VALENZUELA City 1st District Rep. Wes Gatchalian has filed a bill that seeks to further protect the youth from human trafficking.

House Bill 7605 aims to amend Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-trafficking in Persons Act.  It will create a comprehensive Human Trafficking Preventive Education Program to empower the youth against modern-day slavery.

Gatchalian said human trafficking remains a problem in every country in the world despite centuries of struggle to eradicate all forms of slavery.

“The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported every year, thousands of people, regardless of age or sex, among other indicators, fall into the hands of traffickers,  in their own countries and abroad,” he said in his explanatory note.

He cited the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US Department of State declaring the Philippines as a Tier 1 country or one whose government has met the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but also declaring it as one of the top three countries of origin of federally identified victims.

According to the United Nations Children’s Frund, children are commonly trafficked for exploitation in the sex trade with an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 children in the Philippines are involved in prostitution.

House Bill 7605 mandates the creation of Human Trafficking Education Program that will arm members of the youth sector with information they need to protect themselves from becoming victims of trafficking.

The program will institute grassroots reporting mechanisms to empower community members to take a stand against human trafficking.