The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) has sought the help of victims to strategize and re-fortify the fight against human trafficking in the country.
“More than anyone, it is our survivors who know best the enemies we fight,” IACAT chairman and Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said during the council’s 7th Manila International Dialogue on Human Trafficking held on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 16.
“They are therefore the most qualified to help us as we strategize and re-fortify in this worthy fight against trafficking of our kind,” Guevarra said.
He reminded that this year the Philippines has retained its Tier 1 status in the United States’ State Department trafficking in persons (TIP) report.
Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, the IACAT undersecretary in charge, said this year’s objective in the dialogue is “to discuss survivors voices and new directions in trafficking in persons, to strengthen preventive rehabilitation measures for trafficking in persons, and to identify recommendations on national strategic plan against trafficking in persons for 2022.”
Villar explained the objective is anchored on the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution which “highlights the need to raise awareness to the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.”
“There is a growing urgency to be more sensitive to the plight of victim-survivors not just because of their harrowing experiences but also because they are an essential element in our fight against human trafficking,” she said.
“Our goal is to address the need to improve our current approach thereby making it more effective and comprehensive by learning from the voices and share experiences of these TIP survivors,” she added.