THE Department of Justice-led Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) have signed a memorandum of agreement creating a task force to enhance the effort to fight trafficking in persons (TIP), online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and anti-child sexual abuse or exploitation materials (CSAEM).
The agreement for the establishment of the IACAT-OPG-OSG Legal Task Force was inked last Monday in Makati City by DOJ Undersecretary and IACAT OIC Nicholas Felix Ty, Assistant Solicitor General Thomas Laragan and OIC-Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon.
The special legal team, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, aims to institutionalize the government’s approach in handling TIP, OSAEC, CSAEM cases covering original, appealed, or offshoot cases related thereto pending before any court.
In particular, the task force will oversee TIP, OSAEC and CSAEM cases that require the legal services of the OSG or its representation as legal counsel of the State.
“There is no better way to combat human trafficking and child exploitation than through coordinated efforts and cooperation among government agencies, various sectors of society and concerned citizens. Together, we can certainly put an end to modern-day slavery,” Remulla said, a point echoed by Ty, Fadullon and Assistant Solicitor General Sharon Decano.
“We continue to deal with emerging trends in trafficking in persons and increasing cases of OSAEC due to the vulnerabilities we face as a nation. With this, the DOJ is firm in its resolve to combat this issue,” Ty said.
“This MOA commits us to work more closely towards our common goal: the stoppage of TIP and OSAEC cases,” Decano added.
International Justice Mission chief Inocencio Jr. said the agreement is a concrete step in Manila’s commitment to fighting trafficking including OSAEC.
“This is our way of telling each survivor that that he or she is not alone,” Inocencio said.
Last August, IACAT launched a grassroots-level campaign dubbed “Barangay IACAT 2.0” aimed to empower, inform and engage communities to fight trafficking, child abuse and exploitation.
Earlier, the DOJ said a whole-of-nation approach is needed to combat the scourge of human trafficking, adding that while IACAT has been relentless in its campaign against human trafficking, especially those who exploit children, the elderly and other vulnerable persons, the government cannot do it alone.
The department said the whole-of-approach involves the citizenry, non-government organizations, business corporations such as telecommunication companies and international partners, working together to end modern-day slavery.
Last year, Remulla warned Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that if they refuse to cooperate in tracking down human traffickers, particularly minors, the government may go after and sue them for online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 requires them to install software that will block access to or transmittal of any form of child pornography on the internet.
This even as the country retained its Tier 1 ranking in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released by the US State Department.
Countries in Tier 1 ranking – the highest – are those that meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, with the governments showing serious and sustained efforts to convict more human traffickers, identify victims and improve efforts to prevent more victims.
The Philippines has maintained its Tier 1 ranking since 2016.
The annual report “provides the world’s most comprehensive assessment of this abhorrent practice, as well as efforts by governments and stakeholders around the globe to combat it” with 188 countries measured.
