10 September 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Manado organized a seminar on “The Fight Against Human Trafficking,” a Gender and Development (GAD) activity held on September 05 at the Consulate General’s Conference Room.

The event was attended by stakeholders from the government and civil society, led by Ms. Meiske Siwi, Spd Mpd, Head of Women Department of Women Empowerment and Child Protection Department of North Sulawesi; and Ms. Winda Winowatan, Executive Director of Yayasan Compassion First Indonesia as Resource Speakers. Members of the Filipino community from Bitung City, Filipino teachers from Manado Independent School (MIS) and Post’s personnel, together with their dependents, also participated in the event. 

In the opening remarks, GAD Focal Point Officer, Ms. Maria Cecilia P. Wenceslao, speaking on behalf of the Consulate General, expressed the Consulate’s commitment to GAD initiatives and activities which aim to raise awareness on important issues that affect particularly women and the youth. She warmly welcomed the two resource speakers who are both leaders in the fight against human trafficking, the teacher-participants, businessmen and others.

The first speaker, Ms. Siwi, provided an overview on human trafficking, various forms of exploitation and efforts of the North Sulawesi province to address the problem. She espoused the need to join forces with like-minded people to curb human trafficking, such as slavery, organ harvesting and sex trafficking. She explained the “push and pull” factors that sometimes drive women to go willingly with traffickers and emphasized the importance of the role of the family in prevention.

This was followed by Ms. Winowatan’s presentation, entitled, “Understanding the Needs of the Survivors of Sex Trafficking”. Her organization, which was established in 2010, operates a shelter for sex trafficking survivors between the ages of 13 and 18 by providing them counseling, health care, education and activities to help with in reintegration to society. Ms. Winowatan explained that Compassion First works closely with the police and the Women Empowerment Office of North Sulawesi Province.

After the presentation, there was an open forum with questions raised by the Filipino teachers of Manado Independent School.

In his closing remarks, Philippine Consul General to Manado Oscar Orcine observed that there was lively interaction between the speakers and the participants. He highlighted Philippine institutions like the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking composed of various government agencies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). He shared the experience of the Consulate General in recently assisting in the repatriation of 12 trafficked women and emphasized the need for the government to work against human trafficking, in which he cited other examples of human trafficking in Libya, Morocco and Malaysia.

Consul General Orcine also noted the timeliness of the seminar and how it could help to build a network of allies from Manado to Bitung that could work together in the fight against trafficking. He assured the audience that Consulate General’s personnel are adequately trained and committed to combat trafficking.

At the close of the seminar, the Consulate General’s personnel reaffirmed their commitment to combat human trafficking by reading the “DFA Pledge Against Trafficking in Persons.” The English version was read by Ms. Ma. Valerie L. Frogozo, Alternate GAD Focal Point Officer, and the Bahasa Indonesian version was read by Ms. Lice Ester Tambayong, a translator. END