A PLUNDER case does not necessarily mean imprisonment; but defending human rights may even cause one’s life. This is the observation of the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR), a research, training and advocacy institution for women, as the world commemorated the International Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD) Day yesterday, Nov. 29.
The center has a point. For example, if you’re a Marcos, even with seven counts of graft, you can get VIP treatment and can even go scot-free. But if you’re a woman human rights defender, you will be detained with trumped up charges, be attacked or killed.
As of September 2018, there are more than 500 political prisoners, 45 of whom are women. Since 2016, there were already 141 extrajudicial killing victims, 33 of whom were women; while victims of illegal arrest reached 1,265, according to the CWR.
Indeed, when WHRDs challenge the legitimacy of state policies that are pro-rich and pro-foreign investors, and when they denounce the actions of extractive industries, they appear to become targets for detention or liquidation. The brazen attack on activists and members of legitimate organizations, just to silence them, is alarming.
In October alone, five women human rights defenders were illegally arrested and detained. Four women, including Gabriela Women’s Party organizer Eulalia Ladesma, were arrested and reportedly tortured by Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) in Nueva Ecija on Oct. 13. Two days later, CWR long-time consultant Hedda Calderon, together with four others, was illegally arrested in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
Instead of being applauded and recognized as formidable agents of change, WHRDs become the subject of attacks. In Negros Occidental, there’s the case of Atty. Katherine Panguban, a human rights lawyer from the National Union of People’s Lawyer (NUPL), and Virginia Villamor, a senior citizen who was arrested along with her husband, and National Democratic Front peace consultant Vicente Ladlad. Atty. Panguban, who heads NUPL’s Women and Children Committee, has become a target of threat and harassment because of her involvement as legal counsel of relatives of the Sagay City hacienda massacre victims. She currently faces charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention. Meanwhile, Villamor, who is already 67 years old, has been charged with trumped-up non-bailable cases of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Since 2006, UN member states have committed to protect WHRDs. But the rising authoritarianism and militarism across the globe continuously threaten the lives of WHRDs.
The government’s recent pronouncement of creating a death squad to kill suspected Reds is disturbing. Is it giving a signal to the Armed Forces to resort to the political killings of activists, including WHRDs?
WHRDs are catalysts and vital stakeholders in advancing genuine social transformation. So those who desire for change should join the advocacy to stop the attacks against women human rights defenders.
