In a bid to strengthen the fight against human trafficking, the Department of Social Welfare and Development  (DSWD) will kick-off its information campaign through the airing of the  “Iligtas Mo Ako” cinema plug today, June 14, during a block-off screening of the Man of Steel movie at Trinoma. The cinema plug will be aired for 6 months in various theaters nationwide.

The “Iligtas Mo Ako” cinema plug features two modes of trafficking, namely sexual and labor trafficking.  It aims to visually present to the moviegoers the dire effects of human trafficking.  The plug also strongly appeals to the audience to help stop human trafficking.

DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman shares that human trafficking is truly a rampant problem in many municipalities, with complex roots in poverty and in human greed.  “The deception, illegal transfer, and abuse of Filipinos simply looking for better opportunities in the city and abroad are realities that we cannot ignore.  We have to find more ways to combat and prevent it from recurring,” Secretary Soliman said.

The plugs aim to reiterate the message that the public should understand that trafficking is a nationwide threat and that Filipinos must act and report any information on human trafficking through the DSWD hotline number (02) 9319141 or the IACAT Action Line 1343.

“All Filipinos can be a victim of this societal problem, thus, the general public must be vigilant and united against the fight against human trafficking,” Secretary Soliman further stated.

The DSWD partners with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) in the campaign against human trafficking.  Led by the Department of Justice (DOJ), around 300 IACAT members from  national government agencies, non-government organizations, media partners, and civil society will be attending the screening.  Anti-Human Trafficking advocates from Local Government Units in Metro Manila will also watch the special screening of the plug.

Based on the DSWD 2012 data, there were 1,376 individual-victims of various kinds of trafficking nationwide. The victims were provided with adequate recovery and reintegration services under the DSWD’s Recovery and Reintegration Programs for Trafficked persons.

Similarly, in a report by IACAT, there were 1,519 human trafficking cases filed in  2011 and 100 convictions were rendered in 2012.  The latest major conviction was handed down this March by Judge Roberto P. Quiroz of Manila Regional Trial Court, sentencing Sonny Francisco to life imprisonment for qualified trafficking.