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Human rights defenders / Statements / Philippines / 2016 / December

Philippines: Rosemarie Trajano: Defending people’s rights is a risky job but someone’s got to do it

 

Geneva, 19 December 2016 (OMCT) - Rosemarie Trajano went from being a community health nurse to working to protect human rights in the Philippines for the last 30 years. Needless to say it has been a roller-coaster ride.

 

“We saw that we could not only cure physical disease but the social illnesses of the communities,” she said, adding this lesson instilled in her a desire to assist others.

 

Ms. Trajano has been among those who have brought about a number of victories in aligning her country’s law with international standards. Law in the Philippines now includes provisions upholding international humanitarian law, women’s rights and anti-torture laws, compensation for victims of martial law. This led her to think the road to a consistent rule of law would be uphill from there. But she soon realized it would not be that easy.

 

Newly elected President Duterte’s authoritarian rule and blatant attacks on human rights now threaten to tear down the hard-won gains. Since July 2016, after he pledged to wage a “bloody war” against drugs, the number of extrajudicial killings among alleged drugs dealers and users has soared to more than 6,100 victims. In only six months, the police reported killing more than 2,000 “drug personalities”, while vigilantes killed some 3,841 alleged drug users and dealers.

 

A war on drugs and on human rights

 

Even if the country’s human rights situation had seemed to improve slightly in recent years, such profound setbacks can only be chilling.

 

“And then this comes,” she said. “We thought all the time that we were through with civil and political rights and that we could focus on economic, social and cultural rights. But the problems are still there and we have to start again.”

 

Ms. Trajano is realistic when it comes to gauging success in her line of work, which always has ups and downs. Paradoxically, the thought of starting over does not deter her from the task ahead – both for her likeminded peers living in her home country but also globally.

 

“This is not only a job,” she said. “In fact we are earning so little… Maybe it is in our blood!”

 

Profiled, hacked and threatened

 

Like so many human rights defenders across the world, Ms. Trajano says she has been profiled by police forces because of her vocal opposition of the rampant killings and violence in the context of the war on drugs in her country. She received a warning saying that she was being monitored and that her social media accounts were being tracked. As most NGOs, her organization’s website is being monitored - if not hacked - by the Government.

 

The Government has now started a campaign targeting human rights defenders directly. On 28 November, President Duterte publicly threatened to kill defenders critical of his war on drugs. A few days later, President Duterte uttered similar threats against lawyers of alleged drug dealers. But Ms. Trajano feels the onus is on her to stand up for her people’s rights.

 

“We cannot stop. We have to continue,” she said. “Human rights are not given freely. It’s always a struggle… If no one works, and if no one struggles, then who will struggle for the people, who will struggle with the people?”

 

This article is part of a series of 10 profiles to commemorate International Human Rights Day, 10 December, and to recognize the vital role of human rights defenders worldwide.

 

To see the campaign video, please click here.

 



OMCT wishes to thank the Republic and Canton of Geneva and the OAK Foundation for their support. Its content is the sole responsibility of OMCT and should in no way be interpreted as reflecting the view(s) of the supporting institutions.

 

Properties

Date: December 19, 2016
Activity: Human Rights Defenders
Type: Statements
Country: Philippines
Subjects: Human Rights Defenders, Justice system, Police, Military and Paramilitary, Summary executions, extrajudicial killings, Threats, intimidation and harassment

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