RP seeks global action vs human trafficking

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines reiterated its call to the international community for more inter-governmental efforts against human trafficking, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations said.

Philippine representative to the United Nations Hilario Davide Jr. made the call before the Interactive Thematic Dialogue of the UN General Assembly General Assembly where he also pushed for the development of a global plan of action to fight trafficking.

"Human trafficking is a gross violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a world that prides itself as civilized, human trafficking is not only a form of slavery; it is far worse than any form of slavery," Davide said in his statement before the General Assembly.

"It is a crime that shames us all. It shames us because we have not done enough to remove the shame. It must be eliminated. It must be exterminated from this civilized world," he added.

The dialogue was themed “Taking Collective Action to End Human Trafficking." Its sponsors included the Philippines, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua and Bahrain.

In pushing for more synergy in intergovernmental efforts to address the issue, Davide cited the various protocols and conventions that have been put in place since 2000 to guide international actions against trafficking. He also cited the meetings and conferences that have been taking place in the United Nations and its agencies.

“The plan of action should not re-invent the wheel, that is, it should not be a document that repeats the norms, standards and approaches that are already in the Trafficking Protocol and other related instruments, the resolutions and other existing documents," he said.

The Philippines is recognized to be among the leading countries active in the fight against human trafficking. It tables biannually a resolution entitled “Trafficking in Women and Girls" at the General Assembly, with the resolution traditionally adopted by consensus. - GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more