This Day in #Herstory: “Women Are Not Commodities”

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Photo Source: Coalition Against Trafficking in Women — Asia Pacific Facebook Page[/caption]

Every year, the Philippines observes December 12 as the International Day against Trafficking to mark the adoption in Palermo, Italy in 2000, of the “Protocol To Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.”

As part of the advocacy campaign during the International Day Against Trafficking in 2011, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women — Asia Pacific and Youth and Students Advancing Gender Equality (YSAGE) have produced statement shirt “Women Are Not Commodities; Real Don’t Buy Women” to promote awareness on women’s human rights and initiate strong action against sexual exploitation, violence against women, particularly prostitution and trafficking. The campaign was also timely as the country needed to lift itself from Tier 2 watchlist by improving prosecution of cases, strengthening law enforcement, supporting trafficking victims/survivors by making services accessible to trafficked-in persons and in general, to effectively implementing the Anti-trafficking in persons Act of 2003 or the RA 9208.#