Filipina receives int’l award for fighting child-trafficking

Visayan Forum founder Cecilia Oebanda is one of the recipients of the the 2015 Child10 (C10) Awards in Stockholm, Sweden. The awards recognize leaders who are pushing for an end to child-trafficking.

A Filipina has been recognized as one of the 10 leaders worldwide who are pushing for an end to child-trafficking.

Cecilia Oebanda, the founder of Manila-based foundation Visayan Forum (VF), has been named one of the recipients of the the 2015 Child10 (C10) Awards in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Child10 Award, founded by Sophie Stenbeck Family Foundation and Reach for Change, hails 10 leaders worldwide who seek to curb child-trafficking.

Oebanda is the first Filipina who received the said award.

“There are many challenges when you’re fighting on the ground, and certainly these can take their toll on us. But VF’s work for almost 25 years can speak for itself: No matter what struggles we faced, we chose to fight. We share this success with our partners in the government, civil society, private sector, faith-based groups, schools, and communities, without whom VF would not have been able to save countless lives. The world is noticing how we have intensified our work and our collective gains in the fight. This award is for us all,” Oebanda said.

The Visayan Forum, which was established in 1991, seeks to end modern slavery and operates safe houses for victims of human trafficking.

Past C10 awardees include James Kofi Annan of Challenging Heights in Ghana, and Oby Ezekwesili of #BringBackOurGirls Campaign. Aries Joseph Hegina/RC