The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) has lined-up several activities to raise awareness in the situation of the victims of human trafficking and promote the protection of their rights in support of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, 2021.
This year’s theme “Isang Bayan, Isang Paninindigan, Laban sa Trafficking ng Mamamayan” will be amplified in back-to-back online events spearheaded by IACAT member-agencies, partners, stakeholders and other anti-trafficking advocates.
Starting today and until July 30, the 1st Basic E-learning Access To Training on Investigation and Prosecution of Trafficking-in-Persons Cases is being conducted. DOJ-IACAT will also sign a Memorandum of Agreement with World Vision to implement the project against child exploitation.
A bilateral meeting between Philippines and Malaysia for the Transnational Investigation Cooperation on Trafficking in Persons will be held on July 28 alongside the Barangay IACAT webinar. Tourism WoRCS Program or Tourism Integrates, Supports and Minds Women’s Respect and Child Safety will also meet on July 28 to 29. An activity that will have conversations on aftercare for child survivors on OSEC will be held on July 29.
The ASEAN ACT Policy Engagement Initiative in the Philippines will be held in July 29 to Last July 6, 2021 to support the country to develop inclusive public policy processes to improve ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons especially Women and Children implementation, recognizing both the complexity of human trafficking and the range of stakeholders engaged in counter-trafficking.
On July 30, the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, two Child Online Protection Studies will be discussed. A Gaining Momentum Campaign-OFW Sector will be hosted by the Blas Ople Policy Center. Knowledge products on the anti-trafficking in persons will also be launched online including a TV advertisement on the campaign “Human, Hindi Laruan”.
Other activities held since the first week of July included a workshop and roundtable discussion on plea bargaining proposal which will minimize the presentation of a child witness and another on how to present financial evidence in online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) cases. Webinars on strengthening commitment against OSEC and another for investigators and prosecutors against exploitation was also conducted alongside a workshop on how to present digital forensic reports and witness in court.
The first cyber-TIP monitoring center in the Philippines established by the DOJ-IACAT-NBI with support from the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom was inaugurated last July 22. A webinar on the prevention and elimination of human trafficking activities in the cyberspace was also held with PLDT, Smart Communications, and Facebook as discussants. The IACAT Task Force Summit was also conducted last July 26.
