MANILA, Philippines - Philippines Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro was on Wednesday criticized for the proposed pre-emptive evacuation of residents during a calamity.
“Secretary Gilberto Teodoro seems more concerned with his publicity points than preventing another disaster where children are most vulnerable,” this is the strong reaction of child rights advocates led by SALINLAHI Alliance for Children’s Concerns, in his recent directive regarding the forced evacuation of minors in the face of another typhoon (international name “Parma”).
“The destruction wrought by typhoon (Ketsana) Ondoy is not a new phenomenon in the Philippines. We witnessed the thousands of lives affected by Milenyo, Rosing and Reming, many of whom come from very poor families with little or no resources at all to cope effectively and quickly in the face of such calamities. The government and its disaster arm, the National Disaster Coordinating Council, know that the Philippines is in the typhoon belt, yet it is always caught flat-footed every time,” said Sophia Garduce, spokesperson of SALINLAHI.
She added that the policy of pre-emptive evacuation and stand-by rescue operation should be implemented long before a typhoon hits land.
Garduce also criticized the idea of forcibly evacuating minors who cannot legally decide for themselves. “This directive by Teodoro is downright stupid and contravenes the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which affirms that a child’s place is with his or her parents. Taking children away from their parents in times of crisis is as Neanderthal as the response to unaccompanied and separated children during World War II. In fact, if Teodoro might want to take a few minutes of his time to do research, this situation of children being separated from their parents was the impetus for the Declaration on the Rights of the Child."
According to Garduce, children feel most secure when they are within the comforting arms of their parents, particularly their mothers. “To separate them from their parents in the face of disaster is equally traumatic as the disaster experience itself. It is also impractical as young children need to be cared for by an adequate number of trained personnel,” she said.
She also pointed out that this directive implicitly puts the blame for the death toll among children on the parents. “The Arroyo government cannot escape accountability by implying that the parents of the children were to blame for the deaths."
"The fact is that the government has no disaster preparedness program and that the government rescue operations were slow and inadequate to say the least. These children could have been alive and probably helping their parents clean up their mud-soaked houses today had the government been prepared for this eventuality,” Garduce said.
Showing posts with label Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Philippines Defense chief criticized over statement
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Troops accused of killing Muslim girl in Mindanao
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 14, 2009) – Philippine soldiers killed a Muslim girl and injured two others during a raid on a suspected terrorist hideout in Maguindanao province in Mindanao, human rights advocates said.
The Liga ng Kabataang Moro said troops opened fire on a house in Sultan Kudarat town and killing the eleven-year girl. Two other house occupants were wounded in the weekend assault.
“The (military) operation did not follow standard search operation procedure, military entered the house without even knocking the door and began firing that led to death of a young girl and wounded others. We condemned this on the highest term,” said Michael Dumamba, the group’s secretariat.
The SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, an umbrella organization of child-focused organizations in the Philippines, also condemned the killing and called on the Commission on Human Rights and Congress to investigate the girl’s death.
It said the soldiers were members of the Task Force Tugis of Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
“The raid conducted by Task Force Tugis showed incompetence and is obviously inconsistent with proper rules of engagement. Such act is utterly condemnable as it is a clear violation of the child’s basic right to life,” said Sophia Garduce, a spokeswoman for the SALINLAHI.
Militant groups and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front also blamed the military for many human rights violations in Mindanao.
Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said the girl was killed in a shootout between soldiers and gunmen and that authorities were investigating the incident.
“There is an investigation and we cannot say who killed the girl unless the probe in completed by the police,” Ponce said.
He said three suspected bombers were arrested during the raid and troops recovered an improvised explosive assembled from a 60mm mortar. Ponce did not say whether the trio was members of the MILF or other rebel groups.
Ponce has put the blame of every single bombing in Mindanao to the MILF, which is fighting for self-determination in the volatile, but mineral-rich region. (Mindanao Examiner)
The Liga ng Kabataang Moro said troops opened fire on a house in Sultan Kudarat town and killing the eleven-year girl. Two other house occupants were wounded in the weekend assault.
“The (military) operation did not follow standard search operation procedure, military entered the house without even knocking the door and began firing that led to death of a young girl and wounded others. We condemned this on the highest term,” said Michael Dumamba, the group’s secretariat.
The SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, an umbrella organization of child-focused organizations in the Philippines, also condemned the killing and called on the Commission on Human Rights and Congress to investigate the girl’s death.
