19 October 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in Prague organized a Forum on Migrant Worker’s Rights, focusing on the rights of women and reemphasized its campaign against Human Trafficking to more than 80 Filipino community members who gathered in the Czech city of Litoměřice, home base of Jose Rizal’s best-known European friend, Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt, as part of the Embassy’s Gender and Development (GAD) Program.

Philippine Ambassador to the Czech Republic Vic Lecaros reported to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that a majority or 75% of Filipinos in the Czech Republic consists of women; therefore, any program related to migrant rights must have a special focus on women. Around 80 Filipino community members attended the Forum.

The Philippine Embassy partnered with two leading non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) in the Czech Republic, namely the Association for Integration and Migration (MIGRACE) and the La Strada International (LSI),  a European NGO network against trafficking in human beings with eight member organizations in countries, among them Belarus, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Moldova, The Netherlands, Poland and Ukraine.

Ambassador Lecaros encouraged the Filipino community to learn from the two experts namely, Ms. Magda Faltová, Director of MIGRACE, who gave a presentation on the rights of migrant (particularly women) workers and ending violence against women in the Czech Republic and Ms. Marketa Hronkova, Director of LSI-Czech Republic, who expounded on trafficking in persons, its elements, and providing advice on how to spot “red flags” that may lead to trafficking.

In its campaign against human trafficking, the Philippine Embassy, represented by Consul Juan E. Dayang, Jr. will work with LSI in promoting awareness about trafficking in persons among Filipino women, particularly household workers and massage therapists in the Czech Republic, to ensure their awareness of their rights and their welfare. The Embassy also gives special focus on Household Workers of resident diplomats and looking after them in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

The Embassy’s Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) and GAD Focal Person is Attaché Milette Socorro-Olimpo. END