Preda Home for Abused Girls
Preda Home for Abused Girls
Report 2020 -2022
The Preda home for abused girls in Subic, Zambales is providing direct assistance to children victims of trafficking for sexual purposes as well as to protect vulnerable groups, particularly sexually-abused children. The project provided key services on protection including legal assistance to ensure that justice is achieved and traffickers can no longer prey on children. The project also addressed the need for families and parents to develop adequate capacities as effective parents so they can protect victim-survivors and be able to close the cycle of abuse and exploitation. For 1 year and 4 months of project implementation, the project provided child victims with a holistic range of bio-psycho-social services that helped restore their social functioning.
All interventions for the survivors had to be provided while adapting to the new normal imposed by the pandemic. While the project had many successes, the volatility of the COVID situation certainly added a layer of difficulty among project implementers and the children beneficiaries themselves. Nevertheless, the essential programs implemented for the children in the Preda Therapeutic Home were not hampered. Services such as homelife services, psycho-social interventions, counseling, group therapy, productivity, values formation, social services, legal services, and more importantly, emotional release therapies were continuously delivered benefiting the children-survivors. Since the Preda shelter functioned like a bubble, the project staff did not find it difficult to deliver these key services while maintaining strict adherence to COVID prevention protocols.
Specifically, this project, which operated the only dedicated NGO-run shelter in Zambales and Bataan province for girl victims of domestic sexual abuse, rape, and human trafficking, helped a total of 96 beneficiaries (4 males, 92 females) all children in need of special protection who improved their access to protective services. They all received protection, therapy, and even legal assistance for those who have been eligible to file cases. Of the 96 children, 2 were female victims of physical abuse, 54 were female victims of domestic sexual abuse, and 4 were babies of 4 victims. who all received center-based protection services. On the other hand, out of the 96 girls, 36 were rescued victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. It is good to note that of this number of children, 26 child victims (1 female victim of physical abuse, 25 victims of sexual abuse) were actually saved through the rescue operation initiated by the Preda rescue team resulting from validated reported cases. Another 19 victims of trafficking ( 4 minor girls, 15 female adults) were rescued from human trafficking were rescued from trafficking through Preda’s close cooperation with child protection partners. The adult victims were assisted by partner LGUs while the rest of the children were referred to the Preda Home by local social workers.
All children survivors were provided the complete range of therapeutic services including homelife (which included the provision of daily meals, toiletries, laundry needs, footwear, and clothing), education (done through modular and non-formal methods), psychological (including counseling, play therapy for small girls, emotional release therapy and group work), psychosocial (character and spiritual formation, values and life skills intervention), productivity (special training and vocational skills for above 15) and legal services (case build-up, filing, monitoring and pursuing justice).
Thus, of the total 96 children, there were 56 children-survivors (23 female victims of sexual abuse, 33 female victims of trafficking) have successfully graduated from the therapeutic program upon meeting all recovery and rehabilitation indicators and were therefore reintegrated to supportive families already. They also met all criteria for safe reintegration into their supportive parents/guardians. On the other hand, 6 children (siblings ages 12 below) were transferred to another child care facility that can best address their needs. All were continuously monitored through the aftercare program
Furthermore, those who were already aftercare clients also received aftercare monitoring and educational assistance. There were 35 reintegrated survivors (26 female victims of abuse, 2 male victims of sexual abuse, 1 male victim of trafficking, 6 female victims of trafficking) who received educational assistance for aftercare clients, and attended at least 1 psychosocial session per quarter and at least one “kumustahan” session per month. In addition, there 54 of their parents/guardians (12 males, 42 females) also attended the psychosocial sessions implemented by the Preda Aftercare worker and 11 parents/guardians (1 male, 10 females) of project beneficiaries who have availed of livelihood and other economic assistance through referrals made by this project.
Lastly, there were 99 abused/trafficked victims (5 males, 94 females) who received various forms of legal assistance from this project. Of this total number, 31 victims (female) successfully filed legal complaints against their abusers; 5 victims (female) have ongoing case build-up, 3 victims (female) are awaiting resolution, 4 victims (female) had their cases elevated to the court, 21 victims (3 males females, 18 females) who are active clients with the on-going trial, 38 victims (1 male, 37 females) who are aftercare clients have an on-going trial, and 3 male victims are assisted in the administrative case against a teacher of the Department of education. Another noteworthy accomplishment of this project is that 10 victims (4 boys, 6 female) assisted by this project achieved justice through promulgations of their cases with all cases won in 9 criminal case proceedings and 1 administrative case (filed by 3 male victims) against a government teacher for child sexual abuse and use of a trafficked minor.
II. OVERALL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
A. Brief Project Description
This project provided a holistic range of bio-psycho-social services designed to restore the social functioning of approximately 60 child trafficking/abuse survivors. The complete package included protection, home life, education, medical/dental assistance, legal assistance, psychological and social services, therapy (to deal with trauma), productivity/livelihood, socio-cultural/recreational, and other interventions intended to empower victims and help them rebuild their lives, including reintegration and aftercare services. Social assistance shall likewise be extended to the victim’s families to enable them to become effective and responsible parents in order to prevent the child’s re-victimization.
B. Project Goal and Objectives
The Project intended to improve the resilience of child-trafficking survivors so they can successfully heal/recover, be empowered and enabled to seek justice, and be reintegrated successfully to supportive families and receive aftercare services so they are no longer re-victimized.
This project specifically aimed to reduce the vulnerability of child trafficking victims. Therefore, child trafficking victims and those vulnerable to trafficking shall be rescued and provided access to various services to protect themselves; while local mechanisms shall be strengthened to help protect them.
The project likewise aimed for child victims to be protected, healed, and empowered in a therapeutic setting complete with holistic bio-psycho-social services. Aside from this, these children shall be provided legal assistance to ensure justice and to protect other potential victims from traffickers.
The project also intended to facilitate the reintegration of children survivors into their supportive families with reduced risks of re-victimization. Thus, reintegrated children shall continue to receive aftercare assistance to ensure their progress and they shall be assisted to avail of various services/resources so they can better protect and care for their children.
