Through a series of legal workshops, PILnet is empowering the most vulnerable communities in Hong Kong. On February 17th and 18th, PILnet organized two classes for the EmpowerU program on Anti-Trafficking in Persons in Hong Kong. Throughout this project, PILnet worked with legal professionals to deliver classes to empower migrant workers by giving them critical information on trafficking in persons and potential legal avenues in Hong Kong.
PILnet invited Ms. Archana Kotecha, from Liberty Shared, to speak to the students about the indicators and elements of trafficking in persons (TIP) and forced labor (FL) and the needs of victims.
EmpowerU program is an education platform to teach and empower migrant workers in Hong Kong. The 2018/2019 cohort includes more than 300 domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia. This was the first of four weekends of the Law201 course, which aims to empower students on the phenomenon of TIP and FL so they will be able to:
- understand the legal framework and recognize indicators of TIP and FL;
- learn about the existing services for trafficked persons available in Hong Kong and know how to engage and access them;
- learn about possible legal avenues to address TIP and FL;
- learn about interview and information gathering skills; and
- examine and assess the current situation of TIP and FL in Hong Kong and within their community.
