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Philippines to cooperate with Iraq in fight against human trafficking

Xinhua, January 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Philippine government is looking forward to assist Iraq in its efforts to strengthen the fight against human trafficking, particularly involving Filipinos, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

In a statement, the DFA, quoting Philippine Charged'Affaires to Baghdad Elmer Cato, said Manila would like to continue with its collaboration with Iraqi authorities in combating human trafficking.

"The Philippines is encouraged by the positive steps that the Iraqi Government has taken during the past several years to address human trafficking issues," Cato said.

The Filipino envoy cited in particular the support and cooperation extended by authorities to the Philippine Embassy that resulted in the successful rescue and repatriation two months ago of 10 Filipino trafficking victims in the Kurdistan region.

He said the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad is ready to share its experience in helping Iraq formulate more effective measures to allow it to not only go after human trafficking syndicates but also to assist Filipino and other migrant workers victimized by these syndicates.

He said the Philippine Embassy will be working closely with the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the High Commission on Human Rights and other concerned agencies on this important concern this year.

The DFA said there could be as many as 2,000 Filipinos working in Iraq, most of them in the Kurdistan region and some in Baghdad, Basra and other parts of the country. Endit