By Victoria C. Arnaiz
TACLOBAN CITY, Sept 7, (PNA) — The training director of the National Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), Manila Assistant Prosecutor Jed Ng, lauded the role of media in preventing human trafficking activities.
He said the media play a big role in preventing trafficking persons by giving correct information to the public, letting the public aware of the laws against human trafficking and the abusers modus operandi.
He stated that the Republic Act 10364 otherwise known as the Expanded Anti Trafficking in Persons Act is very stringent in its measure to protect the victims especially their identities and whereabouts.
He said that few weeks after the typhoon, the Department of Justice (DOJ) in cooperation of IACAT has established HelpDesks at entry and exit points in the region. He also said that the police also put up Police Action Centers (PACs) in airports.
“We should all be vigilant. We should protect the children and the women who are the most vulnerable victims of trafficking especially the region has just recover from the worst ever disaster. The most common are sex exploitation and labor,” Ng said.
In its effort to intensify advocacy campaign against human trafficking in the region, IACAT partners with International Justice Mission and PECOJON (The Peace and Conflict Journalism Network) that conducted a three-day Seminar Workshop on Reporting Human Trafficking held recently in a hotel here in this city.
The activity was aimed at capacitating the local media of their roles in reporting cases of human trafficking.
The workshop stressed the importance of the role of media in disseminating information to the public to increase the level of awareness in the community on human trafficking.
Topics discussed during the seminar include “Understanding the media landscape, the values and challenges in the field of journalism,” “Conflict analysis tools in writing/reporting” and “Tidbits of Republic Act 9208 and 10364 including the expanded penalties and identification of respondents under R.A. 10364.”
The number of human trafficking victims in the region has increased this year. Documented from the Department of Social Welfare and Development showed 44 victims as of August 15, 2014, compared to 38 cases in 2013. (PNA)