Blessa is part of the Philippines Microfinance program and is one among many others gravely affected in the Philippines by the current pandemic.
19 SHARES
"As schools are closed and majority of people stay in their homes due to the threat of COVID-19, the incidence of livestreams of child sex abuse has increased," says a report from a local news channel in the Philippines.
36 SHARES
The sad reality is that the uncertainty brought about by this pandemic has caused panic and anxiety. Most of these rural and urban poor families from the Philippines rely on daily income/wages to get by, and stocking up on even just a week's supply of basic necessities is nearly impossible.
29 SHARES
For all the challenges currently gripping the world, we see light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel. We remain positive and hopeful.
46 SHARES
Andi [name changed for privacy and protection] was rescued from trafficking by International Justice Mission (IJM) and referred to the Blessed House in 2017. During the past few years, she has gone through counselling, confidence building and learning skills that she can rely on to earn an income. She is now strong and confident and able to move out of the Blessed House and reintegrate into the community. She successfully secured a scholarship to finish her studies and is continuing to support herself through her job at the Blessed House's Sewing Enterprise. She is also one of the facilitators of the Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign (HTAC) with the microfinance groups. She spends time and engages with the mothers - answering their questions about human trafficking and encouraging them to fight it.
42 SHARES
Aside from cybersex crime, another main issue in provinces in the Philippines is the lure of working in the cities, usually in Manila. Through the Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign, parents are educated and encouraged to be more vigilant in protecting their children.
49 SHARES
Via was only a few months old when her mother died of cancer. She longed to study but because of poverty, she wasn’t able to go to school. Her father would take naked pictures of her while taking a bath. She wasn’t sure for what purpose the pictures were, but it went on for a couple of months.
45 SHARES
The Online Safety Campaign is conducted by Honor 1000 Movement in elementary public schools in the Philippines not only to raise awareness on human trafficking, but also to inform the students what immediate actions they could take should they experience malicious activities online.
64 SHARES
