Reporting skills training, set for Visayas Media

By MYRA M. TAMBOR
January 20, 2008

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar  –  Twenty media practitioners from Visayas Region to attend another reporting skills training to be conducted by Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD) on January 31 to February 2, 2008 in Cebu City.

Said training aims to equipped media with the latest reports on human trafficking issue in the region and how the community journalist will be able to use its capabilities in taking part with the efforts of curbing human trafficking in their localities.

Center for Community Journalism and Development cited that the Philippines has been identified as a source, transit and destination country for victims of human trafficking and was placed on Tier 2-watch list on the 2005 United States Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report. CCJD Project Coordinator Girlie Alvarez said that “despite the intensified efforts coming from both the government and non-government organizations to address this problem it is still disturbing to note that the numbers are increasing and seemingly the reasons which account for this dreadful situation have included indifference, erosion of family values and poverty”.

With this seminar cum hands-on training, CCJD will try to look into the role of the community journalists in raising knowledge and awareness in different localities of the country and participation of community stakeholders in coming up with solutions to better address the situation. Journalists are expected to be oriented on the different local and international laws and conventions, state of trafficking in persons in the country, best practices in combating human trafficking, ethics and safety in covering human trafficking stories and reporting on human trafficking issues.

From the Samar Island 5 journalists are expected to attend the said training.  Samar province has been identified by Visayan Forum an NGO advocating against human trafficking in the country as one of the highway and source of human trafficking in the country.  Poverty and lack of employment opportunities is being attributed as one of the factors of this incidence in the said province.