What better way to start the New Year!
The Break the Silence Campaign is Stairway’s advocacy for the prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Year 2016 opened with a bang for Stairway’s Break the Silence Campaign with the gathering of more than 20 chiefs/heads and staff of academic units from various regions of the National Police Training Institute (NPTI) on January 6-8, 2016. Held in Stairway’s Training Center in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, the gathering was an opportunity to raise their awareness and develop more understanding on the issue of child sexual abuse and exploitation, thereby appreciating more the partnership between Stairway and the NPTI. This learning and sharing experience is directed towards the sustainability of Stairway’s child sexual abuse prevention trainings among police cadets and officers in the various police training schools nationwide.
The month of February has always been very special for the Break the Silence Campaign.
By virtue of Proclamation 731, the Philippines annually observes the National Awareness Week for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation every 2nd week of February.
In addition, the World Safer Internet Day (SID) is also celebrated during early February every year, in which Stairway together with the Break the Silence Network continues to be the country convener for this global event since 2013.
In celebration of these 2 events, last February 9, Stairway and the Break the Silence Network NGO Partners simultaneously conducted local youth forums and other advocacy activities on the topic “Online Child Sexual Abuse”. A national youth forum would hopefully be in place February of next year.
Still during the week of the National Awareness Week for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (Feb 8-13, 2016), Stairway also collaborated with The Asia Foundation (TAF) in spearheading a consultation process for Mindoro and Batangas areas on the draft child sex offender’s registration and notification bill. This included hosting the consultation event itself.
All these just right after concluding the 5-year program on capacity-building and network-building in addressing the issue of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Alongside with challenges, more and bigger things are coming for Stairway’s Break the Silence Campaign for 2016.
What better way to start the New Year indeed!