Story originally published on July 4, 2014
Australia
and the Philippines signed the Australia Asia Program to Combat Trafficking In
Persons (AAPTIP) agreement in Manila in July 2014. The Australian Ambassador to
the Philippines, Bill Tweddell, signed for Australia, while Undersecretary Jose
Vicente Salazar of the Department of Justice, who heads the Philippines’
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) signed the pact for the
Philippines. The agreement will run for five years and will provide AUS$5
million in subsidies to the Philippines and other ASEAN countries to help
improve their capacity to tackle human trafficking and bring offenders to
justice. Australia will work closely with the Philippine government and support
the country through 'technical assistance and training'. The Philippines has
been trying to bolster its anti-trafficking laws by amending the
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which widens the number of offences that an
offender could be charged with.
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