(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
GRACE TOBIN: In the heart of Angeles City, the Philippines,
sex is for sale
and girlfriends are for hire.
Clubs like this one
cater for the many foreign men who flock here each year.
This is Walking Street.
This is actually the capital of sex-tourism industry
This is actually the capital in Angeles City.
These sex tourists seek cheap thrills in Angeles City.
These sex tourists seek cheap thrills with no consequences.
Instead they've fathered tens of thousands of children
Instead they've fathered and then abandoned them.
Hi. I'm Lester. I'm 20 years old.
My name is Cassandra and I'm 15 years old.
Hi. My name is Luis and I'm 17 years old.
Their mums worked the bars.
Their dads were the clients.
I want to find out who my father is
because it's a bit sad to live without a father.
But now these children,
raised in poverty and robbed of their identities,
can find out where they came from.
In a trailblazing project,
their DNA is being used to hunt down their missing dads.
If we can find the fathers of these children,
If we can find the fathers it could be transformative.
And for the first time
Australian sex-tourist fathers And for the first time
Australian sex-tourist fathers are finally being held to account.
ANDREW MACLEOD: The power of this technology,
where we're allowing children to find their fathers,
sends a very strong message to these predators -
"You thought you could get away with it.
"You thought "You can now be caught."
(CHATTER, CLACKING IN BACKGROUND)
Jennilyn's is one crowded house.
A single mum with seven kids and two cats.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
She now works in a call centre,
but Jennilyn used to be a bar girl, or hostess, just as her mum was.
Jennilyn's clients, or guests, as she calls them,
Jennilyn's clients, were mostly foreigners.
Luis's dad was one of them.
Luis is a teenager,
the same age as she was when she became pregnant with him.
(ROOSTER CROWS)
Now Luis has been DNA-swabbed
there's a chance they'll both learn Now Luis has been DNA-swabbed
there's a chance they'll both learn who his father actually is.
JENNILYN: My hope is very slim if he's still alive or not.
I'm not saying that he might already be dead,
but, for me, at least it's a closure for Luis
because my dad is also an African-American
that I never grew with.
So, the closure
is 100% important on my part.
But in Luis's part, I'm not so sure is 100% important on my part.
But in Luis's part, I'm not so sure what he is looking for.
But in Luis's part, I'm not so sure But closure will be the best way.
At least he won't die without knowing his father.
(TRAFFIC BUZZES)
Angeles, in the shadow of two brooding volcanoes,
is just two hours' drive from Manila.
(ENGINES WHINE)
Over the decades
two vast US bases Over the decades
two vast US bases at Clark Field and Subic nearby
spawned a prolific sex-tourism industry here.
Bars served cheap beer and cheap sex.
Bars served cheap beer By the 1990s
Australians were well-entrenched in the business
and the Aussie customers continued to arrive in droves.
The City of Angels is now better known as Sin City.
Unprotected sex costs extra
and sex workers can earn more in one night
and sex workers than in two weeks in a call centre.
Abortion is illegal
and sometimes lethal.
There are estimated to be tens of thousands of biracial children...
..most condemned to a hand-to-mouth existence
in the shanties of back-alley Angeles.
(KIDS CHATTER AT PLAY)
Jayden is eight years old and loved by his mum,
Jayden is eight years old but there's no dad in his life.
He was a sex tourist.
Judith says Jayden's dad was much older than her.
The years went by,
and as Jayden moved from baby to boyhood
Judith continued to work at the bar.
Jayden says he wants to be a police officer when he grows up.
Ooh! It's raining.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Six months earlier
a social worker turned up at Jayden's Six months earlier
a social worker turned up at Jayden's place to take a saliva sample.
Marivic Panilawan is with Angeles Relief,
the Australian agency behind the DNA project,
the Australian agency implementing it on the ground.
Marivic has made it her mission
to check on the welfare of the Marivic has made it her mission
to check on the welfare of the abandoned children and their mums.
