BANGUED, Abra – The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office in partnership with the Philippine Information Agency – Abra Infocen (PIA-Abra) conducted a provincial forum on the protection of women and children from all forms of violence and discrimination in observance of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Children.
This year’s program on the 18-Day Campaign that ran from November 25 to December 12, 2016 was sponsored by Governor Ma. Jocelyn V. Bernos.
Topics discussed during the forum are the salient features of the laws and issuances as well as the programs of the government that address the issues and concerns in the implementation of the campaign to end violence against women and children or the more popularly known VAWC. This topic was handled by Provincial Welfare Officer Decimia D. Cabang, head of the PSWDO.
The provisions of Republic Act No. 10364, otherwise known as the “Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012” that amended the RA No. 9208 was discussed by Dr. Maria Teresa B. Beñas, Manager of PIA-Abra and Provincial Federation President of the Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina (KALIPI) -Abra Chapter.
Abra in the past years had some recorded cases of victims smuggled out to Malaysia but were successfully repatriated by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration with the help of the provincial government of Abra and the municipal government of Bangued under the previous administrations.
While we focus our attention on the protection of women, we likewise take into special consideration our children as their welfare is dependent on their parents. We give special care to our children as they are most vulnerable to sexual exploitation and child labor. In like manner, we also attend to the men who, sometimes if not most of the time are dragged into forced labor in their effort to earn more for their family, the lecturers said. (JDP/MTBB – PIA CAR, Abra)#
