30 March 15 - The Philippine Embassy in Berne, along with the Philippine Consulate General and Overseas Labor Office in Geneva, participated in the fourth Regional Workshop on Trafficking in Persons, hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which was held from March 16 to 20 in Vienna, Austria. 

“Philippines Team Switzerland,” led by Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja, joined all other Philippine foreign service posts in Europe in a pledge to work towards the prevention and elimination of human trafficking.

The five-day workshop, spearheaded by the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA), provided the participants with greater understanding on the concept of trafficking in persons and the international and Philippine legal frameworks to combat human trafficking.  Sessions were also held on procedures for victim identification, psychosocial counselling, and the link between gender and trafficking. Issues on illegal recruitment, human smuggling, and the use of fraudulent documents in trafficking were likewise discussed. 

Representatives from various government agencies and international organizations also gave lectures. The resource speakers were from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE).  END