Break the Silence, Stairway’s advocacy arm, continues to make inroads in the fight to stop child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation locally and internationally. On the local front, Break the Silence is training and capacitating partners from all areas around the Philippines. Presently, there are more than 30 Break the Silence partners reaching out to schools, government partners and communities with their advocacy and training to end child sexual abuse and exploitation.
On the international front, news from partners in India announced that a special court for speedy trial of Child Sexual Abuse cases has been set up in Mumbai per the new law on Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses. Last March 19-26, Stairway’s executive director, Lars Jorgensen, and senior advocacy officer, Nancy Agaid, visited Nepal to formalize collaboration with Leger Foundation from Canada to start up a Break the Silence campaign in Nepal. And more recently, SFI has collaborated with another major partner, Kindernothilfe, to conduct and assist in the development and delivery of a child protection policy capacity building program for the KNH regional trainer in Ethiopia. Because of this initiative, Stairway’s animation, Daughter is projected to be shown to several NGOs based in Asia, Africa and Latin America through the KNH international network. One of Stairway’s advocacy and training officer, Ace Diloy, has also been tapped to serve both as a Philippine trainer, as well as an Asia Regional Trainer (to serve North India, Pakistan as well as in Ethiopia as a co-regional trainer capacity).