Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
Together on the barricades for human rights
PAHRA was founded shortly after the departure of dictator Marcos in 1986. It is a broad alliance of human rights activists and social organizations that stand up for the observance of all human rights. Despite the presence of an official Human Rights Commission, respect for rights in the Philippines remains substandard. Various reports show that the Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries for activists who stand up for human rights and the environment, with dozens of them being murdered every year.
Documenting and reporting
The country has had a poor human rights record for decades, until President Duterte came to power in 2016, kicking off a brutal war on drugs that has left tens of thousands of victims, including children.
Voices from the civil society were also harshly attacked. Critical NGOs and activists were severely criticized. According to Duterte, human rights activists are too concerned with protecting drug users and consider general safety as secondary. The press was also criticized, with one of the largest media companies forced to close its TV channel and the critical news site Rappler of Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa facing several lawsuits, but she won them one by one.
What can a human rights organization do in this context? To mobilize even more people and organizations in the campaign against this insane operation, PAHRA has created a new, even broader movement, iDefend (in Defense of Human Rights and Dignity).
iDefend calls on the families of victims of human rights violations to report their cases, they have opened a hotline for this purpose, so that they can support them in their demand for a serious judicial investigation. The pressure from the police is great not to file a complaint, because they threaten not to release the body.
International support
The difficult national context forced PAHRA and iDefend to seek international support. After intense lobbying, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted a resolution to conduct a thorough investigation into the human rights violations. A report was produced based on the documentation of organizations such as PAHRA, because the government did not allow UN staff. They were disappointed, however, because despite the report, the UNHRC did not go beyond offering support to improve the human rights situation.
Joint lobbying at the European Parliament resulted in strong 3 resolutions, including a warning to suspend the trade agreement with the Philippines, but European diplomacy remained suspiciously silent.
A matter that is extremely sensitive internationally concerns the official reintroduction of the death penalty. Duterte strongly advocated for this, but in the end the Senate did not approve the law, perhaps out of fear of the international reaction. This sounds somewhat surreal in the context of the thousands of alleged executions on the streets, but it shows how difficult the work on human rights is. More than ever, teaching and promoting human rights as the cornerstone of society is vital. The more organizations do this, the better.
