THE Bacolod City Government has intensified its campaign against child trafficking in observance of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Councilor Celia Matea Flor, chairperson of the City Council committee on women, gender, family and childcare, held a meeting with the daycare center teachers, along with the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) and the barangay Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) help desk officers, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
Flor said the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), in partnership with the City Inter-Agency Council, is strengthening its campaign against child trafficking where the fight is particularly crucial given the escalating global threat of child trafficking, exacerbated by technological advancements.
She said daycare teachers are among the frontline in combating violence against women and children in the communities, which she emphasized the importance of training and education for daycare workers.
“These problems can only be solved, say eradicated, if the whole community will cooperate and the whole community is aware of the issues of trafficking,” she added.
Flor also highlighted the community's critical role in prevention.
The urgency of the situation is underscored by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) figures revealing over 200,000 identified trafficking victims globally between 2020 and 2023.
Executive Assistant Jonathan Diaz, who delivered Mayor Greg Gasataya’s message, reaffirmed the City's commitment to anti-trafficking initiatives.
“In the spirit of the Blue Heart Campaign, which reminds us that every child deserves freedom, safety, and love, may we remember that how we speak, treat others, and listen are all forms of advocacy,” Gasataya said.
The mayor further connected the fight against trafficking with the promotion of gender-fair language in the workplace.
“Trafficking thrives when people are objectified or devalued. In the same way, language that excludes or denigrates based on gender, even unintentionally, reflects blind spots in how we view and treat one another,” Gasataya said. (MAP)