Secretary Locsin advances Anti-Trafficking Agenda at UN; Calls for victim protection, increased budgetary resources

Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. calls for protection, not punishment, of trafficking victims for acts they were made to commit as a consequence of their trafficking situation (Photo from New York PM)

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 29 November 2021 — Foreign Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. called for the protection of victims, instead of their punishment, for acts they were compelled to do as a result of their trafficking situation. He also called on Member States to increase extra-budgetary resources for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking.

Secretary Locsin made this call when he delivered the Philippine Statement at the High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons (“Global Plan of Action”) held on 22 to 23 November 2021.

The aim of the meeting was to adopt the Political Declaration on the Global Plan of Action.

The Secretary stressed that “trafficking in persons is antithetical to humanity as it treats humans not as fellows but trades them as chattel,” and that “trafficking exists in all societies but unlike regular commerce, it thrives even in failing economies, especially conflict-driven countries and in the current pandemic.”

He added that the Philippines is a labor-sending country of mostly women, but most victims are not Filipinos. He also highlighted that the Philippines consistently ranked Tier 1 in the US Trafficking in Persons Report.

In his opening remarks, President of the General Assembly Abdulla Shahid emphasized the links between human trafficking and illicit money flows, the use of fraudulent travel documents, and cybercrime.

PGA Shahid also stressed that migrants are among the most vulnerable to human trafficking, while calling for additional measures to ensure the effective protection of migrant workers in their host societies. END

For more information, visit https://www.un.int/philippines/ and https://web.facebook.com/PHMissionNY