MisOcc council for children to strengthen cooperation vs sexual abuse

The Provincial Council for the Protection of Children (PCPC) & Provincial Committee against Trafficking, Child Pornography, Violence Against Women and Children (PCAT-CP-VAWC) conducted the 1st quarter meeting via zoom, March 23. (PSWDO)

Members of the Misamis Occidental Provincial Council for the Protection of Children (PCPC) & Provincial Committee against Trafficking, Child Pornography, Violence Against Women and Children (PCAT-CP-VAWC) convened for the 1st quarter meeting via zoom, March 23 to discuss how to protect children from becoming victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-10 Social Welfare Officer Marylou Aninon reported that a number of labor trafficking victims in region 10 were rescued in Pampanga, Tarlac and other parts of the country.

In Misamis Occidental, three children who were victims of online sexual exploitation were assisted and rescued this year, adding that online sexual exploitation of children and labor trafficking are among the top reported forms of trafficking.

Aninon emphasized the communities must be made aware of the danger of human trafficking and exploitation of children and people play an important role in reporting individuals involved.

In discussing human trafficking during the joint PCPC meeting, Aninon said "although poverty is one of the biggest risk factors, anyone can become a victim of human trafficking unless all of us will take action; and although human trafficking can include both violence and confinement, it might be based solely on deceit, psychological manipulation and or threats of violence."

She added that trafficking is a lucrative business because organized crime groups, informal networks and unscrupulous individuals involved in Trafficking in Persons (TIP) earn high profits at low risk from criminal prosecution and it is the 3rd largest organized criminal activity, next to drug trafficking and arms smuggling.

Meanwhile, Police Major Sheila J Paderanga-Acosta shared that about three cases of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) were recorded in Misamis Occidental.

"A total of seven successful OSAEC Operations were conducted and 30 victims were successfully rescued from the said OSAEC operations,” Acosta reported.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Misamis Occidental was able to profile 1,370 child laborers in the province. However, in 2020, due to COVID-19 virus and imposition of community quarantine, the conduct of child labor profiling was only made in the 1st quarter of the year.

The members also tackled the PCPC functionality assessment, capacity enhancement on TIP and online sexual exploitation of children, presentation of the revised PCAT-CP-VAWC work & financial plan 2022 and the guidelines in rating the functionality of PCAT-CP VAWC, orientation on child labor situation in Misamis Occidental, and status on children’s code revision.(SMRN/PIA-10/Misamis Occidental)