25 NOVEMBER 2025

FOCUS ON WOMEN'S PROTECTION AND IDENTIFYING VICTIMS OF MARITAL ABUSE AT EMBASSY SEMINAR

Seminar attendees learn about real domestic violence cases and the legal measures available to protect vulnerable individuals

Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Candy Cypres-Bauzon addresses participants during the Embassy’s seminar in observance of the 18-Day Campaign to End VAW

LEFÖ-IBF Co-Director Tamara Schmidt discusses legal protections for trafficking victims

Participants actively engage in the discussions during the Embassy’s seminar on Filipino marriage migration

25 November 2025 - Filipino community leaders learned more about the rights of women who move to Central Europe after marrying local citizens, the risks they face, and the steps to protect them from domestic abuse, during a seminar on “Migrating for Love and Avoiding the Pitfalls”. The hybrid seminar was organized by the Philippine Embassy as part of the country’s 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW).

In her welcome remarks, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Candy Cypres-Bauzon emphasized that violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread human rights violations globally. CDA Cypres-Bauzon also encouraged members of the Filipino communities to be trusted points of support for victims who may be fearful or unable to speak out. “We call on your support to help eliminate violence against women and girls. A lot of women who are suffering from these abuses cannot speak up out of fear. You can be the instrument in helping them take the first step to break the abuse,” she said.

Representatives from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) and LEFÖ IBF Intervention Center for Trafficked Women, an Austrian civil society organization, discussed violence against women in the context of intermarriages. CFO Chief of Migrant Integration and Education Division Ivy Miravalles discussed the realities of domestic violence among “marriage migrants,” emphasizing the importance of recognizing red flags in relationships, including emotional manipulation, financial control, and technology-facilitated abuse. She also presented CFO’s Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP), a mandatory pre-departure requirement for Filipino spouses and partners of foreign nationals that helps identify cases of trafficking disguised as marriage, fraudulent arrangements, and psychological vulnerabilities. She introduced the CFO Watchlist, a preventive measure that flags foreign nationals with records of abuse.

LEFÖ-IBF Co-Director Tamara Schmidt elaborated on the rights available to potential trafficking victims in Austria and Europe, such as access to health care, psychosocial support, a 30-day reflection and recovery period, and eligibility for temporary residence under special protection status. She stressed that exploitation within marriage is a serious criminal offense under both European and Austrian law. Ms. Schmidt also provided the contact information of relevant support agencies in Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia for migrant women who are victims of abuse./END

For assistance or help concerning abuse or human trafficking victims, please contact:

Philippine Embassy in Austria

Email: viennape.consular@dfa.gov.ph;

Assistance to Nationals Hotline: (+43 676) 442 2694

OWWA Hotline: (+43 676) 404 2471

Austria

LEFÖ Interventionsstelle für Betroffene des Frauenhandels

Intervention Center for Trafficked Women

Email: ibf@lefoe.at

Website: lefoe.at/ibf

Instagram: lefoe_ibf

Facebook: /lefoe1985