Maria Susana “Toots” Ople, a well-known advocate for the rights of abused and trafficked Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), has been appointed to the new Board of Trustees for the United Nations (UN) Voluntary Trust Fund for Human Trafficking Victims.
The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selected five experts like Ople who had relevant experience in the field of trafficking in persons. Her appointment was contained in a letter sent by Ghada Waly, UNODC executive director on October 19, 2020.
Susan Ople is the 2013 recipient of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Hero Award from the U.S. State Department and heads the non-profit organization Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute which handles labor and migration concerns for Filipinos working abroad.
“I hope to see a continuation, if not an escalation, in global conversations about modern slavery amid and beyond this pandemic…I hope that States will ensure the safety, rights, and protection of migrants around the world especially of foreign domestic workers,” Ople said in a quote shared by the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery.
The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Human Trafficking victims especially Women and Children, was established in 2010 to provide humanitarian, legal, and financial aid to victims of trafficking in persons.
The five new members of the prestigious board will serve a three-year term and provide strategic advice to the UNODC Trust Fund Secretariat in the management of the Fund.
Government initiatives are also helping OFWs amid the COVID-19 pandemic like the tracking system called the OFW Assistance Information System (OASIS) which was devised to assist Overseas Filipino Workers intending to return to the Philippines while OFWs in Macau are getting support from a Mental Wellness Health app named “Kumusta, Kabayan.”
SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below to OFW advocate Susan Ople for being appointed to the United Nations Board of Trustees.
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