AICHR Philippines Joins UN Statement Calling for Strengthened Efforts to Address Trafficking in Persons 

MANILA, 01 August 2022 – The Representative of the Philippines to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary Aileen S. Mendiola-Rau, joined the UN Senior Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children and other AICHR Representatives in calling for the strengthening of prevention and accountability for trafficking in persons in conflict situations. The Joint Statement was released on the occasion of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July 2022. 

This is the first time that the AICHR Philippines has signed a joint statement on human rights, as part of its efforts to strengthen its advocacy of addressing trafficking in persons in the ASEAN region and beyond. The Statement, signed by individual and regional experts on human rights from different stakeholders, emphasized how conflict- and climate- related displacement put women, children, and indigenous people into greater risks, further exacerbating their current situation as the most susceptible in society. It also stressed that exploitation is a result of existing and structural inequalities, rooted from poverty, inequality, cultural differences, gender-based discrimination, and weak protection system. 

While goals to address trafficking in persons have been achieved and efforts have been sustained in the past years, signatories said that much more can be done especially in protecting this particular group's fundamental rights. 

“​​The promotion and protection of human rights must be integrated in all actions to prevent trafficking in persons, and to protect trafficked persons. It is essential to protect the rights of victims and survivors through effective identification, and gender-sensitive and child responsive support measures, with adequate and sustained resourcing,” said in the statement. 

Currently, ASEAN is finalizing the review of the Bohol Trafficking in Persons Work Plan 2017-2020, which is a cross-pillar action plan aimed at addressing trafficking in person in the region. The Work Plan was developed under the initiative of the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crimes Philippines in 2016, together with other ASEAN Sectoral Bodies. It intended to integrate regional initiatives to combat trafficking in persons in ASEAN in line with the ASEAN Plan of Action Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

The full statement can be read through this link: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/trafficking/statements/2022-07-29/2022-7-29-2022-World-day-against-trafficking-final-joint-statement.pdf END