Group wants rights of trafficked children upheld

Child welfare activists yesterday pushed for the adoption by the government of a plan that would ensure the protection of children who are victims of human trafficking.

The Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT) called on the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to immediately approve and implement the Philippine Guidelines for the Protection of Trafficked Children and broaden the understanding of social workers, law enforcers, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and the government about the rights of trafficked children.

PACT said trafficked children are victims of human rights violations and should not be treated as offenders.

PACT said that formally adopting the Philippine Guidelines for the Protection of Trafficked Children will help in upholding and protecting each trafficked child’s right.

“Adopting the guidelines is important to ensure the ‘best interest’ of the child,” said Amihan Abueva, president of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT)-Philippines and NGO representative to the IACAT.

PACT said the guidelines will help social workers and law enforcers as well as the NGOs and government take the necessary measures to protect children who were subjected to abuse such as child labor and sexual exploitation.

PACT said it is imperative for social workers and law enforcers to know the appropriate handling of trafficked children.

The final draft of the said Guidelines is currently with the IACAT for last reading, comments and formal adoption.

“The guidelines will also be the basis for more effective networking and coordination of concerned agencies in identifying the immediate, as well as the long-term solutions for problems experienced by children victimized by trafficking,” Abueva said. 

Citing the Trafficking of Persons Report of the United States State Department released in June last year, PACT said that the Philippines is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor.

The report said that foreign tourists sexually exploit women and children in the Philippines.

The report likewise noted that the government of the Philippines does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

Filipino lawmakers have enacted the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9208), following the adoption of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish the Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children by over 80 countries worldwide in December 2000.

The protocol was part of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, signed by 121 countries.