DILI, 29 April 2021(TATOLI)– The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Timor-Leste, Adaljiza Magno attended a virtual round table discussion of Female Foreign Ministers on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Women and Girls: A Focus on Human Trafficking.
Minister Magno Addressed the virtual round table discussion of Female Foreign Ministers by highlighted the challenges posed by technology to women and girls in the context of human trafficking and the consequence of the covid-19 pandemic for women and girls.
“The perpetrators of human trafficking are adapting to the new normal by moving their activities online and increasing trafficking in cyberspace by taking advantage of increasing engagement online due to lockdown,” Minister Adaljiza Magno said.
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to affect hard-won progress on gender equality through, among other things: widen the poverty gap between men and women, surge cases of gender-based violence and increase the risk of human trafficking globally, including women and girls.
Thus, to prevent the surge cases of gender-based violence and human trafficking Magno said the use of technology also as an innovative means to tackle gender-based violence and human trafficking.
“With the technology we can host the online campaigning, providing help-lines and online psychological counseling, as well as virtual access to legal advice to the victims of gender-based violence, including victims of human trafficking,” She said.
Concerning this issue, the Foreign Ministers Meeting was organized to serve as a platform to discuss the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for women and girls.
The virtual meeting was co-organized by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Women of Australia; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain. The meeting also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions of Belgium; Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Communities of Guinea-Bissau, Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Andorra, MFA of Estonia, MFA of Libya, MFA of Sudan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of Liechtenstein, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa and Ambassador for Gender Equality and Coordinator of Feminist Foreign Policy of Sweden. END
TATOLI