She can't hide her contempt for the foreign sex tourists.
MARIVIC PANILAWAN: They just using these women
as a resources for their own lust
and having just some fun.
There are treating these Filipino workers as a doll.
It's very inhumane.
It's disgusting.
They come here because the value of their money is huge.
Even if they only having a vacation here, having some fun, They come here because the value of their money is huge.
Even if they only having a vacation here, having some fun,
they can maximise the value of their money in peso when they come here.
Not only that,
sex workers here are not protected by the law or by the government,
sex workers here are not protected so, they can do whatever they want.
These sex workers are being paid for being a prostitute,
These sex workers are being paid being paid for the sex.
They are not being paid being paid for the sex.
They are not being paid to get pregnant
They are not being paid and to raise these children.
10,000 kilometres away
Australian lawyer Andrew MacLeod is walking to work.
A visiting professor with King's College London,
he's acquired a niche interest in genetics.
He realised DNA technology
could reveal the abandoned children's true identities.
ANDREW MACLEOD: These sex tourists, they know they're creeps.
They know what they're doing is wrong.
They just thought they'd never get caught.
And that's the power of what this DNA project is.
It creates the fear of detection in the minds of past perpetrators,
and when people see what this technology can do, It creates the fear of detection in the minds of past perpetrators,
and when people see what this technology can do,
we scare the bejesus out of future perpetrators.
Six years ago
DNA technology was used to track down a rapist and murderer
who terrorised California in the '70s and '80s.
The Golden State Killer, as he'd been dubbed,
had evaded capture for decades. The Golden State Killer, as he'd been dubbed,
had evaded capture for decades.
He was unmasked as Joseph James DeAngelo,
a 72-year-old grandfather and former cop
thanks to DNA from a 40-year-old crime scene
which had been uploaded to an ancestry website.
The killer's DNA matched that of several of DeAngelo's relatives.
From there, it was just piecing together a family tree.
In 2020
the Golden State Killer was convicted and sentenced to multiple life terms.
Mr DeAngelo will spend the rest of his natural life
Mr DeAngelo will spend and ultimately meet his death
confined behind the walls and ultimately meet his death
confined behind the walls of a state penitentiary.
confined behind the walls (APPLAUSE)
ATTORNEY: The answer was and always was going to be in the DNA.
We knew we could and should solve it ATTORNEY: The answer was and always was going to be in the DNA.
We knew we could and should solve it
using the most innovative DNA technology
available at this time.
Professor Andrew MacLeod had recently read a newspaper feature
Professor Andrew MacLeod about the children of Filipino women
abandoned by their foreign about the children of Filipino women
abandoned by their foreign sex-tourist fathers.
abandoned by their foreign ANDREW MACLEOD: I thought to myself,
if you could use this genetic-genealogy technology
if you could use to track crime-scene DNA,
imagine if a man to track crime-scene DNA,
imagine if a man had abused a woman overseas
and she got pregnant and had a child,
could you use the DNA of that child to track the father
and then
contact the father and see and then
contact the father and see
if he would be willing to give child support or things like this?
30 seconds now. Uh?
Marivic's DNA samples are sent off to a lab
where their genomes are compared
to a commercially available genetic database.
to a commercially available Very good. Thank you so much.
Relatives of each child will be flagged.
Paternal family trees can then be built up
with the help of some internet digging.
Genealogists then get to work on those names.
It's genetic triangulation, really.
And here's how it works.
If you go on to one of these ancestry sites And here's how it works.
If you go on to one of these ancestry sites
If you go on and you've done a DNA test,
it'll reveal and you've done a DNA test,
it'll reveal the closest DNA matches to you.
From these names, you can start to figure out your family tree.
It does depend on whether one of your relatives has also done a DNA test.
And the closer that relative
the easier it is to trace your biological family.
the easier it is to trace These sites also feature maps
displaying These sites also feature maps
displaying your DNA's ancestral geography.
displaying This is an actual map
of one of the Angeles City children with an Aussie father.
