Hundreds of sexually abused and traumatised Filipino children have been rescued and saved by the social workers of the Preda Foundation working closely with the Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare and Development [DSWD] and the Department of Education [DepEd]. Dozens of sexually abused and trafficked children are referred to the Preda Victoria Children’s Home every year by the government social workers.
Preda social workers welcome the many children and, with international partners, provide the children with all their personal needs, therapy, care, affirmation, healing, emotional empowerment and legal assistance to bring complaints against their abusers. The Preda home is in a beautiful location surrounded by forest in the Subic countryside.
At present, at least 34 local government units refer children to the Preda Victoria Children’s Home as they have no child care facilities of their own. They depend on the Preda Foundation which maintains the highest standards and is one of the few accredited child care centres in the Philippines and is recognised by the UN Anti-Trafficking Fund and the UN Anti-Slavery Fund that support the work.
The USAID, the embassies of Canada and Germany in Manila are supporters, too. Preda also has accreditation from the prestigious Philippine Council of NGO Certification [PCNC] and the Preda executive director is a trained evaluator.
To protect children, the DSWD’s Standards Bureau strictly inspects and monitors social welfare and development agencies [SWDAs], including the Preda homes and other charities, for accreditation purposes. Most of these SWDAs are not government funded but raise their own funds and do their best to meet the highest standards and are able to provide the government with child care services free of charge.
When abused children arrive at the Preda Victoria Children’s Home, they are welcomed by supportive staff and other healed and empowered children who had been rescued and freed by the Preda and municipal social workers
Preda has excellent working relationships with municipal social workers, police, prosecutors and judges, working together to restore the dignity and rights of the abused children and deliver the justice and freedom that is their right.
The abused child needs protection and professional healing from the trauma of abuse in a safe home. Relatives of accused traffickers and rapists, and even her own family members, will try to prevent them from testifying. Five judges in Cebu had this problem and asked the Preda Foundation to open a therapeutic home there for the victims so they can be protected and pursue justice. The provincial government of Cebu has no similar care home.
The Preda Foundation has received four nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and several prestigious international human rights awards. Its founder, Father Shay Cullen, was invited to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican and Preda senior officers have spoken at UN and international advocacy conferences on children’s rights for many years. Besides, they are frequently invited to be public speakers on child rights and laws at many government seminars for teachers and public officials.
Philippine vice president and education secretary, Sara Duterte, quoted the Preda Foundation at length on the need to protect students from child abusers in schools. Preda has been a national NGO representative on the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee for several years.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
When abused children arrive at the Preda Victoria Children’s Home, they are welcomed by supportive staff and other healed and empowered children who had been rescued and freed by the Preda and municipal social workers. The new arrivals, at least one or two every week, are reassured they are safe and protected from the traffickers. They make friends and overcome their shyness and volunteer to have Emotional Release Therapy.
Relatives of accused traffickers and rapists, and even her own family members, will try to prevent them from testifying
This outpouring frees them from the pain and hurt of being abused. They overcome their trauma and discover their dignity and abilities. They become strong and self-confident enough to bring charges against their abusers. As a result, every year, the children at Preda win an average of 18 convictions. In 2022, alone they won 21 convictions. Their rapists and traffickers got sentences of life in prison.
Preda was founded in 1974 helping boys in conflict with the law and it continues in two other homes. The girls home opened in 1996 and today, 27 years later, around 2,000 children have been saved, healed and reintegrated, some still receive financial support as part of a Preda aftercare educational assistance.
At present, there are 83 female children in the Victoria Children’s Home from six- to 18-years-old, all in residence and all victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse. The building is an octagon with a big spacious centre hall surrounded by glass-walled transparent offices, a library, counselling room and medical room and public toilets.
A stairway leads to five spacious dormitories, a therapy room, and a TV room on the second floor. Here, too, there will be simulated court room where mock trials will familiarise the young children with a courtroom setting so they can give testimony truthfully, clearly, without intimidation and fear and emotional breakdown.
The success of the Preda Victoria Children’s Home is the outcome of the meaningful and varied daily programme of therapeutic learning and inspirational activities
The success of the Preda Victoria Children’s Home is the outcome of the meaningful and varied daily programme of therapeutic learning and inspirational activities. The programme is implemented through close coordination and teamwork between the foundation’s president, Francis Bermido Jr., and executive director, Emmanuel Drewery, and staff who are registered social workers, professional therapists, facilitators and teachers.
Team members work closely and are connected by mobile phone, Messenger and WhatsApp, constantly sending on-the-spot reports that flow constantly to and from the team members. Every event and incident is reported and commented upon, advice is asked and given and action is taken. Then the several meetings during the week between staff and the Executive Committee keep the programme going on course.
When they visit the home, they supervise and manage the activities, inspect the centre, and monitor the progress and problems of each child individually with the child’s assigned social worker present and give the children their personal attention. They listen to the children for any complaints and unattended needs like if they had phone calls to their supporting parents.
With social workers present, they help new arrivals, one by one, to tell their story of abuse and encourage them to write it down in their own hand. This will be the basis of the affidavit of complaint against their abuser. There are many more activities going on that can’t fit into this article and I will tell you in another article. Report any abuse to Preda Foundation in confidence to +63 9175324453.
Father Shay Cullen
www.preda.org
