Leandria
P. Pagunsan
DUMAGUETE CITY, April 7 (PIA)--Visayan Forum-Dumaguete with its
partner agencies push for 'IFight movement' in Negros Oriental.
In a recent meeting with Ma.Cecilia Oebanda, founder and president
of Visayan forum Foundation, Inc. in Dumaguete City, the group unanimously
pushed for IFight campaign to end modern day slavery and all forms of
human trafficking in Negros Oriental.
Visayan Forum has four pillars, a wholistic approach to solve
human trafficking cases namely: protective services, prevention and
protection, policy/advocacy and IFight movement, according to Oebanda.
Protective care services being the heart of the organization
refers to the U-turn intervention, wherein victims of human trafficking are
provided with the necessary services and complete intervention, Oebanda said.
Rescue, restore and empower trafficking victims to protect
themselves and their families and at the same time capacitate them to engaged
in governance, she added.
VF has also established a new journey with Global Freedom, a
Vatican lead network of which Pope Francis himself leads in the fight against
human trafficking.
Oebanda urged that IFight be institutionalized in partnership with
the Department of Education in Negros Oriental for the IFight campus tour
especially in the hinterlands where most of the victims are young high school
students.
IFight calls for sustainable movement with partner agencies in
raising awareness, and aims to conduct advocacy campaign in 200 schools
nationwide.
Josie Columna of the Provincial Council for Women (PCW) suggested
that IFight campaign should not be limited to schools only but to be
implemented at the local government units through the Gender and
Development (GAD) focal persons and desk officers handling cases of Violence
Against Women and their Children (VAWC) of the Philippine National Police as
human trafficking is interconnected with abuses committed against children and
women.
Oebanda cited among others, another group vulnerable to
trafficking are young boys subjected to paaling fishing in
Negros Oriental.
As part of its policy and advocacy, Oebanda informed that
senators Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel lll and Grace Poe committed
to sponsor a senate bill against Paaling fishing.
Another issue raised during the meeting is to have a half-way
house or shelter of hope for victims of human trafficking in Negros Oriental as
their temporary shelter.
Oebanda also cited that another push factor for human trafficking
is the impact of disasters brought by climate change phenomenon.
She then encouraged the integration of churches in addressing
issues on “climigration” because displaced victims during disasters are most
vulnerable to human trafficking.
In closing, Oebanda encouraged partner agencies to activate the
Provincial Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (PIACAT) to lead in the
campaign against human trafficking as mandated by law. (mbcn/lpp/PIA7-Negros
Oriental)