To prevent sexual abuse of OFWs, DOLE wants CCTVs in PHL labor offices abroad

Installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems and implementing stricter rules are among the measures the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is undertaking to prevent the sexual abuse of distressed overseas Filipino workers at Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) and Bahay Kalingas.

DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz issued the instructions in Administrative Order No. 262-A, where the rules are "gender-balanced and sensitive and values-oriented," to help  disadvantaged female migrant workers abroad.

"(T)o prevent, pre-empt, and hopefully permanently root out the alleged malpractices and misdemeanor against overseas Filipino workers, such as the sex-for-fly, I have further issued reform measures to be strictly implemented in the POLOs," she said in a news release.

The order stemmed from the alleged involvement of Philippine labor officials in the incidents.

Baldoz ordered all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices to "install sufficient CCTV cameras in their offices and in the MWOFRCs."

MWOFRCs, or Migrant Workers and Other Filipino Resource Center, are popularly known as Bahay Kalinga.

With the CCTVs installed, the head of the POLO shall be the custodian of recorded videos, Baldoz said.

"To ensure transparency, I have instructed the installation of a clear glass-enclosed room in the MWOFRC as venue for all transactions with the wards. The MWOFRC shall also maintain a first-aid kit for the wards and personnel," she added.

Baldoz also now requires all POLOs through the Labor Attache to submit to the her quarterly reports on all matters relating to MWOFRC operations, copy furnished the head of the Post or the Ambassador or Consul General.

She also directed the POLO to always prioritize the repatriation of wards and the resolution of their complaints and cases.

"Upon admission at the MWOFRC, the POLO shall immediately profile and provide the ward with the necessary seminars and skills training in preparation for their repatriation," she said.

"All the requirements that will entitle them to the Balik-Pinay, Balik-Hanapbuhay livelihood starter kits, or to any of the DOLE Enhanced Reintegration Program, shall be processed on-site for release upon their arrival in the Philippines," she added.

Gender balance, house mother

Baldoz instructed the International Labor Affairs Bureau to ensure gender balance in the staffing of all POLOs, particularly in the Bahay Kalingas.

All personnel to be deployed overseas are to undergo special training on gender sensitivity, and for the Bahay Kalinga to have a full-time "house mother" who must be an administrative staff trained prior to deployment.

"Only female personnel shall directly attend to the complaints and cases of wards, particularly during intake/initial interviews, for further processing and handling of the assigned Case Officer. Subsequent counseling and updating sessions, if handled by a male Case Officer, shall be done in the presence of the house parent or a female POLO staff," she said.

Baldoz also instructed the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to help shoulder the cost of training of wards in the Bahay Kalinga to ensure that materials and equipment are available.
Proper decorum

Baldoz reminded all POLO officials and personnel to always observe proper decorum and utmost professionalism in dealing with their wards and clients.

They should also be forewarned that sexual harassment against women and men in the employment, education, and training environment carries stiff penalties under the "Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995." - VVP, GMA News

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