CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)–World Vision, through its Project Against Child Exploitation (ACE), commemorates the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) in a joint activity with the Regional Inter-Agency Council on Anti-Trafficking (RIACAT) in Cagayan de Oro City on November 27–29, 2023.
The 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women is an annual event that aims to create awareness and promote existing services and initiatives among all community stakeholders to emphasize that VAW is a public issue of national concern based on current policies.
It supports the Philippine government’s goal of protecting women’s human rights and its commitment to combating all types of gender-based violence, including online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM).
Project ACE, as an advocacy and capacity-building project of World Vision, joined the commemoration in northern Mindanao as one of the members of the RIACAT-10 through an orientation on the laws: “Republic Act 11862: Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Republic Act 11930: Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children Act and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse of Exploitation Materials, Republic Act 9262: Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act, and Republic Act 10175: Cybercrime Prevention Act” to the guidance counselors in Cagayan de Oro City.
Project ACE Director Daphne Culanag said, “In our advocacy for a child-friendly Philippines, we also promote the rights of women because we believe that combating gender-based violence also means protecting children from abuse and exploitation.”
On the other hand, Department of Social Welfare and Development Regional Director Ramel F. Jamen said, “Violence against women and their children takes many forms; these include physical, sexual, economic, psychological violence and exploitation, and trafficking. Thus, this orientation calls for our unity as partners in protecting and promoting the welfare of women and children. Together, we can put an end to this violence that creates deep pain for the victim-survivors, their families, and society.”
The three-day event aims to support the government’s goal to protect the human rights of women and its commitment to address all forms of VAW through providing orientation to schools, to increase the support and commitment of duty holders, particularly government agencies at the local level, including schools, in eliminating violence against women and children, and to highlight what each person or sector can do to promote VAW-free communities, especially with the increasing cases of OSAEC.
During one of the sessions, Lourdes Ong, a designated guidance counselor from Lanao Province, shared how the orientation will help her in her profession. “I am grateful because I realized how important it is to protect children from abuse and exploitation. I will go back to our school equipped with knowledge that I will use to strengthen our system,” she added.
Present during the event were representatives from the Department of Justice, the Philippine National Police, and the Philippine Commission on Women, among other stakeholders.
Prior to the orientation, the council conducted an activity to celebrate the END VAW campaign on November 25, 2023, through a commitment wall, community dance, and the sharing of success stories.
Cagayan de Oro City is one of the two key areas of Project ACE towards its goal of strengthening the capacity of the Philippine government to address the worst forms of child labor (WFCL), including online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and violations of acceptable conditions of work (ACW).
The United States Department of Labor is providing funding under cooperative agreement number IL 34007-19-75-K. 100 percent of the total costs of the project in the Philippines are financed with United States Department of Labor funds. (World Vision PH/PIA-10)
World Vision through its Project Against Child Exploitation (ACE) commemorates the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) in a joint activity with Regional Inter-Agency Council on Anti-Trafficking (RIACAT) in Cagayan De Oro City on November 27 – 29, 2023. (World Vision PH)
