Give Hope to Victim-Survivors of Human Trafficking

The COVID-19 lockdowns have exposed millions of girls around the world to the risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation. Many of them were forced to stay at home with their abusers at a time when protection services became disrupted or inaccessible.

In the Philippines, the government was able to record almost 280,000 cases of cybersex trafficking of children from March 1 to May 24, which is almost four times as many as the recorded cases last year.

Girls whose parents are not computer literate and not aware of the risks associated with the internet and social media cannot guide and safeguard their children. Also, the possibility of girls being exploited for economic gain has increased since most families have lost their source of income during the community quarantine.

Due to the alarming surge of reports of violence against women and children and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children during the COVID-19 lockdowns, our organization is now accepting referrals in our Center of Hope.

Voice of the Free - VF Foundation, Inc. (formerly Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc.) is an officially accredited Philippine non-government organization that has been innovating solutions to end human trafficking and modern slavery in the Philippines.

Through our Center of Hope, we are able to protect young women and girl-children in source, transit, and destination areas by providing survivors with strengths-based healing, education, gainful careers, and entrepreneurial skills.

Our goal is to help them become empowered and resilient individuals who contribute to reducing vulnerabilities in their families and communities.

Center of Hope’s dormitories are equally shared by the survivors and their caregivers. Through this campaign, we can maintain health security at the center by providing a quarantine facility for incoming rescued victim-survivors of Trafficking in Persons (TIP).

One referral will be accepted and processed at a time, and acceptance will be in accordance to the shelter’s maximum capacity, which is fifty (50). Only referrals who have undergone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for COVID-19 and have garnered negative results will be considered for admittance per COH's health protocol. This will help us ensure that there is no transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within the shelter.

The direct beneficiaries of this campaign are victim-survivors of TIP, aged 13-21. They are rescued and referred by different partner agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).

We need funds so we can (1) renovate the isolation room within the Center of Hope, (2) procure medical-grade face masks, face shields, and personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfectants, and gloves for caregivers assigned to look after the rescued survivors, and (3) maintain and regularly disinfect the isolation room.

Donate to this campaign so we can cater to more victims and vulnerable women and children, especially during this time of pandemic when there is a notable disruption in victim assistance and support services from government agencies.

If you want to know more about this campaign, or if you prefer to donate in-kind, you may contact us at +63 02 85706994.