DOJ signs child protection agreement with US

JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has signed an agreement with the United States government that advances the country’s campaign against child trafficking.

US Chargé d’Affaires Michael Klecheski, representing the US government, also signed the deal called the Child Protection Compact (CPC) agreement at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Aguirre, the agreement will further address the increasing number of children victimized by online sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and other forms of child labor trafficking.

"To protect the future generation of Filipinos from exploitation by organized criminal groups, the Philippines and the United States took it as a responsibility to device a concerted and well-coordinated response against child labor trafficking," Aguirre said.

Aguirre, the Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), said discussions regarding the partnership between the countries started in August 2016.

Explaining the deal, Aguirre said CPC is primed to accomplish three objectives.

"Firstly, it seeks to increase the number of victims-centered investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) and Child Labor Trafficking (CLT) cases. Secondly, it seeks to strengthen government’s and civil society’s capacities to identify and provide comprehensive services for victims. Thirdly, it seeks to strengthen existing community-based mechanisms for identifying and protecting child victims," he said.

According to Aguirre, the US will provide up to $3.5 million in financial assistance in organizations to support the implementation of the CPC partnership.

"$3 million of the said fund will be allocated to support capacity-building related to improving Philippines’ response to OSEC," Aguirre said.

The remaining $500,000 will be used to support activities related to Philippines’ response to CLT.

The IACAT likewise will provide P40 million financial assistance for the implementation of the agreement.

Aguirre said P25 million of the said fund will be allocated to activities addressing CLT while the remaining P15 million will be allocated to activities addressing OSEC.

The implementation of the agreement will be piloted in the National Capital Region and Central Visayas (Region 7).

Other Philippine government agencies involved in the deal, according to Aguirre, are the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Bureau of Immigration, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Interior and Local Government. (SunStar Philippines)