MANILA—The Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) has formally launched the Barangay IACAT 2.0 Program, a community-based initiative aimed at preventing human trafficking in the Philippines. The program, which began on August 22 and runs until August 24, is being held in Antipolo City.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Barangay IACAT 2.0 Program includes a series of activities such as video presentations, lectures, roundtable discussions, and motorcades designed to educate local officials and residents on how to prevent and respond to human trafficking. The initiative emphasizes the importance of community involvement in combatting trafficking-in-persons (TIP) and promotes a collective responsibility among community members to safeguard against human traffickers.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla emphasized the significance of community efforts in eradicating human trafficking, stating, “The crusade to eradicate human trafficking starts with us, within the solitude of our own homes and communities. Through our unity, collective efforts, and shared wisdom, we become the most formidable foes whom human predators shall never defeat.”
The Philippines has been globally recognized for its efforts against human trafficking, retaining its Tier 1 status in the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP) report for the ninth consecutive year.