PHL Embassy Hosts Forum on Anti-Human Trafficking Law and Policies of Belgium

Chargé d’Affaires Alan L. Deniega with Ms. Sally Beeckman from the Brussels-based NGO PAG-ASA, resource speaker at the seminar-forum on anti-human trafficking law and policies of Belgium at the President’s Hall of the Philippine Embassy on 11 August 2017.

 17 August 2017 BRUSSELS — The Philippine Embassy in Belgium, in cooperation with PAG-ASA, a Brussels-based non-government organization which provides humanitarian and legal assistance to trafficking victims, recently held a seminar-forum on anti-human trafficking law and policies of Belgium on August 11 at the President’s Hall of the Embassy.

 Charge d’Affaires Alan L. Deniega, in his opening remarks, highlighted the Philippine government’s efforts at combating trafficking. He said the Philippine government actively continues its serious and sustained efforts of convicting and punishing more traffickers, identifying more victims through proactive screening procedures, and expanding programmes to prevent the trafficking of Filipino migrant workers. 

 The seminar-forum discussed the existing Belgian and EU legal frameworks on trafficking in human beings (THB), different forms of exploitation, distinctions between THB and smuggling, the Belgian model for assisting victims of THB, and the work of the legal unit of PAG-ASA (detection and identification, legal assistance and obstacles-reporting, prosecution and effective execution), among others.

The Philippine Embassy in Belgium, together with PAG-ASA, is planning to conduct a similar seminar in Luxembourg which is also under its jurisdiction to continue its joint efforts at helping address and fight the issue of human trafficking.  “PAG-ASA” was named after the Tagalog word for hope.

For more information, visit www.brusselspe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinBelgium/. END