CHILD WELFARE CHAMPIONS IN THE UN:

Andrew Morley, World Vision CEO and president; Paloma Escudero, Unicef director; Ossi Heinamen, CEO, Plan International; Monica Prieto-Teodoro, special envoy of the president to Unicef Philippines; Richard Pichler, SOS Village special representative for external affairs; and Meg Gardiner, Child Fund Alliance secretary general pose during the UN General Assembly event ‘Combating Human Trafficking in Migration Contexts.’

In a speech delivered at the UN General Assembly event “Combatting Human Trafficking in Migration Contexts” co-hosted by the Philippines, Bahrain and Nigeria, Special Envoy of the President to Unicef Monica Prieto-Teodoro delivered an impassioned call to action which was enthusiastically received by her co-panelists and the audience.

Sheik Abdulla bin Khalifa, undersecretary for international affairs of the Bahrain Foreign Ministry, described the speech as passionate and spoken from the heart.

Teodoro highlighted the importance of protecting the rights of children against all forms of abuse and exploitation. She also emphasized the significance of reintegration of child trafficking victims and their recovery from the trauma of their ordeal.

She also gave an overview of the various programs, initiatives and approaches that the Philippine government employs in protecting children’s rights and promoting child welfare.

Teodoro’s co-panelists and the audience were particularly impressed with her proposal to establish a dedicated Anti-Child Trafficking Office (ACTO) in order to provide focus to the efforts to combat child trafficking. They fully agreed with the premise that children need special protection against trafficking and called the proposal timely and visionary.

The proposed ACTO had been taken up during the 41st Cabinet meeting in Malacañang. The ACTO will serve as a separate entity complementing existing mechanisms, but will focus on data and information on child trafficking in order to have evidence-based policies and timely responses.

Various sectors including non-government organizations believe that the much awaited ACTO will play a vital role in eliminating child trafficking.