The Department of Justice (DOJ) vowed to remain relentless against human traffickers, intensifying the campaign against those who exploit children, women, elderly and other vulnerable persons forced to be victimized because of poverty.
The government, however, admitted it cannot do it alone and requires a comprehensive “whole-of-nation” approach where the citizenry, non-government organizations (NGOs), business corporations such as Telcos and international partners are working altogether for one common goal –to end modern day slavery.
In a pre-SONA special guesting yesterday at People’s Television 4 (PTV-4), Undersecretary Nicholas Felix L. Ty, Usec-in-Charge for the Inter-Agency Against Trafficking (IACAT), underscored the importance of involving the whole nation to help the government curb human trafficking.
“Ang human trafficking hindi lang ito whole of government approach kundi whole of nation approach ito. Ang DOJ since siya ang chairperson ng IACAT o ng Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking ay may 27 other organizations na kasama ang DOJ dito ang co-chairperson namin ay ang DSWD, member din namin ang NBI, ang PNP ang BI, napakarami noh at may mga kasama rin kaming NGO dito," said Undersecretary Ty.
The Justice official also emphasized the unwavering efforts employed by the government to fight human trafficking which has placed the Philippines on the map among countries which have made significant progress in battling human trafficking, highlighting the Tier 1 status of the country in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released by the US State Department.
“Unang-una yung prosecution, pangalawa ang protection, pangatlo ay ang prevention at pang-apat ay ang partnership, ito yung mga sabi-sabing paraan na sama-samang ginagamit natin upang solusyunan o mabawasan ang human trafficking,” the Undersecretary stressed.
In most occasions, human traffickers are among the family making it hard for law enforcement units to track or pin them down so citizen support will play a crucial role in the State’s crusade to end modern day slavery.
“Unfortunately, madaming mga magulang minsan mga kamag-anak para sa kanila easy money ito eh so pinapain nila yung mga sariling mga anak nila o mga kamag-anak nila,” Usec Ty said.
Moreover, Undersecretary Ty expressed his warmest gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for his all-out support to the nation’s battle against human traffickers and firmly believes that the upcoming 2024 State of the Nation Address will highlight key reforms of the government to end modern day slavery.