The mum is in the Philippines,
and then the Australian father's family
and then the Australian father's originally from Scotland and Ireland.
Genetic genealogists, originally from Scotland and Ireland.
Genetic genealogists, or DNA detectives,
Genetic genealogists, use the family trees they build up
to identify likely candidates for the biological fathers.
to identify likely candidates They then track them down
using search engines, public records They then track them down
using search engines, public records and social media.
(ENGINES WHINE)
(TYRES SKID)
Andrew MacLeod, professor and dad hunter,
makes regular trips to the Philippines
makes regular trips to oversee the DNA project.
Today he's heading to Angeles.
Thanks. OK.
10:30AM and he drops in on Walking Street,
where it's never too early for a beer.
He wants us to glimpse the street culture.
Oh, you're Aussie as well? Yeah.
Oh, you're Aussie as well? Yeah. How are you going?
There's no shortage Yeah. How are you going?
There's no shortage of fellow Aussies here.
There's no shortage And your missus is Filipino?
Yeah. Ah, good one.
Some men like to think transactional sex does not involve abuse.
Some men like to think transactional I disagree with them.
So, you sell Cialis and you sell Viagra, but you don't sell condoms?
The Philippines is one of the world's most Catholic countries.
Contraception is rarely used here.
Abortion's illegal,
as is prostitution.
If you are a white man coming from a relatively wealthy country
and you are manipulating a woman's poverty,
even if she's overage
and even if she consensually engages in transactional sexual activity,
can you honestly, hand on heart, say that's not partly abusive?
Are you from Aussie as well? Yeah.
Where are you from? Cairns.
Ah, there's a bloke just down there, he was from Cairns too.
Yeah! Yeah.
The Angeles speciality for sex tourists
The Angeles speciality is the 'girlfriend experience'.
Men can rent sex workers for a whole day, a week or even two.
Yeah.
Yep. Yep.
Yep.
Yeah.
(MUSIC, CHATTER)
Some of the women harbour hopes
that the 'girlfriend experience' might turn into a real relationship.
Hey.
Where are you from?
Sydney.
OK. Sorry about that. I'm from Melbourne.
(LAUGHS) I won't hold that against you.
(LAUGHS) Yeah.
There has always been a sex industry
and there will always There has always been a sex industry
and there will always be a sex industry,
and in many countries the sex industry is lawful and legitimate.
So, I'm not attacking the sex industry.
I'm attacking the men
who think they can impregnate someone and get away with it.
I am targeting the men who steal the identity of their own children.
If you've abused a woman in a country like this
and you've chosen not to wear a condom
and you have deliberately impregnated a woman,
you will be caught one day.
The power of this technology,
where we're allowing children to find their fathers,
but not just their fathers, their genetic families,
including brothers and cousins,
this sends a very strong message to these predators -
"You thought you could get away with it.
"You can now be caught.
"It might not be today, might not be tomorrow.
"It might be on your 80th birthday
"that someone "It might be on your 80th birthday
"that someone comes knocking on your door."
"that someone You might even die of old age,
and the legacy of your family
is when a child here in Philippines
approaches one of your children in Australia or the UK
and says, "Hi, I'm your brother," or "Hi, I'm your sister,"
and the family then realises you - YOU - were an abuser.
After months of waiting for the results of the genealogical research,
Marivic is visiting Luis.
His mum hadn't held out much hope
of the saliva swab taken six months His mum hadn't held out much hope
of the saliva swab taken six months ago yielding definite results.
But Marivic's got good news for Luis.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE) Jen?
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
Thanks.
The genealogists have tracked down his dad.
Hello. Como esta?
Jennilyn and Luis are anxious to hear the result.
Luis is about to learn
that his newfound father is a wealthy businessman from New Zealand,
that his newfound father is a wealthy where he owns a beach resort.
Harry Potter's in his mid-70s.
