The Provincial Inter-Agency Council on Anti-Trafficking, Violence Against Women and their Children and Anti-Child Pornography (PIACAT-VAWC-ACP) of the Province of Palawan is muscling up its campaign to stand up for women, children and trafficked persons.
This was learned during the recent meeting of the council presided by PCol. Gabriel C. Lopez of PNP-Provincial Police Office along with Governor Jose Ch. Alvarez and Atty. Teodoro Jose S. Matta, who are the chair and vice chair of the council.
The strategies include the training of law enforcement agencies’ personnel in Palawan to combat trafficking, conduct information drive related to human trafficking, provision of scholarship for children who are victims of violence, and activation of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) desk in every barangay.
Last year, the Provincial Board passed a resolution aimed at intensifying the government’s drive against trafficking, including forced prostitution, illegal recruitment, force labor, child prostitution among others.
The measure was passed by the Provincial Board after Balabac was tagged as a “backdoor” to Malaysia for human trafficking by Department of Justice-Inter Agency Committee Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT) Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-MIMAROPA said that Palawan recorded the highest human trafficking cases with more than 50 cases last year, which is the highest in the region.
Palawan, Philippine Coastguard, Department of Foreign Affairs, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Provincial Tourism Office, Provincial Health Office, Provincial Prosecutors Office, Philippine Information Agency, Provincial Information Office, and other government agencies.
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