PH Mission, OUMWA Advance Discussions on International Migration and Migrant Rights in Geneva

Permanent Representative Carlos Sorreta invoked migrant protection and upholding human rights amid reports of human and labor trafficking involving Filipinos together with Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega who presented on cases related to migration, legal, and consular assistance. (photo from Geneva PM)

GENEVA 10 October 2023 – The Philippine Permanent Mission in Geneva and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Worker’s Affairs (OUMWA) engaged in a dialogue on migration and migrants’ rights, including trafficking in persons, with Filipino community leaders and Philippine civil society, in an event hosted by the Mission with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega who was in Geneva to participate in a side event on the sidelines of the 54th Session of the Human Rights Council and in the International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) of the United Nations.

Undersecretary de Vega highlighted the provisions of Republic Act 11641 that clarified the role of the DFA and the new Department of Migrant of Workers, represented in Geneva by the Migrant Workers’ Office (MWO), vis-à-vis government assistance programs for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). He also mentioned government assistance to OFWs in connection with their recruitment, return and reintegration through the projects and policies of the DMW. The DFA remains responsible for the welfare of other Overseas Filipinos (OFs) such as tourists, permanent residents, and students, according to Undersecretary de Vega.

Based on recent news reports, Undersecretary de Vega also raised concerns on the involvement of Filipinos abroad in illicit activities or scams. He said that Filipino community members should be responsible for their actions and learn to protect themselves in light of reports of Filipinos victims in large-scale scams, including in online activities and procurement of bogus residency/ work permits in different European cities. He called on the community to be vigilant and share in the responsibility to observe the host country’s regulations related to immigration, labor, and human rights, particularly in cases involving trafficking in persons.

Philippine Permanent Representative Carlos D. Sorreta supported the idea raised by members of civil society to look into cases of trafficking of Filipinos by other Filipinos, foreign diplomats and employers. He added that international norms support victims, regardless of their immigration and labor status, and that the Mission can discuss this matter in the United Nations system. He emphasized that the Mission will explore the DFA Legal Assistance Fund, in conjunction with free legal aid programs for trafficking victims in Switzerland, to support complaints filed in court by victims.

The Philippine Permanent Mission, Consulate General, and Migrant Workers Office in Geneva have been engaging civil society and Filipino community members on issues that are critical to the community at large. In recent times, trafficking issues and scams, which victimize a growing number of Filipinos in Geneva and Europe, are facilitated with ease by syndicates using social media and the online platform. The Mission and Consulate General are addressing the issue through cooperation with local authorities and agencies in support of victims, including legal assistance, and through dialogue with Swiss authorities on specific cases and in the United Nations system with respect to the protection of migrant rights, including Filipinos. END

Ambassador Sorreta and Undersecretary de Vega share a photo opportunity with Filipino civil society and community members taken at Mabini Hall. (Photos courtesy of Ms. Hannah Zuleykar)

For more information, visit https://www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.facebook.com/PHinGeneva/  or https://www.instagram.com/phingeneva/ .