30 July 2016- The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa joined Philippine foreign service posts around the world in marking World Day against Trafficking on 30 July 2016 by way of a workshop to sensitize Embassy personnel to the global scourge of Trafficking in Persons (TIP).

Based on the DFA Regional Workshop on Anti-Trafficking in Persons for Foreign Service Posts in the Americas held in Mexico City in September 2014, Embassy personnel were briefed on basic definitions and key concepts on TIP. The workshop also looked at the incidence of TIP in Canada as well as local laws addressing human trafficking and related criminal offenses.

Actual and hypothetical Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) cases were simulated to guide participants in spotting human trafficking situations as differentiated from human smuggling and illegal recruitment.

The workshop ended with Embassy personnel taking the DFA Pledge Against Trafficking in Persons.

“Our consular, cultural and administrative staff take away today new learnings important to our mandate to promote the welfare of Filipinos overseas. After today’s workshop, members of the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa are more attuned to the issue of human trafficking and have vowed to keep a watchful eye on potential victims of TIP as well as render full assistance to those suffering from modern slavery,” Philippine Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia concluded. END