PH Intensifies Fight Against Trafficking, Co-Sponsors Launching of Advocacy Guidebook Vs. Trafficking
NEW YORK 17 August 2018 – The Philippine Mission to the United Nations (UN) in New York co-sponsored the launching of “Inherent Dignity: An Advocacy Guidebook to Preventing Trafficking for the Purpose of Sexual Exploitation and to Realising the Human Rights of Women and Girls Throughout their Lives.”
The book is a publication of Mercy International Association, a non-governmental organization granted special consultative status by the UN.
Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. delivered the opening remarks, stating that few crimes are more heinous than the crime of trafficking sex. He noted that people shudder at the thought of slavery, but sex trafficking is worse than slavery. A trafficking victim not only loses her liberty and her choices, she is also robbed of her sense of humanity with regard to herself and her abusers.
Ambassador Locsin shared the policies, programs, efforts and achievements of the Philippines with regard to sex trafficking, citing the whole-of-society approach that the country had employed, getting all relevant agencies of the government, NGOs, civil society, Filipino communities abroad, and even informal groups to join the fight to eliminate trafficking.
According to Ambassador Locsin, the Philippines has achieved a level of success such that it was given Tier 1 ranking in the US Trafficking in Person Report for three consecutive years since 2016.
The panelists for the launching include Victim’s Rights Advocate Assistant Secretary-General Jane Connors, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd representative Sister Winifred Doherty, and Secondary Author and Coordinator at Mercy International Association Sister Angela Reed.
All the panelists shared their experiences working with trafficking survivors in various parts of the world. International Lawyer and Human Rights Activist Chris Cervenak served as the host and moderator of the event.
The advocacy guidebook illustrates how sex trafficking is a human rights violation and a form of violence against women and girls. The guidebook aims to assist advocates and local actors to incorporate a robust human rights approach into their work as they collaborate with governments, NGOs and groups to prevent trafficking. It contains the story of a trafficking survivor from the Philippines. END
Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. delivers the opening remarks at the launching of the anti-trafficking advocacy guidebook. (New York PM photo)
For more information, visit www.newyorkpm.dfa.gov.ph / www.un.int/philippines or https://www.facebook.com/PHMissionNY/.