Angeles
RELIEF
We want to transform bleak circumstances into bright futures.
In Angeles City, Philippines, a thriving sex tourism industry brings thousands of foreign men every year. Many leave behind unplanned pregnancies and abandoned children, victims of a system shaped by poverty, exploitation and low access to contraception.
We work to change that.
Our mission is to give these children the education, stability, and support they need to break free from this cycle.
Our mission
Provide support
We help children abandoned by foreign fathers access essentials: education, food, and safe living conditions. Many mothers face extreme poverty, often returning to sex work to survive. By easing this financial strain, we help families build safer, healthier lives.
Provide support
We help children abandoned by foreign fathers access essentials: education, food, and safe living conditions. Many mothers face extreme poverty, often returning to sex work to survive. By easing this financial strain, we help families build safer, healthier lives.
Find fathers
DNA technology now makes it possible to trace family ties without both parties’ samples. This is the same techniques used to solve cases like the Golden State Killer.
In 70% of cases, we identify fathers abroad and contact them to secure support, accountability, and pathways to a better future for their children.
Find fathers
DNA technology now makes it possible to trace family ties without both parties’ samples. This is the same techniques used to solve cases like the Golden State Killer.
In 70% of cases, we identify fathers abroad and contact them to secure support, accountability, and pathways to a better future for their children.
Break the cycle
Our ultimate aim is to end the cycle of poverty and exploitation.
By supporting today’s children, we create opportunities for generations to come, ensuring they can grow up free from the hardships their mothers endured.
Break the cycle
Our ultimate aim is to end the cycle of poverty and exploitation.
By supporting today’s children, we create opportunities for generations to come, ensuring they can grow up free from the hardships their mothers endured.
Journalism
Australian journalists Margaret Simons and Dave Tacon created Angeles Relief in 2015 as a result of the public response to their Walkley Award winning article published in The Monthly magazine.
Journalism has remained pivotal in spreading awareness of the children of Angeles City and the persistent issues of sex tourism in the Philippines.
“If you can support a child and let them know who they are, it’s very important for them. Very important.”
— “harry”
father of lewis
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
FAQs
If we have contacted you suggesting you are a father:
Being contacted by ARI can be an upsetting experience. In this section are the most common questions you may have.
WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO CONTACT ME?
Usually, we are trying to contact you because we believe that you are likely to be the father of one of the children we work with in the Philippines.
We usually will already have conclusive evidence of parentage. Sometimes we know the father is either you or a close relation and we are seeking your cooperation to establish the truth.
We will always act in the best interests of the child. In most cases, this is achieved by coming to an amicable and private agreement, involving you providing some support for the child.
If we are trying to contact you, it will be in your interests to respond to us so the matter can be settled easily.
You will find us sensible and cooperative if you deal with us in the same way.
WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO CONTACT ME?
Usually, we are trying to contact you because we believe that you are likely to be the father of one of the children we work with in the Philippines.
We usually will already have conclusive evidence of parentage. Sometimes we know the father is either you or a close relation and we are seeking your cooperation to establish the truth.
We will always act in the best interests of the child. In most cases, this is achieved by coming to an amicable and private agreement, involving you providing some support for the child.
If we are trying to contact you, it will be in your interests to respond to us so the matter can be settled easily.
You will find us sensible and cooperative if you deal with us in the same way.
WHY DO YOU THINK I AM THE FATHER?
We reach our conclusions on the basis of DNA evidence and other records.
In most cases, we will send you a copy of a report along with our initial correspondence. This report is compiled by a forensic genealogical expert, which details the evidence we are using.
To this we typically add publicly available information, such as details regarding travel, where you were at certain dates etc.
WHY DO YOU THINK I AM THE FATHER?
We reach our conclusions on the basis of DNA evidence and other records.
In most cases, we will send you a copy of a report along with our initial correspondence. This report is compiled by a forensic genealogical expert, which details the evidence we are using.
To this we typically add publicly available information, such as details regarding travel, where you were at certain dates etc.
HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT DNA SAMPLING HAS LED YOU TO ME, WHEN I HAVE NEVER GIVEN YOU MY DNA?
It is no longer necessary for all parties to give a DNA sample to trace family relationships.
Over the last decade, vast databases have been built up by private companies, which hold data from millions of people who have submitted their DNA to trace their ancestry.
Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com are two of the better known, but there are many others.
This means that in many cases, if a person uploads their DNA, it is possible to trace their family connections if even only one distant relative is in the database. You may not have contributed your DNA, but a cousin or aunt or other distant relative may have done so.
You may have read about this method being used to solve cold crime cases. The Golden State Killer is one example that has had a lot of publicity. Or, there was this longstanding mystery in South Australia that was solved by this method.
We have applied this methodology to trace the foreign fathers of children living in poverty in the Philippines.
We take a DNA sample from the child, carefully documenting the process. We upload this information to public DNA databases and find matches. We have qualified forensic genealogical experts who assist us in this.
We are successful in tracing the fathers in about 70% of cases.
HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT DNA SAMPLING HAS LED YOU TO ME, WHEN I HAVE NEVER GIVEN YOU MY DNA?
It is no longer necessary for all parties to give a DNA sample to trace family relationships.
Over the last decade, vast databases have been built up by private companies, which hold data from millions of people who have submitted their DNA to trace their ancestry.
Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com are two of the better known, but there are many others.
This means that in many cases, if a person uploads their DNA, it is possible to trace their family connections if even only one distant relative is in the database. You may not have contributed your DNA, but a cousin or aunt or other distant relative may have done so.
You may have read about this method being used to solve cold crime cases. The Golden State Killer is one example that has had a lot of publicity. Or, there was this longstanding mystery in South Australia that was solved by this method.
We have applied this methodology to trace the foreign fathers of children living in poverty in the Philippines.
We take a DNA sample from the child, carefully documenting the process. We upload this information to public DNA databases and find matches. We have qualified forensic genealogical experts who assist us in this.
We are successful in tracing the fathers in about 70% of cases.
I WANT A CONFIRMATORY DNA TEST.
Of course.
We would encourage you to obtain one and we can help.
We will cooperate with providing the child’s DNA to any reputable DNA testing clinic you choose to use. We also have lists of recommended companies that work with us.
You then provide your sample, and our conclusions can be independently checked. In some cases, we can help with costs.
I WANT A CONFIRMATORY DNA TEST.
Of course.
We would encourage you to obtain one and we can help.
We will cooperate with providing the child’s DNA to any reputable DNA testing clinic you choose to use. We also have lists of recommended companies that work with us.
You then provide your sample, and our conclusions can be independently checked. In some cases, we can help with costs.
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
We are acting in the best interests of the child. In most cases, the child is living in extreme poverty, which is why we are involved. We seek to alleviate that.
Parents have both a legal and moral responsibility to care for their children, so if you are the father, we will want to discuss providing support for your child.
In most cases, this can be done by paying the mother directly. If she is happy with the arrangement, we don’t need to be further involved and you may never need to deal with us again. We will stay in touch periodically with the mother and child to check everything is going well from their point of view.
Rest assured we are sensible in negotiations. We consider income and any other children the father may be responsible for. We maintain confidentiality wherever possible, as long as you have acted and respond reasonably.
In most countries payment of child support can be legally enforced. We will take this route if we have to. We have many lawyers in many countries who will act for these children for no fee. We have won all our cases so far.
But we prefer to come to an amicable agreement without the need for lawyers. This is certainly cheaper and less traumatic for everyone concerned.
A second consideration is that in some cases, the child will be eligible for citizenship of their father’s home country. If the child and their mother want to seek that right, we will help them to do this. It is much easier if we have the father’s cooperation.
If both the child and the father want to meet or build a relationship, we will do what we can to assist with that. Some beautiful relationships have resulted from our work. However, in many cases this is not desired by one side or the other, in which case we will not interfere or force the issue.
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
We are acting in the best interests of the child. In most cases, the child is living in extreme poverty, which is why we are involved. We seek to alleviate that.
Parents have both a legal and moral responsibility to care for their children, so if you are the father, we will want to discuss providing support for your child.
In most cases, this can be done by paying the mother directly. If she is happy with the arrangement, we don’t need to be further involved and you may never need to deal with us again. We will stay in touch periodically with the mother and child to check everything is going well from their point of view.
Rest assured we are sensible in negotiations. We consider income and any other children the father may be responsible for. We maintain confidentiality wherever possible, as long as you have acted and respond reasonably.
In most countries payment of child support can be legally enforced. We will take this route if we have to. We have many lawyers in many countries who will act for these children for no fee. We have won all our cases so far.
But we prefer to come to an amicable agreement without the need for lawyers. This is certainly cheaper and less traumatic for everyone concerned.
A second consideration is that in some cases, the child will be eligible for citizenship of their father’s home country. If the child and their mother want to seek that right, we will help them to do this. It is much easier if we have the father’s cooperation.
If both the child and the father want to meet or build a relationship, we will do what we can to assist with that. Some beautiful relationships have resulted from our work. However, in many cases this is not desired by one side or the other, in which case we will not interfere or force the issue.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I IGNORE YOUR APPROACH?
Here is what generally happens if we do not get a reply to our approaches or if you brush us off.
We try multiple times, using all your contact details we have been able to trace.
If this is unsuccessful, we sometimes use private investigators to visit your home.
Ultimately, and only if all other methods have proved unsuccessful, we will try to contact your family members or employers asking for their help to get in touch with you. We do our very best to maintain confidentiality, but given the nature of our organisation, it is hard to avoid them guessing at the reason for our interest.
If all this fails, we involve lawyers. Depending on the laws in your jurisdiction this could result in court action:
to force you to provide a DNA sample to confirm or disprove parentage
to assess and enforce the payment of child support, with the amount usually determined by a government agency according to a formula
If you do not cooperate, these processes can take many years, resulting in substantial legal costs for you.
We never give up, meaning this matter will be hanging over you for many years.
