04 December 2014 – Joining the community worldwide in its observance of the International Day against Human Trafficking and Migrants Day, the Philippine Embassy in Dhaka organized a seminar on migration and human trafficking at Ascott the Residence Hotel on November 29.

Aiming to bring awareness and engage the Filipino community in Bangladesh in the promotion of welfare of their fellow kababayan especially the overseas Filipino workers, the Philippine Embassy invited leaders and officers of the two Filipino organizations in the country – Philippine Society in Bangladesh (PSB) and Filipino Grand Alliance in Bangladesh (FGAB) to participate in the seminar.

Representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Dhaka, namely Project Officer Maximilian Potter, Migration Health Officer Kaoru Takahashi and Senior Project Coordinator Mohammad Shakil Mansoor spoke on regional cooperation in labour migration governance, migration health, and human trafficking scenario and the New Act 2012.

According to Mr. Pottler, the expanding scale of migration in the Philippines has rendered it “routine, predictable and valued” in the Philippine society as seen through the Filipinos lifestyle, education, career and business plans. He added that IOM fully recognizes the Philippines’ efforts of institutionalizing policies, legislations and other programs that uphold the promotion of the welfare of Filipino migrants.

In facilitating the global campaign against human trafficking, Mr. Mansoor said that IOM is developing its programs through understanding the different approaches of managing migration in countries where a big portion of its population is abroad such as Bangladesh and the Philippines. 

In closing, Philippine Ambassador to Bangladesh Vicente Vivencio T. Bandillo presented the speakers with plaques of appreciation for imparting valuable information on the topic. END