(c) Carrying out gender training and sensitization for government officials dealing with
migration issues, in particular those providing legal and consular assistance to
Filipino migrant workers abroad seeking justice against abuse in the workplace
69. The State party deploys female labour attaches and welfare officers, social workers and
medical personnel in countries where there is large concentration of Filipino women
workers. It has added female welfare attachés and staff in Riyadh, Jeddah and Jordan. It is
also redesigning the deployment plan to rationalize deployment of welfare officers to
destinations with significant number of women migrant workers. And it incorporates the
Code of Conduct for Government Employees and Customer Care in its training programmes
for its officers and staff.
70. The State party Foreign Service officers, labour and other Philippine officials dealing
with migrants undergo training on TIP and gender-sensitive handling of cases involving
women migrant workers. They are also required to attend pre-deployment training that
includes modules on migration and development, trafficking in person, illegal recruitment,
gender issues, and case management, among others.
71. Female immigration officers with sufficient background on gender and development
(GAD) programmes are tasked to assist profiled female victims in interviews and other
processes conducted by the BI to encourage victims to divulge necessary information on
their respective cases.
(d) Implementing the outcome document of the International Conference on Gender,
Migration and Development called the Manila Call to Action as a tool for informed
policy decision-making and advocacy
72. The State party utilizes the Manila Call to Action as a tool to formulate measures to
strengthen the protection of migrant women workers69 and their families and to advocate
the adoption of international instruments such as the ratification of ILO Convention 189
and the enactment of national laws, such as Republic Act No. 10631.
(e) Liaising with local and international partner networks to provide services and
support to migrants and to advocate for migrants’ rights
73. The State party FSPs maintain close relations with NGOs, church-based groups, local
public and private service providers, and the Filipino communities in their respective host
territories to enhance capacity to extend assistance to migrant Filipinos, particularly
Filipino migrant women facing situations of vulnerability; and advocate for migrants’
rights. In partnership with Filipino associations overseas, mostly from CODs of emigrants,
State party conducts post-arrival orientation and other services to facilitate integration of
newly-arrived migrants in their host communities.
74. The State party also partners with local government units, academe, faith-based
organizations, professional associations, non-government organizations and other civil
society partners in the campaign against illegal recruitment and TIP, as well as in conducting
PEOS and community education on migrants’ rights.
Article 66
24. Please provide information on the measures taken to review the role of private
recruitment agencies and to strengthen the existing licensing system for recruitment
agencies, migration regulation and control mechanisms to prevent private
recruitment agencies from charging excessive fees for their services and from acting
as intermediaries for abusive foreign recruiters (CMW/C/PHL/CO/1, para. 42).
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These measures include a) the conscious integration of gender perspectives in the development and
implementation of PDOS to ensure safe migration; b) socio-economic and psychological programs for more
sustainable reintegration of returning women migrants; c) continuous capacity building of government officials
dealing with migrants on gender-sensitive handling of cases of women migrant workers; d) adoption of a standard
bilateral agreement to ensure equal treatment and opportunities in terms and conditions of employment; and e)
establishment of the Remittance for Development Council, among others.
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