Empowered Women Leaders shared their perspectives on Violence Against Women and Children, Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery at the Forum in Glorietta. Here, they take a stand and pose to Say No to Violence Against Women and Children. L-R: Cora Tan (Zonta); Tricia Centenera (Host of the Event; iFIGHT Ambassador); Dr. Lourdes Sese (Zonta); Lt. Gov. Primitiva Sison (Zonta); Ms. Georgitta Puyat (Zonta); Former Congresswoman Kim Bernardo – Lokin (Zonta); Director Bing Carrion (Zonta); Atty. Darlene Pajarito (DOJ-IACAT); Sr. Cecil Espenilla (CBCP Office on Women); Cecil Flores – Oebanda (Visayan Forum, and Zonta)
Manila — The Zonta Club of Pasig and the Visayan Forum, in cooperation with various anti-trafficking stakeholders, unfazed by Typhoon Ruby, organized a whole day advocacy activity on Monday, December 8, 2014 at the Glorietta Activity Center as a platform for the public to say no to violence against women and children.
The event focused on mobilizing partners, especially youth groups to fight human trafficking and modern slavery. Specifically, the event generated public awareness through a mix of online platforms, a forum, and interactive offline exhibits.
Various anti-trafficking stakeholders showcased their programs and services and distributed information materials. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Office on Women distributed copies of the Pastoral Letter on Human Trafficking and read the prayer for the National Day of Prayer on Human Trafficking slated on December 14, 2014.
The Forum, graced by 8 empowered women from different sectors of society, indeed raised significant questions and concerns on violence against women, human trafficking and modern slavery. It highlighted the need for a change in culture, the strengthening of commitments, and sustaining of compassion, in order to build a just and human society where people are free from exploitation, abuse, and violence.
Youth ambassadors and celebrities also launched the iFIGHT Movement with the Zonta Club of Pasig. The iFIGHT is a national movement of young people to inform, train and empower students in detecting and reporting early signs of trafficking vulnerability and exploitation.
According to a newly published report called Global Slavery Index (GSI), there are an estimated 261,200 people in the Philippines who are subjected to a form of modern slavery including forced prostitution, forced labor, involuntary servitude, child soldiery or removal of organs. This means that the country has the 19th largest estimated population out of the 35.8 million people who are forced to live in slavery around the world today. The report published by the Walk Free Foundation has ranked the Philippines as 103rd in the world. It has also noted that in terms of governmental response, the country has comparatively strong inter-agency efforts to fight human trafficking despite limited resources.
“We need to engage everyone in the fight to end violence against women and children; this is not one organization working to end it all, this is us – socio-civic groups, NGOs, the government, faith-based groups, the academe, the general public – we are all stakeholders in the fight to end violence, abuse and exploitation,” says former Representative Kim Bernardo – Lokin, President of Zonta Club of Pasig.
In the recently concluded CSO Summit on Trafficking organized by Visayan Forum in Davao city last November 27-28, frontline service providers validated the prevalence of new vulnerabilities to human trafficking such as cybersex, sex-tourism, abusive domestic work and other unregulated work such as Pa-aling fishing. More than 140 CSOs representatives raised alarm on deeper causes underlying these trends such as vulnerabilities of women and children in ethnic groups, the increase in tourist-worker schemes to evade stricter government monitoring, the lingering effects of mega-disasters, the impact of ASEAN integration to agriculture, and lack of synergy between anti-trafficking stakeholders and other non-traditional groups.
Exhibitors included the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines’ Let’s Move Program, the iFIGHT Movement, Visayan Forum, and the End Child Slavery Campaign.
The Event was hosted by Tricia Centenera, Actress, Model, TV Host, Fashion Blogger, and iFIGHT Ambassador.
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