IACAT organizes more information campaign on barangay against human trafficking, child sexual abuse and exploitation

The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) will this year educate more barangay (village) residents about human trafficking and child sexual abuse and exploitation.

The announcement was made by IACAT, a council led by the Department of Justice (DOJ), following the launch of the three-day meeting on August 22 last year. Barangay IACAT 2.0 Community Program in Antipolo City.

“When it comes to crimes as widespread and urgent as this (human trafficking cases), we believe there is strength in numbers,” said Justice Department Undersecretary Nicholas Felix L. Ty.

“Through the Barangay IACAT initiative, we can empower communities, foster collaboration and build capacity at the local level to protect our most vulnerable citizens,” said Ty, the DOJ official in charge of IACAT.

Ty also said that “Barangay IACAT will engage with local authorities across the country before the end of the year, tailoring the activation based on the identified needs and insights of the communities involved.”

The Justice Department said the three-day grassroots activation in Antipolo City “was aimed at raising awareness and mobilizing community-wide action against human trafficking and online child sexual abuse or exploitation (OSAEC).”

The program during the three-day event included included a town hall meeting, which provided a platform for open dialogue and insight sharing among Antipolo City officials, stakeholders and citizens, as well as capacity building sessions, equipping barangay officials and local partners with the knowledge and tools they need to directly address human trafficking, abuse and exploitation.

“All of these activities were aimed at assisting the local government of Antipolo and its constituents in identifying, preventing and addressing cases of human trafficking within their own homes and spheres of influence,” the report said.