The Quezon City government started the year on a high note as it garnered another accolade, this time for its efforts to combat human trafficking and violence against women and children.

In a letter, Department of the Interior and Local Government-National Capital Region (DILG-NCR) Regional Director Maria Lourdes Agustin informed Mayor Joy Belmonte that the Quezon City government earned an overall score of 100 percent or equivalent adjectival rating of IDEAL following an audit conducted by its Regional lnter-Agency Monitoring Team (RIMT) for Performance Year 2021.

The local government garnered a perfect score based on the following criteria — Organization (10 percent), Meetings (10 percent), Policies, Plan and Budget (40 percent), and Accomplishments (40 percent).

The DILG-NCR also commended the Quezon City Committee on Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Women and their Children for participating in the 2022 Local Committees on Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Women and their Children (LCAT-VAWC) functionality assessment.

“The Regional Inter-Agency Monitoring Team (RIMT) commends the Committee for its accomplishments and for introducing ideas or innovations which added value to the implementation of programs on anti-trafficking and violence against women and children,” Agustin said.

“We hope that these assessment results and recommendations will serve as guides in determining the next steps and areas for improvement that must be taken into consideration in order for the Committee to level-up its performance,” she added.

Belmonte thanked the DILG-NCoR for the commendation, saying the city government won’t rest on its laurels and will continue to improve its plans and programs to combat anti-trafficking and violence against women and children.

“This recognition would fuel our drive to further improve our programs, projects and policies on violence against women and children and anti-trafficking,” she said.

As part of its efforts to track and respond to reported VAWC cases, the Quezon City government launched the “QC VAW Centralized Databank System”, a unified database which will be used by the VAWC desk officers in the 142 barangays and police stations in the city.

Belmonte has encouraged QCitizens to report abuses against women and children through QC Protection Center through Hotline 122, or to the barangay and the women’s desk of the Quezon City Police District. 

In addition, the Mayor mandated the QCPD, QC Protection Center, and Gender and Development office to closely monitor and act swiftly on calls and reports pertaining to VAWC and other gender-based incidents.

The Quezon City government earlier opened Bahay Kanlungan, one of the first local government unit (LGU)-run shelters for abused women, children and lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals (LGBT). It serves as temporary shelter for victim-survivors of gender-based violence and abuse. 

It also has the Quezon City Protection Center for Victims of Gender-Based Violence and Abuse, a one-stop crisis center that gives a multi-disciplinary approach to the needs of women, children and LGBTs who are victims of violence and abuse.

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