DMW boosts campaign vs human trafficking – The Manila Times

(UPDATE) AMID calls by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to put an end to modern-day slavery, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople on Tuesday vowed to intensify the DMW's awareness campaign against illegal recruitment and human trafficking, particularly those being undertaken through social media.

At the same time, Ople called on the 11 member states of the Colombo Process to join the DMW in its fight against modern-day slavery by empowering migrant workers

The 11 member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

The eight Observer States include Bahrain, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“If they leave unprepared, unaware of their rights, and not even realizing how life-changing a decision it is to work abroad, then the probability of landing in unsafe, least-protected environments becomes sky-high,” Ople said in her keynote address at the opening program of the 5th Meeting for the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on Pre-Departure and Empowerment at the Crown Plaza Hotel.

“We shall gladly take on this challenge. We invite our colleagues present here today to join us in the fight against modern slavery,” Ople said.

She told representatives of member states that the President has expressed grave concern over the cryptocurrency cases of human trafficking in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, which have victimized several overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and would-be migrant workers.

“Our work at the DMW is never-ending, and at the heart of it all is the importance of pre-departure orientation and the empowerment of our migrant workers,” she added.

Ople stressed that empowering migrant workers is not that simple because it takes two to do it: the employer and the employee.

She added that “an empowered employer would make it much easier for an employee to also feel and be empowered.”

But Ople pointed out that it doesn't always happen that way.

“Sadly, particularly in the case of some foreign employers of domestic workers, awareness of their moral and even financial obligations remains low. And even the most beautifully crafted multilateral or bilateral agreement cannot turn a cruel heart into the kindest one,” she said.

She said that part of the DMW's focus is to build a home for OFWs that will cater and serve them 24/7 at their moment of greatest need.

At DMW's disposal, she said, is the department's P16-billion budget for 2023.

It will be spent for the welfare, protection and support for millions of Filipino workers in more than 200 destination countries around the world.

According to Ople, the DMW was also provided a P1.2 billion Aksyon Fund to enable it to provide lawyers for distressed OFWs, including victims of human trafficking, severe exploitation, and gender violence while providing medical and other forms of humanitarian assistance to those unable to come home.