According to Facebook, he now lives in Pattaya, Thailand.
He would like to help you to apply a New Zealand citizenship.
Luis must now ready himself
to speak to his father for the very first time in his life.
Marivic is also working with Margaret Simons,
Marivic is also working a Melbourne-based journalist.
(BRIDGE CLACKS) a Melbourne-based journalist.
(BRIDGE CLACKS) Agh!
MARGARET SIMONS: I went to the Philippines
MARGARET SIMONS: in 2015 for the first time.
I had heard that there were many in 2015 for the first time.
I had heard that there were many children of Australian sex tourists
who had been abandoned by their fathers
who had been abandoned and who were living in poverty,
and I went there to research the story.
She wrote the newspaper feature which Andrew MacLeod had read.
It got quite a large reader response and many readers wanted to help.
They said, "How can I help? Can I sponsor a child?
"Can I save a girl from sex work?"
This is where she was living when we found her.
Margaret set up the aid group Angeles Relief
to provide financial support for the mums and the kids.
They're showing Andrew the grim conditions
in which they'd found one of the children.
You don't see many Western women around here,
You don't see many Western women but Margaret knows Walking Street.
She's been coming here for almost a decade.
She's been coming here What do you want first?
Have you got iced latte?
We don't have iced latte.
No? OK. Brewed coffee.
Just cafe latte. OK. Thank you.
If I'm sitting in a restaurant on Walking Street in Angeles City,
typically, I will see a man, 50, 60, If I'm sitting in a restaurant on Walking Street in Angeles City,
typically, I will see a man, 50, 60,
with a woman in her early 20s,
sometimes much younger than that,
sometimes clearly underage as well,
which is particularly distressing.
The whole place, really, which is particularly distressing.
The whole place, really, was set up for Westerners
The whole place, really, and Australians in particular.
It is true that some of these women
hope to marry a man and find a lover,
hope to marry a man but, generally speaking,
the women are in a particularly but, generally speaking,
the women are in a particularly powerless position.
the women are in a particularly The sex is certainly much cheaper,
and for the men it can be without consequences.
They leave, they go home.
They never have to deal with any consequences,
including any child they may have fathered.
Whereas if they fathered a child in the UK or America or Australia,
they might be liable for paying child support.
The power dynamic, she says, is not in these women's favour.
If a man doesn't want to use a condom,
If a man there's really not much chance
that they're going to be able to enforce that.
Men will often pay more not to use a condom.
Pregnancy might be seen as an occupational hazard,
and, indeed, some of the women do get pregnant deliberately
because they hope that that will mean
that the man will stay in their lives,
that the man and that can be transformative.
(DOGS BARK)
Maxine was abandoned by her father 14 years ago.
He was a regular visitor to the nightclubs of Angeles,
He was a regular visitor where her mum was a sex worker.
Maxine's DNA results
have revealed that her father is a Queenslander in his late 50s.
have revealed that her father His social-media profile
shows him in hotel rooms, bars, pools His social-media profile
shows him in hotel rooms, bars, pools and fast-food joints
all over Angeles City.
Maxine's in state care now and lives in a shelter.
Maxine's in state care now Her mum struggles with drug use.
Marivic sees her often.
Her Aussie father denied Maxine was his daughter
and said he had no interest in helping.
Hi! Hi!
He refused to pay child support.
One half. One fourth.
Fourth. One half.
Disappear. Disappear.
Disappear one half...
Ah! (LAUGHS) Disappear one half...
Ah! (LAUGHS) Ah!
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE) Again.
That's all.
Four years ago, when Maxine was 11,
Angeles Relief had to run to the rescue
to prevent her being forced into the sex trade as well.
If Maxine were to be granted Australian citizenship,
her options could open up significantly.
(RAIN THRUMS)
(KIDS YELL)
For the mothers of children born to these men,
tracking down the fathers brings hope of financial support.
