BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
HUNDREDS of sexually abused and traumatized 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).
As a result, 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 Preda Foundation.
Preda maintains the highest standards and is one of the few accredited child care centers in the Philippines and is recognized by the UN Anti-Trafficking Fund and the UN Anti-Slavery Fund that support the work.
The USAID, the Embassy of Canada and the German Embassy Manila are supporters, too.
Preda also has accreditation by 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 with limited funds and are able to provide the government with child care services free of charge.
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 them 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 the accused traffickers and rapists and even her own family members will try to prevent her from testifying. Five judges in Cebu have this problem and asked Preda Foundation to open a therapeutic home in Cebu for the victims so they can be protected and pursue justice.
The provincial government of Cebu has no similar care home there.
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 in the Vatican and Preda senior officers spoke 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. Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte quoted Preda Foundation at length on the need to protect students from child abusers in schools. Preda Foundation was a national NGO representative on the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee for several years.
When the abused children arrive at the Preda Victoria Children’s Home, they are welcomed by the supportive staff and other healed and empowered children that 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. 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 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. (To be continued)/PN
