CEDAW/C/PHL/7-8 86. The Migrant Workers Act (RA 8042) prescribes a “one country team” approach in addressing concerns of migrant workers. Deployed social welfare attaches, labour attachés and Foreign Service officers work toget her in selected countries, particularly where there is a high concentration of workers, to respond to social, employment and other concerns of OFWs. Migrant Workers and Other Overseas Filipinos Resource Centres (MWOOFRC) are set up and operated jointly by the Embassy/Consulate Coordinators with the Labour Attaches assigned in the area. DFA and DOLE jointly prepared a Joint Manual on Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Operations and Guidelines on the Management of the MWOOFRC to streamline and more efficiently manage ATN, including MWOOFRC operations. DFA and DOLE increased the deployment of female ATN and POLOs for more gender sensitive assistance to OFWs in distress. The DFA designates GAD focal persons in embassies and continues to train personnel on violence a nd sexual harassment issues and handling, for home and post assignments. 87. The State Party, through its Foreign Service Posts (FSPs), maintains shelters for female OFWs in distress, through which various consular, legal and humanitarian assistance are provided. For instance, FSPs assist those with medical problems by coordinating with hospitals on provision of required medical or financial assistance; in informing the next-of-kin on the OFW’s hospitalization/medical condition and arranging their visits as requested; and in arranging medical repatriations, if needed. 88. The State Party establishes POLOs in countries with at least 10,000 Filipinos to provide employment counselling, mediate disputes between OFWs and employers, compel recruitment agencies to ensure that the terms and conditions of the employment contracts are adhered to, and conduct skills upgrading courses to OFWs, including financial literacy and other reintegration know-how. The State Party also assigns social welfare attachés in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to provide counselling and welfare services. Additional social welfare attachés will be deployed to South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Hong Kong, Kuwait, and in Beirut, Lebanon. 89. The State Party has allocated discretionary government funds for overseas Filipinos called the Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Fund, intended for repatriation, shipment of remains/cremation, temporary accommodation, food and basic supplies, medical evacuation, hospitalization, ATN missions, immigration penalties and related charges. A Legal Assistance Fund (LAF) has been set up for criminal cases and labour disputes, appeals of death penalty or life sentence, or in filing cases against erring/abusive employers and for rape victims. Rap e victims are also encouraged to file cases against perpetrators with LAF to hire competent lawyers. 90. The State through the CFO, has set up a foreign sponsors’ watch list and a database to keep track of (1) Filipinos married to foreigners; (2) foreign n ationals and Filipinos included in the CFO watch list; (3) Filipinos who attended the guidance and counselling more than once; and, (4) foreign nationals who sponsored more than once, with or without derogatory records. It pays particular attention to mult iple or serial sponsorships of Filipino women. The foreign sponsor ’s watch list and database forewarns fiancé(e)s, spouses and partners about the personality, marital history, record or past of the foreigner, to help her make a more informed decision and through which the State Party may be able to prevent trafficking in persons, slavery or domestic violence in the guise of and perpetrated through intermarriage. 22/36 15-03079