US agencies urge LGUs to intensify anti-human trafficking awareness, activities

Representatives from US government agencies at the US Embassy in Manila urged local government officials to intesify the fight against human trafficking during a summit held in Tacloban City from April 8 to 9.

The event was convened by the embassy through the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Millennium Challenge Account – Philippines (MCA-P) in partnership with the Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT).

In a news release on Thursday, the US Embassy in Manila said that attending the event were representatives from the US Department of Justice, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the US Embassy's Political Section, as well as officials from the Regional Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking in Persons (IACAT), the Philippine Commission on Women, and the Council for the Welfare of Children.

The groups convened to discuss challenges in dealing with human trafficking and how to help communities become more vigilant in protecting citizens against trafficking in persons (TIP) and violence against women and children.

Samar infrastructure project

The summit was part of a road construction project conducted by MCA-P, the Samar Secondary National Roads Development Project (SNRDP), which implements a TIP community awareness partnership with PACT as well. This includes " information, education and communication campaigns against TIP and a series of community education and training sessions in SNRDP road-construction areas," said the embassy.

According to the embassy, the project has trained 559 social workers, police officers, teachers, and community leaders, who in turn are conducting trainings in their communities on anti-trafficking laws, reaching about 14,000 people. "Over 1,500 road construction workers have also been trained on TIP under the SNRD," the embassy added.

"As we work to improve Samar's transportation infrastructure, we are proud to support the efforts of the regional IACAT, local government, and civil society to ensure that the people of this region have the tools and the knowledge they need to continue the fight against modern-day slavery," said US Embassy Human Rights Officer Rachael Parrish at the event. — Andrei Medina/BM, GMA News