DSWD seeks to educate survivors of trafficking

CEBU - There is still hope for survivors of sex trafficking. Efforts are being made to help in their recovery and bring their interest back to society.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 in partnership with the International Justice Mission and Justice-Peace and Integrity of Creation-Integrated Development Center initiated “Adopt Sex Trafficking Survivors,” a project that provides assistance to qualified sex traffic survivors.

Educational and related needs assistance worth P200,000 will be provided to these survivors. Another P100,000 in the form of small-scale livelihood assistance will be granted to families of qualified traffic survivors.

The project is designed to “reintegrate sexually abused women survivors into the mainstream of society” through the provision of skills training to equip them with economic skills for independent community life.

They could avail themselves of the different services offered by the project such as education, home accommodation, job placement, livelihood, and spiritual enhancement.

Education is in the form of enrollment to vocational courses. Services also include recreational activities, capacity building and training, referral, advocacies and home visitations.

DSWD-7 public information officer Jaybee Carillo said that the partnership would help in maximizing the resources in offering unified intervention to sex trafficking survivors.

Based on their findings, Carillo said that most of these trafficked women were lured by illegal recruiters because of poverty. Most of these victims are minors whose ages are supposed to be in school. — Jessica Ann Pareja/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)