For the children,
it's about gaining For the children,
it's about gaining a sense of identity...
it's about gaining (KIDS YELL)
..and the life-changing opportunities foreign citizenship could offer.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(CROWS)
(CLUCKS)
Marivic is on her way to Judith's place.
It's results day for Jayden now.
Hello, Jayden.
Como esta?
There's been a DNA match,
although it's not as clear-cut There's been a DNA match,
although it's not as clear-cut as it was with Luis.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
At first, Jayden's hesitant.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
OK.
She tells him his father OK.
She tells him his father is one of three siblings,
but the DNA result can't confirm which one it is.
Marivic then tells Judith
that two of them had later moved to the Philippines.
The genealogists had dug out pictures of them.
Marivic shows them to Judith on her tablet.
No?
Judith's really not too sure.
The second brother, it turns out,
is married to a Filipina, and lives in Subic, a nearby town.
Jayden says he wants to meet his dad.
Judith asks to see the brothers' photographs again.
There's a discussion about exactly what Jayden's father had looked like,
and then she settles on it.
Mm.
Huh? (CHUCKLES)
Bye-bye, now.
Bye-bye.
Judith and Jayden Bye-bye.
Judith and Jayden have both given their blessing
for Angeles Relief to make contact with the brothers.
for Angeles Relief to make contact Jayden's dad, whichever one he is,
won't have seen this coming.
Yeah. OK, now.
Harry Potter hadn't seen it coming either,
but he's embraced this unexpected news
that he's fathered a son in the Philippines.
Hi.
Yes.
Luis is about to see his dad Yes.
Luis is about to see his dad for the very first time.
Yes, I can see you clearly.
Yes.
Andrew's the oldest of Luis's newly discovered half-siblings.
Yes. I would like to go to school.
Yes.
Thank you, thank you.
First they need to obtain a birth certificate for Luis
so he can start the process of applying for a New Zealand passport.
But Harry Potter has some worrying news for his son.
This makes their need to meet in person soon all the more urgent.
Harry wants Luis to come to Thailand
as soon as he gets his New Zealand passport.
They agree to all talk again soon.
Thank you very much for accepting Luis as one of your family
Thank you very much for accepting without any problem.
Same to you, guys. Thank you, Andrew.
Stay safe. Thank you. Bye. Same to you, guys. Thank you, Andrew.
Stay safe. Thank you. Bye.
Results are coming in now for other children too
with fathers from as far afield as North America and Europe
as well as more from Australia.
Social-media accounts
suggest some may be living in Subic, another nearby red-light destination.
Marivic is on the case.
It's not only Angeles City who has a sex-tourism industry,
It's not only Angeles City but also in Subic,
it's also a hotspot of sex tourism.
One of the two brothers who could be Jayden's father
had started messaging his mum, Judith.
He denied he was the dad
but promised to help out financially anyway.
but promised Then he changed his mind.
Marivic messages him to say she's in town,
but there's no response.
She marches determinedly from bar to bar,
talking to the women, the afternoon drinkers and security men,
showing them photographs from her dad-hunter hit list.
Thank you very much. Alright.
Everyone is supportive of her mission
to reunite the children with their fathers.
Marivic shows the photos to the tricycle taxi drivers too.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
One of the fathers she was looking for
One of the fathers is a regular around here, they say.
Ah, si! I know him.
These bar girls recognise one of the Aussie brothers,
but from a while back.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
They all agree the picture Marivic shows them
was definitely taken right here on this very beach.
They saw the picture, they are familiar.
And they are also aware They saw the picture, they are familiar.
And they are also aware
that the background of the picture is around here.
So, the girls even point out the mountain ranges.
So, the girls even point out (LAUGHS)
(TRAFFIC BUZZES)
These women all say (TRAFFIC BUZZES)
These women all say they've seen the other brother
roaming around the Subic bars just recently.
roaming around the Subic bars Unprompted, they volunteer his name,
the same name Unprompted, they volunteer his name,
the same name the genealogists have arrived at.
the same name (LAUGHTER, CHATTER)
At the end of our conversation
they said that they are not familiar At the end of our conversation
they said that they are not familiar with the surname,
they said that they are not familiar they just know the first name,
and they are 70%, 80% sure that it was him.
