not bad,” he says leaving her no time to talk, just listen. He says, "go to Room 121, fix yourself up and use that blue dress in the corner, and hurry up." Confused and scared, she is escorted to the room, where the door is tightly locked behind her... Exported Everyday, Filipino women are being sold into a life of exploitation. Over 2000 Filipinos (more than half of them are women) leave the Philippines everyday to work in over 182 different countries. They leave because the Philippine government finds it a lucrative business in systematically export its own people in order to keep the economy afloat, appeasing the people by bestowing on them the status of "modern heroes". It is a label they live up to by living everyday of their lives in constant sacrifice and oppression because they were pimped-by their own government. As a result of a recent four-month trip to. the. Philippines,.| was able to see the devastating conditions that almost 80 million people live in everyday. The con- ditions in this poverty-stricken Third World country force many people to make critical choices that will affect themselves and their families for years to come. Over 70% of the population live below the poverty line, making a living by rummaging through garbage dumps and selling anything that could be of value. For Sale: The Trafficking of Filipino Women solidarity with International Women’s Day Peasants are being pushed off their land due to the conversion of arable land into golf courses, shopping malls, and resorts. They are left to search for work in the cities. But as multinational companies force their way into the country, and pay fewer and fewer wages until there are no jobs left for the people, Filipinos are left with little choice but to find work abroad. Many of these people are women who find themselves forced to leave their families for years and risk their lives in hopes of ending the desperate cycle of poverty they have known their whole lives. Trafficked The trafficking of women and young girls is not a new phenomenon in our day. It is a highly organized and sometimes even legal system set up to transport women for the purpose of profit. In 1972, ex-president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos implemented the Labour Export Policy (LEP), a program that systematically com- modifies and sells the Filipino people to industrialized countries. The government profits off this policy with the billions of foreign dollars remitted by migrant work- ers every year. The receiving countries profit off the highly skilled, highly educated migrant population work- ing in slave-like conditions. The Filipino woman's identity is riddled with these harsh realities. Her identity as a subservient, exot- ic, domesticated, and obedient woman is perpetuated by the very institutions that groom her to be sold on demand. In fact, the trafficking of Filipinos happens right here in Canada. Men in search of the ideal Filipino woman carefully choose their wives. Oftentimes these "mail-order brides" find themselves in isolated places; they've been purchased and are subjected to sex-slave conditions, physical, and mental abuse. There is also a group of women who believe they will be working in the hotel and restaurant industry. Instead, they end up working in the sex and entertainment industry in broth- els or as lap dancers. But the most visible group of traf- ficked Filipino women are those who come to Canada through the Live-In Caregiver Program as domestic workers. These Filipino women allow some upper and middle-class Canadian women to work at being liberat- ed women because there is no national daycare pro- gram. Liberated at what cost, and at whose expense? The list goes on, and the casualties seem endless. _ The Purple Rose Campaign: End the Trafficking of Filipino Women The purple rose symbolizes the Filipino woman. The purple rose would not exist if it were not for the manipulation of hybrid engineering. Just like the rose created for the pleasure and amusement of people, the Filipino woman has been commodified and constructed for the enjoyment and liberation of others. - The fusion of art and social change found inspi- ration in the campaign to end the trafficking of Filipino women around the world. No longer do Filipino women want to be sold into a life of sacrifice and slav- ery. Art in support of the campaign depicted the plight of millions of these women. An array of powerful artis- tic expression was borne out of the demand to expose and oppose the violent truth behind the trafficking of Filipino women. Last December, an art auction and cul- tural performance at the Roundhouse Community Centre launched the campaign in Vancouver and gained popular support from the community. Another cultural performance and art auction will be held on March 11th at the Michael J. Fox Theatre. The Purple Rose Campaign will continue to resist the furious onslaught that attacks women at the very core of their humanity. It has become a symbol of endurance and determination of all Filipino women who join in the struggle to further advance the Filipino peo- ple’s fight for genuine independence, free from exploitation and oppression. GABRIELA, an alliance of militant women's orga- nizations in the Philippines, spearheaded the Purple Rose Campaign. The local campaign has been orga- nized by the Philippine Women Centre in Vancouver. Purple rose pins can be purchased for $2.00 in support of the campaign. Tickets for the 7:00pm March 11th performance can be purchased for $10 at the door. For more information, please contact Charlene or Joy at 215-1103. 