A high level delegation of anti-human trafficking experts from the Netherlands will be meeting with their counterparts from the Philippines' Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in Persons (IACAT) in  Manila this month, to further strengthen the cooperation of the two countries against trafficking in persons.

This is in-line with the mandate of IACAT to enhance cooperative efforts and mutual assistance with foreign countries through bilateral and/or multilateral arrangements to prevent and suppress international trafficking in persons. It builds on the two countries' history of joint action on anti-human trafficking issues, which included an IACAT-led mission to Netherlands in 2012.

Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima, Chairperson of IACAT, underscored the importance of cooperation among members of the international community in combating human trafficking. "The Philippines and the Kingdom of Netherlands recognize that our shared objective is to put an end to trafficking in persons worldwide."

The Dutch delegation, led by Mr. Herman Bolhaar, will discuss various topics on law enforcement and human trafficking prevention during the week-long visit, including the two countries' efforts to combat child pornography. The visit will also discuss their bilateral legal cooperation and explore ways to strengthen their concerted efforts against trafficking in persons.

Other highlights of the visit include the ground-breaking ceremony for the Victim Processing Center and presentation of the National Case Audit Report, two projects that had received funding from the Dutch Embassy.

"We are optimistic that this visit of our friends from the Netherlands will strengthen our strategy towards solving the human trafficking problem," De Lima concluded.