Microsoft, NGO Train Trafficking Survivors in IT Skills

by Amanda Kloer · 2009-07-24 06:50:00 UTC
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In the Philippines, human trafficking survivors are being given far more than just a safe place to sleep at night.  With the help of Microsoft and local NGOs, they are being training in cutting edge IT skills to help them find good jobs and avoid future trafficking.

The IT training program is a partnership between the Visayan Forum Foundation and Microsoft Philippines, and is funded by an Unlimited Potential grant from the latter.  Trafficking victims who are rescued by the Visayan Forum undergo training to develop leadership skills and interpersonal communication skills, in addition to their practical IT skills.  The goal is to improve their knowledge base and their overall professional capabilities to make them more marketable as workers in the country's mainstream workforce.

Having a marketable skill set can help make vulnerable populations less vulnerable to trafficking and prevent survivors from being re-trafficked.  In  global economy where even college graduates and professionals are having a difficult time finding work, those without access to education face even more dire financial situations.  Many of the skill-building programs which anti-trafficking programs promote are based on manual labor or artisan skills.  While those are certainly valuable, IT training can make a survivor especially marketable in the workforce. 

Microsoft has repeatedly proved to be a friend and supporter of the abolitionist movement.  But this program really shows the innovation of which they are capable.

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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