MANILA -- The Philippines’ Representative at the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), DFA Assistant Secretary Jaime Victor Ledda, gave spotlight to a victim-centered approach in curbing human trafficking in the recently concluded AIHCR Capacity Building on Trafficking in Persons and Human Rights event on 23 - 25 August 2021.

Assistant Secretary Ledda  chaired the workshop module on “Victim Identification – General Issues, Approaches, Principles and Challenges”. The session recognized the importance of victim identification as the first step in preventing modern day slavery, with the aim of extending immediate assistance and protection to victims of human trafficking.

The session also discussed gaps in victim identification, including conflicts between domestic and international laws on anti-trafficking, psychological traumas and threats faced by the victims, lack of mechanisms of law enforcement agencies, lack of cooperation and trust of human trafficking victims, among others.

Of particular note is the workshop’s discussion on the persistence of trafficking in persons despite border closures and travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (DFA)