Amended law decriminalizing vagrancy attacks exploited women – Gabriela

Amended law decriminalizing vagrancy attacks exploited women – Gabriela

“The amended law turns a blind eye to the realities of poverty and unemployment that heightens women’s vulnerability to trafficking, prostitution and slavery.” – Rep. Luz Ilagan, Gabriela Women’s Party
By INA ALLECO SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
Women legislators of Gabriela Women’s Party have denounced anew the Benigno Aquino administration for signing into law a measure that criminalizes women forced into exploitative situations by poverty. Reps. Emmi de Jesus and Luz Ilagan said President Aquino declared that prostituted women are criminals when he signed Republic Act 10158, or An Act Decriminalizing Vagrancy.

It is the consolidated version of Senate Bill 2726 and House Bill 493, which decriminalizes all forms of vagrancy and effectively repealed the law on vagrancy – a law widely criticized as being anti-poor. The amended law, however, declared that prostitution – an outcome of vagrancy – is a crime. It was submitted to Aquino last March 7, 2012 and signed into law on April 7.

“The administration is perpetuating the archaic view contained in Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code, but, at the same time, it allows the exploiters of women and those who earn from their exploitation to go scott-free,” De Jesus said..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/04/13/amended-law-decriminalizing-vagrancy-attacks-exploited-women-gabriela/