CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Non-governmental and legal advocacy group Balaod Mindanaw has stepped up its anti-human trafficking efforts.
Balaod Mindanaw executive director Normie Batula said that all 52 schools in Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental that they have trained in 2017 have already formulated their respective policies in their campuses to prevent human trafficking.
Batula said that in order to mitigate human trafficking, schools must have clear coordination and open lines of communication with barangay officials, the police station in their area, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
She said that most of those who have confided physical abuse to them during their community visits were perpetrated within their neighborhoods, and do not necessarily qualify as trafficking.
“As paralegals, we have already assisted some of these victims,” she said, adding that human trafficking and related instances have an expiry period of 20 years.
“So if the incident happened in 2013, then don’t be afraid to speak out. You can still file complaints against your molester,” Batula advised victims.
To further ramp up their anti-trafficking efforts in schools, Balaod Mindanaw is organizing video contests, extemporaneous speech contests and jingle contests among the 52 participating schools next month. (Mark D. Francisco/PNA)
