Cagayan de Oro City – An inter-agency council of Northern Mindanao here is set to continue strengthening its campaign against human trafficking, child pornography, and other forms of gender-based violence.

The Regional Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Human Trafficking-Child Pornography-Violence Against Women and their Children (RIACAT-CP-VAWC) 10, chaired by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 10 and co-chaired by the Department of Justice 10 and the Department of the Interior and Local Government 10, has planned out several activities for 2019 that prevent, promote, and protect the rights of the vulnerable sectors.

Atty. Ruby T. Malanog, Deputy City Prosecutor of Cagayan de Oro, said RIACAT-CP-VAWC 10 has recommended to the Department of Education to incorporate the protection and prevention from being preyed to human traffickers in their curriculum.

Atty. Malanog explained that there is a need to discuss and teach parents and their children during PTA (Parent-Teachers Association) meetings and classes of students about the dangers of human trafficking and child pornography.

Malanog also disclosed that the campaign will be carried out during barangay assemblies. The DILG 10 will lead the campaign from the national level down to barangays in Northern Mindanao.

Newly-installed Regional Director of DSWD Field Office 10, Mari-Flor A. Dollaga-Libang, lauded the inter-agency efforts to help curb trafficking, child pornography, and other forms of violence against women and their children.

Director Dollaga-Libang said DSWD Field Office 10 will continue to strengthen convergence efforts among national government agencies, local government units, and civil society organizations to ensure that vulnerable sectors, like the women and their children, will have access to social protection programs of the agency.

The RIACAT-CP-VAWC 10 also proposed to the Police Regional Office 10 of the Philippine National Police to set-up a Regional Anti-Cybercrime Office in Iligan City during its first quarterly meeting at N Hotel here.

This is to help curb online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in Iligan city and its neighboring towns, considering that the City of Falls ranked fourth among cities with high incidents of on-line child pornography nationwide.

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