11 September 2022, Berlin — The Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Ban Ying e.V. Coordination and Counselling Center and the Philippine Community in Berlin held a discussion on marriage, divorce and separation under German law.
Entitled Pag-usapan Natin: Family Life in Germany, the information session seeks to strengthen knowledge among the Filipino community, particularly marriage migrants, on German family law. Ban Ying e.V. is a coordination and specialist advice center on women’s issues and advocates for the rights of migrant women who have experienced violence, exploitation or human trafficking.
The main speaker, family law expert Atty. Maria Wilken, provided information on the rights and obligations of spouses under German law, entitlements during a divorce or legal separation, and the attendant issues of residency permits, child custody and violence against women. Atty. Wilken was assisted by Ban Ying’s Ms. Krisanta Caguioa-Moennich, Linguistic and Cultural Mediator and Dr. Babette Rohner, social worker.
In her remarks, Charge d’affaires Lillibeth Pono stated that the activity was in line with the third pillar of Philippine Foreign Policy, or the protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare of Filipinos abroad. It is also aligned with the Embassy’s Gender and Development Program, which seeks to empower Filipino marriage migrants in Germany with accurate information on German law. Lastly, she reminded the Filipino community that the Embassy stands ready to assist any Filipino in need.
The information session was a response to an observation that some Filipina marriage migrants in Germany are not aware of German laws governing family life.
