19 October 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago hosted a training workshop in cooperation with the Legal Aid Society of the Metropolitan Family Services (LAS-MFS) on “U.S. Anti-Human Trafficking Laws and Resources” for members of its staff and those of the Indonesian Consulate General from October 06 to 08.

The participants were introduced to the U.S. federal laws and Illinois laws providing protection to survivors of human trafficking committed particularly through the abuse of guest-worker and other visas as well as sample case studies of actual trafficking incidence in Chicago and Illinois.

A panel interview on the second day with some of the members of the Illinois coalition against human trafficking, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorney’s office, Salvation Army’s STOP-IT, Legal Assistance Foundation and Heartland Alliance, showed how free legal and social welfare service providers are working hand-in-hand with law enforcement agencies to prosecute traffickers and uphold the rights of the trafficking survivors.

The Philippines and Indonesia early this year came out with a Joint Declaration on the Protection of Migrants and Migrant Workers, enjoining all their Embassies and Consulates abroad to work together to enhance the level of assistance extended to their nationals.

Consulate staff from both countries were also provided screening tools to help identify trafficking victims that can form part of the intake processes in their respective frontline services.

Philippine Consul General to Chicago Generoso D.G. Calonge thanked Ms. Catherine Longkumer, Esq., Project Manager of the Human Trafficking Initiative of LAS-MFS, and her Filipino-American colleague, Ms. Mica Cayton Garrido, J.D., M.A., Community Training Specialist, for their exceptional voluntary service in the development of skills and competence of consulate staff for the benefit and greater protection of Filipino and Indonesian nationals. END