PHL co-sponsors side event vs trafficking in Geneva

As a way of affirming its commitment against human trafficking, the Philippines co-sponsored in Geneva a recent side event tackling the rights of victims of human trafficking. The Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and its counterpart in Germany sponsored the side event at the 17th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on May 31. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the discussions during the event focused on the need for policies to provide victims of human trafficking with financial, legal, and psycho-social assistance. The panelists also cited the need for measures to help identify the victims and improve trans-national and international cooperation in the fight against human trafficking. “Speakers emphasized that information campaigns are key to educate people about their rights and the remedies that are available to them, and to train state actors on how to treat them not as criminals but as victims," the DFA said. Garcia mentioned that the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations should be upheld by all states, especially in providing consular visitation rights and assistance for third country nationals. Garcia also stressed the importance of human rights education and training, and the role the Philippines has played in promoting the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training. “With a special appearance of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Madame Navanethem Pillay, the side-event was well-attended by various stakeholders, including representatives of governments, non-government and other civil-society organizations," the DFA said. Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Evan Garcia was the moderator of the event. The other organizers of the event were the Office of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Anti-Slavery International, La Strada International, and Comp.Act, an international NGO network addressing trafficking in human beings in Europe. The members of the panel included UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children Joy Ngozi Ezeilo; Senior Advisor on Anti-Trafficking Issues of the Office of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR) Mariana Katzarova; Chief of GRETA, Council of Europe Nicolas Le Coz; Legal Adviser of La Strada International Marieke van Doorninck; and Klara Skrivankova of Anti-Slavery International. - VVP, GMA News