5 @- by Ethel Farrales The film is looped to replay over and over again. Each time it replays, the names of the characters and places change, but the devastating conclusions remain the same: Woman, in her early 20's, enters the shabby room. She is reporting to her new position as a "guest relations officer” - a position she applied for through an agency in her home country, the Philippines; an agency that was recommended by the government for women in search for work abroad. She now finds herself in a foreign country with only a contact name - her employer. She goes to meet him in anticipation of fulfiling all the hopes and dreams of her desperate family back home in the province. But what she does not foresee is that her employer is also waiting in eager anticipation. He is planning great things for her - special things. He looks her up and down. "Not bad,” he says leaving her no time to talk, just listen. He says, "go to Room 121, fix yourself up and use that blue dress in the comer, and hurry up.” Confused and scared, she is escorted to the room, where the door is tightly locked behind her. Exported Everyday, Filipino women are being sold into a life of exploitation. Over 2000 Filipinos (more than half of them are women) leave the Philippines everyday to work in over 182 different countries. They leave because the Philippine government finds ita lucrative business in systematically export its own people in order to keep the economy afloat, appeasing the people by bestowing on them the status of "modern heroes". It is a label they live up to by living everyday of their lives in constant sacrifice and oppression because they were pimped-by their own government. ‘As a result of a recent four-month trip to the Philippines, | was able to see the devastating conditions that almost 80 million people live in everyday. The con- ditions in this poverty-stricken Third World country force many people to make critical choices that will affect themselves and their families for years to come. Over 70% of the population live below the poverty line, making a living by rummaging through garbage dumps and selling anything that could be of value. For Sale: The Trafficking of Filipino Women In solidarity with International Women’s Day Peasants are being pushed off their land due to the conversion of arable land into golf courses, shopping ‘malls, and resorts. They are left to search for work in the cities. But as multinational companies force their way into the country, and pay fewer and fewer wages until there are no jobs left for the people, Filipinos are left with little choice but to find work abroad. Many of these people are women who find themselves forced to leave their families for years and risk their lives in hopes of ending the desperate cycle of poverty they have known their whole lives. Trafficked The trafficking of women and young girls is not ‘anew phenomenon in our day. It is a highly organized and sometimes even legal system set up to transport women for the purpose of profit. In 1972, ex-president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos implemented the Labour Export Policy (LEP), a program that systematically com- modifies and sells the Filipino people to industrialized countries. The government profits off this policy with the billions of foreign dollars remitted by migrant work- ers every year. The receiving countries profit off the highly skilled, highly educated migrant population work- ing in slave-like conditions. The Filipino woman's identity is riddled with these harsh realities. Her identity as a subservient, exot- ic, domesticated, and obedient woman is perpetuated by the very institutions that groom her to be sold on demand. In fact, the trafficking of Filipinos happens right here in Canada. Men in search of the ideal Filipino woman carefully choose their wives. Oftentimes these "mail-order brides" find themselves in isolated places, they've been purchased and are subjected to sex-slave conditions, physical, and mental abuse. There is also a group of women who believe they will be working in the hotel and restaurant industry. Instead, they end up working in the sex and entertainment industry in broth- els or as lap dancers. But the most visible group of traf- ficked Filipino women are those who come to Canada through the Live-In Caregiver Program as domestic workers. These Filipino women allow some upper and middle-class Canadian women to work at being liberat- ed women because there is no national daycare pro- gram. Liberated at what cost, and at whose expense? The list goes on, and the casualties seem endless. The Purple Rose Campaign: End the Trafficking of Filipino Women The purple rose symbolizes the Filipino woman. The purple rose would not exist if it were not for the ‘manipulation of hybrid engineering. Just like the rose created for the pleasure and amusement of people, the ipino woman has been commodified and constructed for the enjoyment and liberation of others. The fusion of art and social change found inspi- ration in the campaign to end the trafficking of Filipino women around the world. No longer do Filipino women want to be sold into a life of sacrifice and slav- ery. Art in support of the campaign depicted the plight of millions of these women. An array of powerful a tic expression was borne out of the demand to expose and oppose the violent truth behind the trafficking of Filipino women. Last December, an art auction and cul- tural performance at the Roundhouse Community Centre launched the campaign in Vancouver and gained Popular support from the community. Another cultural performance and art auction will be held.on March 11th at the Michael J. Fox Theatre. The Purple Rose Campaign will continue to resist the furious onslaught that attacks women at the very core of their humanity. It has become a symbol of endurance and determination of all Filipino women who join in the struggle to further advance the Filipino peo- ple's fight for genuine independence, free from exploitation and oppression. GABRIELA, an alliance of militant women's orga- nizations in the Philippines, spearheaded the Purple Rose Campaign. The local campaign has been orga- nized by the Philippine Women Centre in Vancouver. Purple rose pins can be purchased for $2.00 in support ‘of the campaign. Tickets for the 7:00pm March 11th performance can be purchased for $10 at the door. For more information, please contact Charlene or Joy at 215-1103.