Aleppo-Sana
The Chargé d'Affairs of the Philippine Embassy in Damascus, Lawyer Vida Soraya Verzosa, gave a lecture this evening entitled “The Law
International Law and Combating Trafficking in Persons” at the Aleppo Bar Association, whose axes dealt with international law, which is a set of legal rules, provisions and standards that apply between sovereign states and other entities recognized as international actors.
Verzosa provided an explanation of the legal framework for access to justice mechanisms implemented by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs through the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, as well as the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, pointing out that since the beginning of 2022 there are no Filipino migrant workers detained in detention facilities in Syria. Migrants came through the cooperation between the two countries.
Verzosa confirmed that the legislative decrees issued in Syria related to combating trafficking in persons are similar to the anti-trafficking legislation in the Philippines, especially those related to the exploitation of workers of other nationalities, forced labor or trafficking in human organs and children, pointing out that cooperation between the two countries resulted in the arrest of the most dangerous human smugglers in the Philippines. Many thanks to the Syrian government, which was a true partner of the Philippines in the fight against human trafficking.
Verzosa touched on international agreements, judicial cooperation and challenges facing international legal cooperation, noting that unilateral Western coercive measures against Syria constituted one of the difficulties in working on human trafficking cases.
Verzosa concluded by saying that the Philippines and Syria continue to work closely together to strengthen bilateral relations by implementing signed agreements and negotiating new agreements on the issue of trafficking in persons and international crime.
In turn, the head of the Aleppo Bar Association branch, lawyer Najdat Afash, demonstrated the importance of the lecture dealing with international law and combating trafficking in persons, noting that this phenomenon is rare in Syria, and the union is working on social and legal awareness by organizing these lectures to curb this phenomenon.
The Honorary Consul of the Philippines in Aleppo, Waseem Nanaa, spoke about the efforts exerted by the consulate to strengthen the Syrian-Philippines relations in the economic, tourism and cultural aspects, and to take care of the interests of the Filipinos, as well as the effective cooperation to contribute to the fight against trafficking in persons.
Qusai Razzouk
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