On July 2-6, 2023, the Partnership for Development Assistance in the Philippines Inc. – PDAP held a Pause and Reflect Session with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Strength CTIP partners, including A Child’s Trust Is Ours to Nurture – ACTION Inc., Atikha Overseas Workers and Communities Initiative, Inc., Bidlisiw Foundation Inc. – Philippines, Hospicio de San Jose, Blas Ople Policy Center, Katilingban sa Kalambuan Org. Inc., Preda Foundation, Inc. and Tambayan Center for Children’s Rights, Inc. As the Strength CTIP’s second such exercise, the activity provided a venue for its partners to:
- review major CTIP accomplishments across the four pillars (4Ps) of CTIP – Prevention of trafficking, Protection of victim-survivors and vulnerable individuals, Prosecution of cases, and Partnerships;
- share implementation challenges and actions taken;
- discuss recent trends in TIP; and
provide an opportunity for partners to network, share advocacy materials, and initiate or sustain collaborative efforts.
Recognizing new forms of TIP, including scam hubs and online sexual abuse or exploitation of children (OSAEC), Adesty Dulawan-Ting, Clinical Supervisor of World Hope International – Philippines and Ret. P/Col. Ma. Cecilia R. Detablan, President and Executive Director of Anti-Trafficking in Persons Network Inc. presented prevention, investigation, and prosecution challenges and recommendations in response to contemporary schemes of TIP. In addition, plenary discussions on economic empowerment of victim-survivors and TIP source communities and the role of local government units in ensuring equitable access and opportunities underscored how economic support systems are critical components in countering TIP.
Through group workshops, partners were able to reflect on project success stories, challenges, and proposals to better address issues as well as recommendations to effectively campaign against OSAEC, scam hubs, and other forms of TIP. To this end, Mohamed Dansoko, Democracy and Governance Team Lead, Office of Economic Development and Governance, USAID Philippines emphasized the importance of quality data in informing program implementation and the exigency of collaboration between and among local institutions and international partners in fighting TIP.
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