CMW/C/PHL/CO/3 women, who may have been subjected to legal processes without adequate legal defence and interpretation services. 34. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Make the proactive protection of migrant workers, particularly migrant domestic workers, a priority concern for its foreign service posts in destination States; (b) Strengthen the welfare services and consular assistance provided to migrant workers in destination States, including psychological counselling, legal counselling, interpretation services, and adequate shelters for migrants in distress, and ensure that such services and assistance are gender-responsive and accessible to all migrant workers, including those who are undocumented; (c) Ensure that foreign service posts are adequately staffed and that staff are properly trained in a human rights-based approach to dealing with all issues faced by migrant workers, including trafficking and other forms of exploitation, violence and abuse; (d) Ensure that staff at foreign service posts in States of employment act in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, of 1963, and develop specific policies that address prevention of and response to arbitrary detention and sexual and gender-based violence. Social security 35. The Committee notes that the Social Security Act, Republic Act 11199 of 2018, mandates the enrolment of all overseas Filipino workers in the State party’s social security system. It is concerned about the hesitancy of migrant workers to enrol, due to low awareness of its long-term benefits and the requirement to make continuous payments which may be onerous on categories of overseas Filipino workers who are engaged in low-income occupations. 36. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Consider setting less onerous social security contribution requirements for overseas Filipino workers engaged in low-income occupations; (b) In coordination with foreign service posts, inform overseas Filipino workers and members of their families about the value of making long-term contributions. Birth registration and nationality 37. The Committee notes the creation of on-site special consular missions in Sabah to register the births of undocumented Filipinos. It is concerned, however, that challenges persist in ensuring that overseas Filipino workers can register the birth of their children abroad, particularly in the Gulf region, thereby putting these individuals at risk of statelessness and depriving them of their rights. 38. In line with joint general comments No. 3 and No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 22 and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the human rights of children in the context of international migration, and in accordance with target 16.9 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Consider innovative measures to achieve universal birth registration of the children of overseas Filipino workers born abroad, paying special attention to those residing in the Gulf region, including through digitized and mobile birth registration and intensified awareness-raising among migrant workers and members of their families; (b) Accelerate the issuance of personal identification documentation to migrant workers in Sabah. 8 GE.23-08778

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