In South Korea, which plays host to several American bases, "Courtesy Patrols"
(a euphemism for military police or MPs) were found to be "friendly" with bar
owners, employees and patrons, giving the impression that there was "official
imprimatur" on activities in the clubs, including US military personnel paying
"bar fines" so they could take out girls for a night.
The report on Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, according to an update issued by
Equality Now, an organization that promotes women's human rights, found that
"Because there is no military standard that directly addresses patronization of
prostitutes and other activities associated with human trafficking, criminal
prosecution of these activities under military law is rendered more difficult.
We believe that correcting these weaknesses is consistent with the
'abolitionist approach to trafficking in persons' or zero-tolerance policy with
respect to US government employees and contractor personnel stationed abroad
who engage in trafficking in persons set forth in the 2003 National Security
Presidential Directive 22, which further states, 'the United States Government
opposes prostitution and any related activities'."
The "zero-tolerance" policy was further reinforced in 2004, with a defense
department memorandum stating, among other things, that the department "opposes
prostitution and any related activities that may contribute to the phenomenon
of trafficking in persons as inherently harmful and dehumanizing."
That same year, General LaPorte, the commander of the US Forces in Korea (USFK)
testified before Congress and averred his command was implementing the
zero-tolerance policy. Since January 2003, said the general, the USFK had
ordered disciplinary action on five servicemen for soliciting (or patronizing)
prostitution, and prosecuted 398 servicemen for related offenses such as
violating curfew and trespassing on off-limit establishments.
Last Oct. 14, US President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13387,
amending the "Manual for Courts-Martial" to specifically list "patronizing a
prostitute" as a violation of the Code of Military Justice. US military
personnel will have committed an offense if they "compelled, induced, enticed
or procured (a) person to engage in an act of sexual intercourse in exchange
for monetary or other compensation."
But Equality Now's campaign for the implementation of a zero-tolerance policy
continues. "The US military has not responded to repeated inquiries regarding
any disciplinary action taken against US military personnel involving
solicitation of prostitution," Equality Now reports. This, even as American
soldiers continue to use women in prostitution in South Korea.
Recently, a Filipina bar worker won a judgment against a South Korean nightclub
owner "for forcing her to have sex with US soldiers," Stars and Stripes, a US
military newspaper, reported. Equality Now avers that "the failure of the US
military effectively to enforce the law has been corroborated by women's
organizations in South Korea."
Mwanwhile, reports Equality Now, the South Korean government has taken
"significant measures" to combat trafficking and prostitution, but only after
years of advocacy and lobbying by Korean NGOs, such as, the Korea Women's
Associations United (KWAU).
Laws enacted in 2004-the "Act on the Punishment of Procuring Prostitution and
Associated Acts" and the "Act on the Prevention of Prostitution and Protection
of its Victims Thereof"-call for strict sanctions for trafficking and procuring
prostitution. The second law also authorizes the establishment of assistance
facilities and counseling centers, with an infrastructure of social, legal and
medical support, for victims. "Under the new legislation," writes Equality Now,
"victims of prostitution are defined as persons who are subject to various
forms of coercion, including through drugs and debt, to sell sex. Victims of
prostitution are not subject to punishment. Rather they are eligible for the
assistance and counseling provided for in the law."
In the year since the laws have been passed, says Equality Now, the number of
commercial sex establishments has decreased by 36.8 percent, according to
figures provided by the Korean National Police Agency.
In an update sent to partners around the world Equality Now calls on everyone
concerned about the issue to write to President Bush "welcoming EO 13387...
specifically enumerating 'patronizing a prostitute' as a violation," while
urging Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to strictly enforce this
provision "noting that patronizing prostitution feeds the global demand for sex
trafficking and noting reports that the law is not being effectively enforced."
Supporters are also urged to write South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and
Minister of Justice Jung Bae-chun "thanking them for the efforts to create a
new legal framework that recognizes and protects victims of prostitution while
holding those who exploit them accountable"; and urging them "to ensure that
the new laws are strictly enforced."
And while you're at it, you might want to write to President Macapagal-Arroyo and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez urging them to show stronger resolve to uphold the national interest-as well as that of the accuser-in the Subic rape case.
