THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA AWARDS COMMENDS
DAMASCUS PE CDA’S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RE-ENTRY ACTION PLAN
(REAP) ENTITLED “THE SYRIAN MODEL” IN ITS CLOSING CEREMONY

DAMASCUS, Syria- The University of Queensland conducted its closing ceremony on the Australia Awards Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Mainstreaming Short Course on 13 April 2021 via Zoom.

The ceremony was attended by Australian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Steven J. Robinsonand congratulated the scholars of the University of Queensland particularly their Re-Entry Action Plan Video Presentation, wherein six videos were presented during the event.

Chargéed’affaires, a.i. Vida Soraya S. Verzosa was one of the participants of the GEDSI short course along with the participants from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and other agencies.

In the Re-Entry Action Plan (REAP) video presentation of CDA Verzosa, she presented a story of one of the wards who was sheltered at the Philippine Embassyin Syria and was later on repatriated to the Philippines. The said ward was a victim of illegal recruitment and human trafficking in Syria. Her employer chained her and kept her inside the toilet for seven years and maltreated her physically, emotionally and psychologically.

CDA Verzosa also shared her implementation of REAP on the various aspects and projects of the Philippine Embassy in Syria such as administering the preparation of the Affidavit of Complaints of the human trafficking victims in Syria in preparation for their repatriation, with the help and collaboration of the different government agencies in the Philippines such as the Philippine Overseas Employment and Administration (POEA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Department of Justice, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other Non-Government Organizations. CDA Verzosa was lauded for her moving video presentation. END.