Caritas Switzerland has announced Visayan Forum president Cecilia Oebanda as the winner of an award for her work fighting child prostitution, child trafficking and child labor.

Caritas Switzerland will present Oebanda with the Prix Caritas Award for 10,000 Swiss francs for one of her projects, GMA News reports.

“In addition, the success and appeal of the Visayan Forum under the difficult conditions of the Philippines [are] impressive,” officials of the Swiss charity organization said in their letter to Oebanda.

The Swedish-based World Children’s Prize Foundation is also honoring Oebanda with a prize.

Oebanda, who expressed her initial disbelief, told GMA News Online that the awards mean much more than personal recognition. “This is a really good opportunity to highlight the trafficking of children here in the Philippines,” she said.

In particular, Oebanda said she hopes to highlight cases of forced labor — on top of the usual sex-related cases in the Philippines. Her group, the Visayan Forum, had pursued a case that resulted in a conviction this month — the first conviction on labor trafficking in the Philippines.

SOURCE

Intl bodies to recognize Pinay for anti-trafficking fight (GMA News)

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