Against Human Trafficking

RfP Philippines 2017

After the Manila Conference on Human Trafficking, an assessment-network meeting was conducted. This time, the meeting includes only the 3 centers that caters to trafficked women and children, and the She Works, the organization that handles the community re-integration of trafficked women, and other key partners with resources and expertise. That meeting has resulted to the following activities:

1. Education program — we are currently working out a memorandum of agreement with the University of Santo Tomas for the distance education learning program.

Volunteer teachers will provide the required education for the continuing education of those victims.

2. Psychosocial and trauma professionals — Religions for Peace has a long standing work with the Trauma Center of UST, and we have agreed that they will render regular volunteer services to these centers. This is required by government for their operation, and it has become very expensive for them to keep enough number of psychologist and trauma counselors. Thus, the program will also let them save more money, for which they can use for food and their daily subsistence.

3. Daily subsistence assistance — The request is to receive regular assistance for the daily sustenance of their trafficked women and children in the centers. As of now, we are working with some institutional partners including religious communities if something can be done concretely on this.

4. Market for the SheWorks products — The University of Santo Tomas Simbahayan program will be assisting the She-Works organization for marketing strategies to help them in their business. (If you remember those goods near the registration table?).

UST will also be providing space for free to sell their products during university month.

We are currently discussing this set up with Adamson University and other schools and universities who were present at that time for a similar assistance.

5. Training and cooperation with religious leaders for key messaging and human trafficking prevention, reporting and referral. Human trafficiking happens at home, and many of the perpetrators are in cahoots with parents, or the parents and elderly are themselves the perpetrators. The role of religious leaders for awareness raising and prevention is considered as a high priority. Most importantly, religious leaders should know whom to report and refer whenever they know such incident happen. in short

this training program aims to capacitate religious leaders, using their religious resources and moral authorities, to help in the prevention of human trafficking. Together with PIMAHT Philippine Interfaith Movement Against Human Trafficking, we are currently working on the module and the mechanism of its implementation.

These are some of the things that we have done and continue to do as part of our commitment during the Human Trafficking Conference. I must admit that there are lots of difficulties and challenges in between, but we are progressing as everyone in the partnership believes that human trafficking in the Philippines is a serious issue and a very grave concern.