Tracking down dads requires slow, patient sleuthing.
In the weeks ahead,
Marivic and Judith,
as well as Andrew and Margaret working from London and Melbourne,
as well as Andrew and Margaret reach out to the Aussie brothers,
trying to persuade them reach out to the Aussie brothers,
trying to persuade them to take a DNA test.
trying to persuade them (WAVE CRASHES)
But relations turn from frosty to downright hostile with both men.
Over in Thailand
Harry Potter has taken on the responsibility of being Luis's dad.
The ageing businessman isn't in the best of health
and wants to get Luis to New Zealand soon to give him a fresh start.
What is it that you want people to know?
Harry's agreed to speak with us
on the condition that he'll only talk about Luis's future.
on the condition that How did you react at first
when you were told How did you react at first
when you were told you had this son in the Philippines?
when you were told I was surprised,
but, um...
..but, yeah...
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY) I was surprised.
It was a surprise, of course. Yeah.
But it's a fact, so, let's deal with it.
Don't hide from it. Let's deal with it.
I know it was difficult to connect with him over video,
but seeing Luis for the first time, for you, how did that feel?
but seeing Luis for the first time, I just feel some empathy for him
because, I mean, he lives in such difficult conditions,
unbelievably difficult conditions,
definitely in the lowest 10% in the world.
definitely in the lowest 10% He finished school at Grade 6.
I mean, he's just stuck there.
I mean, there's just no future there.
We can improve his life dramatically.
So, the object here is to get Luis a New Zealand passport.
Do you worry at all
that there might be a bit of a culture shock for Luis, though,
going from the Philippines, being in poverty conditions,
into New Zealand?
Of course there's a culture shock,
and he'll need a lot of support with that.
We'll make sure that we've got
a Filipino family for him to board with.
I don't want to have him. I want him to grow.
That's what I want.
It is an unusual situation
that you've found out the information that you have.
What do you want people to know?
Well, if you can support... if you can support a child
Well, if you can support... and let them know who they are,
it's very important for them.
Very important.
It is important, and you can see that it means a lot to Luis.
It is important, and you can see Mm.
Yep.
And... And that's what it's about.
It's about Luis.
It obviously means a lot to you...
Harry Potter remains hopeful of seeing Luis in person soon.
Harry Potter remains hopeful Thank you so much again.
No problem. My pleasure.
Ciao. (CHUCKLES)
That was unexpected for me in a way
only because I didn't expect Harry to get quite so emotional
about this connection with Luis, his son.
And you could tell it was quite genuine.
It was absolutely genuine.
And that came as a surprise for me.
(BARKS)
The recent months have been an emotional roller coaster
for father and son.
LUIS: I'm scared of my new life
because this LUIS: I'm scared of my new life
because this is very out of the ordinary
and I'm really not sure what's going to come.
I'm not sure if it's going to be all good
or there's some...
..trouble that will occur when I'm there.
When I first known about my other siblings and my dad,
When I first known I'm very surprised and very happy
because I have a lot of families now that could help me
and I could help them when they're in need.
The thing I'm most excited for is seeing my father in Thailand.
I'm going to miss my mum.
Definitely.
Her and my siblings not being on my side makes me really sad,
but I think this is a good idea for me to go to my father
so I could find a better job and help them in another way.
There's a stigma attached to Luis's very existence.
Even his grandfather was a sex tourist.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
About my mother's past and the reason I was born,
I don't really think about it too much,
and I'm not going to let the past define me.
And even if other people in New Zealand judge me,
And even if other people I won't listen to them, you know?
I won't let other people judge me
about the past I won't let other people judge me
about the past and my mother went through.
about the past I'm hoping that in New Zealand
people are more understanding and more accepting
when I...when they find out that...
