Cebu: The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) underscored the importance of migration education and public awareness in preventing human trafficking, saying informed and coordinated action is key to protecting vulnerable Filipinos from exploitation.
According to Philippines News Agency, the CFO highlighted its message during the first provincial and regional anti-human trafficking summit in Cebu, where government agencies and partner organizations worked on a provincewide action plan aligned with the country's anti-trafficking framework.
Organized by the Province of Cebu and the Regional Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, the summit also opened the country's observance of National Anti-Trafficking in Persons Awareness Month this July, which culminates in World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30.
The CFO and the Department of Migrant Workers led a workshop on the prevention pillar of the anti-trafficking framework, focusing on stopping trafficking before it occurs through migration education and public awareness.
"The prevention pillar focuses on addressing the root causes of trafficking, including poverty, lack of education, unsafe migration and other vulnerabilities. It also promotes sustained public awareness campaigns, community education, responsible migration, and initiatives to reduce demand for exploitative labor and sexual services," the CFO said.
As the lead agency for the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar and other migration information programs, the CFO said it equips Filipinos with information on safe and legal migration, helping them recognize recruitment scams, trafficking schemes and other forms of exploitation before leaving the country.
Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, in her keynote address, called for a united response to human trafficking. "Protection goes beyond healthcare, education or livelihood-it means ensuring that every Cebuano, especially our children, women, migrant workers and vulnerable sectors, can live without fear of exploitation," she said.
Baricuatro said addressing trafficking requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
The summit featured discussions on victim rescue, prosecution of traffickers and survivor reintegration, as well as presentations on the continuing threat of online sexual abuse or exploitation of children (OSAEC) in Central Visayas, one of the regions considered vulnerable to human trafficking and technology-facilitated child exploitation.
The CFO cited data from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, the Department of Justice and international partners showing that Central Visayas remains among the regions with a significant number of trafficking investigations, rescue operations and prosecutions involving OSAEC.
The Philippines also continues to face serious challenges in combating online child sexual exploitation, the CFO said.