It is more confidential, cheaper and less traumatic for you to respond to our approaches, get a confirmatory DNA test, and, assuming it confirms our conclusions, come to an amicable and fair agreement with the mother of your child.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I IGNORE YOUR APPROACH?
Here is what generally happens if we do not get a reply to our approaches or if you brush us off.
We try multiple times, using all your contact details we have been able to trace.
If this is unsuccessful, we sometimes use private investigators to visit your home.
Ultimately, and only if all other methods have proved unsuccessful, we will try to contact your family members or employers asking for their help to get in touch with you. We do our very best to maintain confidentiality, but given the nature of our organisation, it is hard to avoid them guessing at the reason for our interest.
If all this fails, we involve lawyers. Depending on the laws in your jurisdiction this could result in court action:
to force you to provide a DNA sample to confirm or disprove parentage
to assess and enforce the payment of child support, with the amount usually determined by a government agency according to a formula
If you do not cooperate, these processes can take many years, resulting in substantial legal costs for you.
We never give up, meaning this matter will be hanging over you for many years.
It is more confidential, cheaper and less traumatic for you to respond to our approaches, get a confirmatory DNA test, and, assuming it confirms our conclusions, come to an amicable and fair agreement with the mother of your child.
General FAQs:
General FAQs:
How can I be sure money gets to the children?
Firstly, thank you!
Angeles Relief Inc. is a registered Australian charity, subject to the oversight of the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission. Please see our entry on the ACNC website.
We report annually to the ACNC on our income and expenditure. We also provide annual individual reports to our donors on how their money has been spent.
Angeles Relief Inc. has Deductible Gift Recipient status, meaning that you can claim a tax deduction for your gifts.
Our administrative costs are very low. All our Australian-based officers are volunteers.
We employ social workers in the Philippines to support the families we work with.
Most of our expenditure is on:
Welfare support to the families, typically covering the cost of:
housing
food
health care
education
Wages for our social workers in Angeles City
All our annual reports, including financial details, are available to read.
How can I be sure money gets to the children?
Firstly, thank you!
Angeles Relief Inc. is a registered Australian charity, subject to the oversight of the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission. Please see our entry on the ACNC website.
We report annually to the ACNC on our income and expenditure. We also provide annual individual reports to our donors on how their money has been spent.
Angeles Relief Inc. has Deductible Gift Recipient status, meaning that you can claim a tax deduction for your gifts.
Our administrative costs are very low. All our Australian-based officers are volunteers.
We employ social workers in the Philippines to support the families we work with.
Most of our expenditure is on:
Welfare support to the families, typically covering the cost of:
housing
food
health care
education
Wages for our social workers in Angeles City
All our annual reports, including financial details, are available to read.
How do I get involved?
Bless you!
Angeles Relief Inc. is actively seeking volunteers. There are many roles, from the often-confronting field work in the poorer areas of the Philippines, to back office administrative and fundraising tasks.
If you can give us even a few hours of your time, please contact us.
How do I get involved?
Bless you!
Angeles Relief Inc. is actively seeking volunteers. There are many roles, from the often-confronting field work in the poorer areas of the Philippines, to back office administrative and fundraising tasks.
If you can give us even a few hours of your time, please contact us.
WHY ARE YOU FOCUSSING ON THE PHILIPPINES WHEN THIS PROBLEM EXISTS IN MANY OTHER COUNTRIES?
It is certainly true that sex tourism and poverty exist in many other countries.
The simple answer to this question is: Margaret Simons and Dave Tacon became aware of the issue in the Philippines through their journalism.
When their stories were published, people wanted to help and started sending money. And from there, Angeles Relief grew.
But the more complex answer is this.
That as an organisation founded by Australians, we feel ashamed and implicated in the fact that many children of Australians – and of other developed countries around the world – are growing up abandoned, without knowing a parent and in poverty.
Our mission has furthermore grown to encompass members of the Filipino community – from Australia, the Philippines and elsewhere – each impassioned to break the systemic cycle of exploitation and resulting poverty in the country.
And now, our ties to the Philippines and the unique impact we can make only grows stronger.
WHY ARE YOU FOCUSSING ON THE PHILIPPINES WHEN THIS PROBLEM EXISTS IN MANY OTHER COUNTRIES?
It is certainly true that sex tourism and poverty exist in many other countries.
The simple answer to this question is: Margaret Simons and Dave Tacon became aware of the issue in the Philippines through their journalism.
When their stories were published, people wanted to help and started sending money. And from there, Angeles Relief grew.
But the more complex answer is this.
That as an organisation founded by Australians, we feel ashamed and implicated in the fact that many children of Australians – and of other developed countries around the world – are growing up abandoned, without knowing a parent and in poverty.
Our mission has furthermore grown to encompass members of the Filipino community – from Australia, the Philippines and elsewhere – each impassioned to break the systemic cycle of exploitation and resulting poverty in the country.
And now, our ties to the Philippines and the unique impact we can make only grows stronger.
SUPPORT
THE CHILDREN OF ANGELES
THE CHILDREN OF ANGELES
Hope starts here.
Your support transforms lives in Angeles City.