..they find out about my past.
While things for Luis ..they find out about my past.
While things for Luis seem to be working out well...
..it's rarely the case.
A world away from the tin-roofed shanties of Angeles City
A world away from the tin-roofed but only seven hours away by air,
one of the brothers who could be Jayden's father
has moved back to suburban Perth.
We've tracked him down, know where he lives and works,
but for legal reasons we can't name him.
We've compiled a detailed dossier on both these men
complete with photographs and information
drawn from social media and public records.
The brothers, one in Perth, the other still in Subic,
are not on speaking terms, to put it mildly.
Each of them is still pointing the finger at the other
while refusing to take a test that would categorically confirm
which of them is Jayden's father.
They've both instructed Perth-based lawyers
They've both instructed to fend off Jayden and Judith.
Four Corners has contacted to fend off Jayden and Judith.
Four Corners has contacted each of the brothers directly.
We wanted to ask why they've declined to take this test.
(COOS) (ROOSTER CROWS)
We said that, for Jayden, knowing which one of them was his father
could give him that all-important sense of who he was.
could give him that (CROWS)
We also raised (CROWS)
We also raised the potentially life-changing impact
that resolving this could have on Jayden's mental wellbeing
that resolving this could have and his future.
One of the brothers and his future.
One of the brothers rebuffed us through his lawyers.
One of the brothers The other didn't respond at all.
(ROOSTER CROWS)
(CEREMONIAL MUSIC PLAYS)
(PRESENTER SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ON MICROPHONE)
(PRESENTER SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(CEREMONIAL MUSIC CONTINUES)
It's graduation day at the local high school.
At 15, Maxine's completed her primary education.
She's wearing a new dress and looking anxious.
Andrew MacLeod has flown in to witness her big moment,
having just dropped her mother off at rehab again.
PRESENTER: Maxine...
He recently persuaded Maxine's father in Australia
He recently persuaded Maxine's father to pay $400 a month in child support.
Faced with the DNA evidence,
he's finally shouldered his responsibility.
ANDREW MACLEOD: When I started this work,
ANDREW MACLEOD: I thought it was about
child-support orders, about identity and nationalities. I thought it was about
child-support orders, about identity and nationalities.
But it's not. It's actually about the kids fulfilling THEIR potential.
It's about going to school, getting education,
breaking the cycle of poverty
and being able to allow them to flower as individuals.
ANNOUNCER: (ON MICROPHONE) The Department of Education...
It's not just Maxine graduating today.
Luis has been going back to school and has finished junior high.
He's only three years behind now.
ANNOUNCER: Our education program provides...
His proud mum arrives with his baby sister.
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)
ANDREW MACLEOD: I now get really emotional
when you see some of these kids go to school,
get a graduation certificate,
and how much more powerful get a graduation certificate,
and how much more powerful it could be for so many more kids
if only the fathers stepped up to the plate.
What this DNA technology does, we know it works,
it unlocks the ability
for a child born into sexual abuse or sex slavery or transactional sex,
born into shame and stigma in some communities,
to unlock the other half of their identity,
to empower them with the knowledge of that half of that identity,
and then to guide them on what they do with that knowledge,
ultimately to give THEM a better future.
The DNA project in Angeles
has helped just a handful of children to track down their lost fathers.
There are potentially tens of thousands of others out there
who have no clue as to the identity of their foreign sex-tourist fathers
who dumped them.
I hate these fathers, you know.
Why did they left these children...
In the first place,
why did they allow...
..these workers to be pregnant?
Like, even if they want sex - sure, why not? This is the business.
But then you have the responsibility not to get those girls be pregnant.
It's good that we have this DNA testing
It's good that somehow can find the father.
At the end of the day
it boils down to giving these children
it boils down a sense of identity,
that, "Hey, I'm a normal kid. a sense of identity,
that, "Hey, I'm a normal kid. I have a father."
(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation