EU Delegation to PHL commemorates Human Rights Month by honoring OFWs

The European Union Delegation to the Philippines commemorated Human Rights Month this year by honoring overseas Filipino workers.

A special screening of "Sunday Beauty Queen," a film that follows the lives of five OFWs in Hong Kong, was held at the Alliance Francaise de Manille on Wednesday as part of the commemoration.
DFA Undersecretary Lou Arriola discusses migrant workers and efforts to protect their rights with Carmelita Nuqui, President of Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, and Mattias Lentz, Chargé d'affaires of the EU Delegation. EU photo
"Working overseas is not easy, " Mattias Lentz, Chargé d'affaires of the EU Delegation, said in his welcoming remarks. "Work conditions can be difficult and immigrants might not enjoy the same rights as back home."
He said women migrants, especially those employed in low-paying jobs, largely bear the brunt of abuse and exploitation.
"This is something that the EU is very much concerned about," Lentz said.
Among those who attended the screening were Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Lou Arriola, the film's director Baby Ruth Villamara, Human Rights Commissioner Gwen Gana, Carmelita Nuqui of Philippine Migrants Watch, and social activist Mae Paner.
Lentz said to address the "vulnerability of migrants," inter-governmental and inter-regional cooperation should be strengthened.
Since 2005, the EU has funded 17 projects worth P1 billion to address human trafficking, illegal recruitment and strengthening of migration systems and institutions.
A recent initiative is the newly-launched regional programme called "Safe and Fair: Realizing women migrant workers' rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region," which aims to make labor migration safe and fair especially for all women migrants in Southeast Asia.
It is estimated that there are 10 million Filipinos living abroad. The remittances they send back every year to their families in the Philippines constitute a substantial part of the GDP of the Philippines. —KBK, GMA News

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