PHILIPPINES

1
PHILIPPINES

• National Strategic Plan of Action Against
  Trafficking in Persons (2004-2010)
• Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking

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National Strategic Plan of Action Against
Trafficking

• Eliminating trafficking in persons especially
  women and children and ensuring their recovery ,
  rehabilitation and re-integration into mainstream
  society

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Background

• The Philippines is a State Party to the UN
  Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime
  including the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and
  Punish Trafficking in Persons having ratified the
  same in December, 2002
• Passed the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act
  inMay 2003
• Created the Inter-Agency Council Against
  Trafficking in Persons (IACAT)
• Developed a national action plan - The National
  Strategic Action Plan Against Trafficking in
  Persons

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Objectives of the Stratplan

• Promote public awareness and sustain
  collective/coordinated advocacy efforts
• Coordinate the maximum effective and efficient
  implementation of the law
• Mobilize and forge partneships and cooperation
  among different agencies involved in the areas of
  prevention, protection, prosecution,
  rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficked
  persons
• Establish and institutionalize an effective and
  efficient referral and tracking system of
  incidents of trafficking through all the stages
  of intervention
• Institutionalize a central database and a shared
  information system on trafficking

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Strategies

• ADVOCACY AND SOCIAL MOBILIZATION
• CAPACITY BUILDING
• DATA COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT
• ALLIANCE BUILDING AND NETWORKING
• RESEARCH, POLICY STUDIES AND DOCUMENTATION
• INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS

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Components/Strategic Activities

• PREVENTION - to create awareness, knowledge and
  commitment by all stakeholders to facilitate wide
  support and participation in comabating TIP
• developing and disseminating IEC materials
• initiating and sustaining public information
• organizing and/or strengthening community
  networks
• establishing reporting and referral system
• Document fraud examination acquisition
• continually conducts pre-departure marriage
  counselling

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Components/Strategic Activities

• PROTECTION/LAW ENFORCEMENT/PROSECUTION - to
  create an environment where trafficked persons
  especially women and children are protected and
  ensure that institutional mechanisms for their
  protection are in place and operational
• Expanding community protection networks
• Enhancing capacities of frontline workers to
  address TIP
• Developing manuals and protocols
• Setting-up special units and task forces
• Establishing hotlines and quick response teams
• Strengthening inter-agency coordination
• Institutionalizing child-friendly and
  gender-sensitive criminal justice system
• Increasing bilateral cooperation with other
  countries (MOUs creation of a task Force to
  address the isuue of TIP in Japan MOU with
  Kuwait re protection of Filipino citizens
  continuous consultation with countries with large
  no. of Filipinos)

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Components/Strategic Activities

• RECOVERY AND REINTEGRATION - to ensure the
  recovery and and reintegration oftrafficked
  persons into their respective families and
  communities
• Developing local programs for recovery and
  reintegration
• Increasing access to employment oportunities
• Strengthening/expanding halfway houses and
  shelters
• Preparing families and communities

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Implementation Arrangements

• Developing policies, measures and programs for
  the prevention of trafficking, protection and
  support of trafficked persons and effective
  investigation and prosecution of traffickers
  through concerned government agencies
• Localizing trafficking initiatives through local
  government units (local laws/ordinances)
• Forging strategic partnerships with NGOs and
  other stakeholders
• Involving media, civil society and the private
  sector

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Coordination and Monitoring

• The IACAT coordinates and monitors the
  implementation of all activities relating to the
  implementation of the stratplan against
  trafficking
• Regular consultative meetings are conducted with
  Government Agencies and NGOs
• Developing reporting system for implementing
  trafficking initiatives from the local to
  national level
• Standardizing statistical data and collection
  towards creating a national/central data base

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Thank you and Mabuhay!

• Atty. Robert L. Larga
• Department of Justice
• Atty. Edna Mae G. Lazaro
• Department of Foreign Affairs