MANILA – The Justice Department's Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) on Thursday formally launched the Barangay IACAT 2.0 Program, a community-based initiative against human Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP).
Barangay IACAT 2.0, a three-day information drive held from Aug. 22 to 24, was launched in Antipolo City.
The DOJ said the program features video presentations, lectures, roundtable discussions, fellowship gatherings, motorcades, and other educational activities, all aimed at adopting a community-based approach to combatting TIP.
The initiative seeks to educate local officials and residents on how to prevent and respond to human trafficking within their communities and shift the focus towards preventive measures against human traffickers, by promoting a sense of collective responsibility among community members.
"The crusade to eradicate human trafficking starts with us, within the solitude of our own homes and communities. Through our unity, collective efforts, and shared wisdom, we become the most formidable foes whom human predators shall never defeat," said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla in a news release.
The Philippine government has been recognized globally for its steadfast efforts against human traffickers and online sexual abuse or exploitation of children (OSAEC).
This was highlighted in the U.S. State Department's Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP) report where the country retained its Tier 1 status for the ninth consecutive year. (PNA)
