THE Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat)-Davao led Monday, December 12, the unveiling of the mural painting and culmination of Anti-Trafficking Awareness Month at the Southern Philippines Medical Center-Institute of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine (SPMC-IPBM) at J.P. Laurel Avenue, Davao City.
Assistant Regional Prosecutor Ritzel Rabor-Polinar, said in an interview that the activity is part of the International Day against Trafficking in Person and 18-day Violence Against Women and Children campaign, which started last November 12 and ended Monday.
The mural painting, which kicked-off last November 11, has 38 volunteer artists including Tabula Rasa Group, Fine Arts Department of the Philippine Womens’ College, Global Impact, Davao City National High School, and other Iacat-Davao partners.
During the first brush, Director of SPMC Dr. Leopoldo Vega, Regional Prosecutor and Chair of Iacat-Davao lawyer Janet Grace Fabrero and Head of Department of Social Welfare and Development Community-Based Services Pedrita Dimakiling signed a Memorandum of Agreement that will allow the mural painting to stay in the area for three years.
Anchored on a theme "Let our children be: Let’s end Human Trafficking," Polinar said they are intensifying their public awareness campaign through portraying a positive image of how a community that is free from trafficking will look like.
It is meant to convey a positive message for children in order to spark curiosity among the public on how children would be that is free from exploitation and slavery, adding that their innocence must be preserved.
“Let our children be, let our children be happy, free from exploitation, let them play. That is the concept of the entire mural painting,” Polinar said.
Children are the most vulnerable, thus, Polinar said traffickers usually prey on young ones for their illegal activities.
Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio congratulated the Iacat-Davao for their effort in combating human trafficking and vowed to support all efforts of the network to fight trafficking in persons.
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in her message that using fine arts in pondering our humanity, frailty and aspirations is timely in highlighting our sensibilities as Mindanaoans and Filipinos.
In a message read by Lorna Mandin, head of the Integrated Gender Development Division of the City Government, Duterte-Carpio congratulated the Iacat-Davao, the artists, government agencies and other stakeholders who were instrumental in the creation of the mural launched a month ago.
Duterte-Carpio underscored that the City Government strongly denounces the trafficking in persons.
“With this artwork, we hope to open the eyes of more Davaoeños to take an active stand against human trafficking,” she said.
Duterte-Carpio called on all residents to stop the commodification of persons.
She said that human trafficking can only be defeated if everyone in the society works as one. (With PIA)