Gold rush site on Diwalwal
destination of trafficked kids

By Manuel Cayon
Reporter

DAVAO CITY—Gold-rich Mount Diwalwal in Compostela Valley province is taking in a new image: a destination for trafficked women and children.
           
Anna Lee Fos, national project officer of the US Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded anti-trafficking group, Solidarity Center, disclosed in a forum that her group has confirmed cases of trafficking of children on Mount Diwalwal.
           
“[The group] came to take focus on Compostela Valley because of the confirmed trafficking problem on Mount Diwalwal, a gold-rush area in Monkayo town,” Fos said, during the orientation on trafficking and migration-related issues.
           
“Diwalwal is a destination of victims of women and child trafficking,” Fos said.
           
She cited an incident in August, “when a minor from Agusan del Norte was rescued while the Solidarity Center was checking cases of trafficking.”
           
Fos also disclosed in the orientation that her group “gathered information on instances where minors from nearby provinces, particularly Agusan del Norte, were made to believe by recruiters that Mount Diwalwal was just like Manila to convince them into going to the place.”
           
She said that Monkayo created “Sagip Nene,” an antitrafficking program, after the incident in August.
           
Sagip Nene later rescued six minors from Agusan del Norte, who were found to be working in gold mines on Mount Diwalwal.
           
The cases of trafficking have prompted Solidarity Center to link up with the Compostela Valley local government “to create a broad community support to combat trafficking in persons.”
           
“We need to develop advocates here,” she said, and added that her group would hope to gather mass support for the Compostela Valley Antitrafficking Community Network. The network was organized by the provincial government, “to wage a strong advocacy campaign against human trafficking, especially women and children,” said board member Kris Caballero, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Women and Children.    
           
The network would be assisted by the USAID and Solidarity Center Antitrafficking Project 2.
           
“Now we have an international linkage that could help strengthen our program,” Caballero said. 
           
She wants “a strong advocacy campaign on human trafficking to pin down illegal recruiters and let parents understand the danger of sending children to work in remote places, where they may become victims of human traffickers.”
           
“First this should be disseminated,” said Caballero, referring to the law on antitrafficking “And make the public understand what trafficking is.”
           
“Although the Children’s Code has yet to be approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Gov. Jose Caballero is looking forward to protecting the province’s women and children from human trafficker,” a statement from the provincial information office said.
           
“This is just the beginning. We should sit down together and form a study group, launch an advocacy and cleanse the province of people who are out to take advantage of our women and children,” the governor said.