NGO report exposes new danger faced by Filipino children

"On Human Rights Violations against Children."

MANILA, Philippines - The latest comprehensive report of a non-government organization dealing with psycho-social trauma of children victims of human rights violations exposed recent and new forms of human rights violations against children committed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in its counter-insurgency strategy of Oplan Bantay Laya 2 (OBL2).

The report presented by the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC) at a media forum dubbed Children in the Frontlines: Protection vis-a-vis Participation Issues of Children in Communities today at the UP Balay Kalinaw, shows that in the recent two years, an increase in the trend of labeling of children victims of human rights violations by the AFP as child soldiers., “This is especially marked in the year 2008 where a series of cases of children were paraded by the AFP in front of the media as being child soldiers,” explained Ma. Esmeralda Macaspac, Executive Director of the CRC.

The CRC report asserted that the government’s OBL 2 has taken its toll on the Filipino children. Under the present administration, there 948 documented cases of children victims of human rights violations, while an estimate of about 2 million individuals have been affected by forced displacement due to armed conflict.

Rights of children-victims are further violated when they are presented by the AFP as child soldiers and cases of rebellion are filed against them “This is especially ironic in the face of global attempts by the United Nations, through the office of the Special Representative to the Secretary General on for Children and Armed Conflict Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, to strengthen protection mechanisms for children in situations of armed conflict. Yet, the reality on the ground is that children are becoming more vulnerable to human rights violations by the AFP,” highlighted Macaspac.

Invited to react on the report were the Commission on Human Rights, representatives from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the National Democratic Front and Rep. Luz Ilagan of the Gabriela Women’s Party.

Apart from revealing the extent of the violations, the report explained that the current broadened definition of child soldiers under the Paris Principles may be inapplicable to the Philippine context because of the nature and character of the revolutionary groups like the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) where they operate widely in communities and undeniably enjoys support from the people.

Aside from mislabeling of children-victims as “child soldiers,” CRC also documented cases of children being accused as NPA guerrillas and forcibly being used by the military as guides in their operations and women and children being required to man checkpoints. “These practices put children in direct risk of harm and is precisely what International Humanitarian Law avoids by ensuring that civilians are not caught in the crossfire,” warned Macaspac.

The forum also highlighted an academic critique on the Paris Principles by the UP Contend (Confederation of Teachers and Educators for National Democracy).

It validated the conclusion of the CRC report that the Paris Principles may be considered as a “double-edged” sword that, while on the one hand broadens protection of children in armed conflict situation, on the other hand, also serves to make them more vulnerable to attacks in situations where the State itself is the main violator of children’s rights.

“In its more than 20 years of experience in serving children-victims, the CRC has reasons to conclude, by virtue of its documented experiences, that the GRP remains as the main violator of children’s rights, whether or not they are in armed conflict situations,” Macaspac concluded.