It said the soldiers were members of the Task Force Tugis of Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
“The raid conducted by Task Force Tugis showed incompetence and is obviously inconsistent with proper rules of engagement. Such act is utterly condemnable as it is a clear violation of the child’s basic right to life,” said Sophia Garduce, a spokeswoman for the SALINLAHI.
Militant groups and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front also blamed the military for many human rights violations in Mindanao.
Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said the girl was killed in a shootout between soldiers and gunmen and that authorities were investigating the incident.
“There is an investigation and we cannot say who killed the girl unless the probe in completed by the police,” Ponce said.
He said three suspected bombers were arrested during the raid and troops recovered an improvised explosive assembled from a 60mm mortar. Ponce did not say whether the trio was members of the MILF or other rebel groups.
Ponce has put the blame of every single bombing in Mindanao to the MILF, which is fighting for self-determination in the volatile, but mineral-rich region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Saturday, December 06, 2008
300 Filipino Children Gather Near Presidential Palace , Join Protest Vs. Human Rights Violations
MANILA, Philippines – More than 300 children shouted “i-Knock-out si Gloria!” to the question “Sagot sa Karahasan ni Gloria sa Bata?” This was on the occasion of gathering Saturday of Filipino children near the Presidential Palace in Manila.
The independent Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns, which accused President Gloria Arroyo of violating the rights of the children, led the gathering on the eve of the much awaited Pacquiao-dela Hoya Dream Match in the US.
Children from various urban poor communities joined children-victims of human rights violations in their own spoof of a knock-out match that featured children from various sectors pitted against a caricature of the President with markings: “The champion human rights violator, Gloria Arroyo”.
“For seven long years, our children are continuously being knocked out by various anti-child policies that the Arroyo government has inherited and perpetrated, as well as created and enforced,” Alphonse Rivera, the group’s officer-in-charge and spokesman, said in a statement.
Dubbed the Nightmare Match, the Salinlahi gathering featured children who were victims of economic deprivation and political repression in a boxing match with an Arroyo-look-alike in boxer shorts with huge boxing gloves made from “camouflage” cloth to depict her militaristic response to the citizenry’s struggle for social justice.
At the end of the program, children representatives of various sectors such as the farmers, workers and urban poor communities, together with adult leaders of people’s organizations all together held on to a “people’s solidarity glove” and gave “Gloria Arroyo” a 1-2 knock out punch.
Rivera said Arroyo’s administration consistently blocks the passage of bills on legislated wage increase and genuine agrarian reform, the removal of the R-VAT in oil and other basic needs. He said that this fosters the further degradation of the working and living conditions of families from the basic sectors – the workers, farmers and the urban poor. As a result, incidences of hunger, malnutrition, drop out from school and child labor among these marginalized children increase.
Rivera warned that there is a limit to the Filipino families’ patience. “The children and their families cannot and will not allow this situation of oppression and injustice to continue. Time is on their side and they are committed to persevere in various ways consistent with their evolving capacities to see social justice prevail, no matter how long it takes. Sooner or later, the champion human rights violator will be knocked out,” he said.
The independent Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns, which accused President Gloria Arroyo of violating the rights of the children, led the gathering on the eve of the much awaited Pacquiao-dela Hoya Dream Match in the US.
Children from various urban poor communities joined children-victims of human rights violations in their own spoof of a knock-out match that featured children from various sectors pitted against a caricature of the President with markings: “The champion human rights violator, Gloria Arroyo”.
“For seven long years, our children are continuously being knocked out by various anti-child policies that the Arroyo government has inherited and perpetrated, as well as created and enforced,” Alphonse Rivera, the group’s officer-in-charge and spokesman, said in a statement.
Dubbed the Nightmare Match, the Salinlahi gathering featured children who were victims of economic deprivation and political repression in a boxing match with an Arroyo-look-alike in boxer shorts with huge boxing gloves made from “camouflage” cloth to depict her militaristic response to the citizenry’s struggle for social justice.
At the end of the program, children representatives of various sectors such as the farmers, workers and urban poor communities, together with adult leaders of people’s organizations all together held on to a “people’s solidarity glove” and gave “Gloria Arroyo” a 1-2 knock out punch.
Rivera said Arroyo’s administration consistently blocks the passage of bills on legislated wage increase and genuine agrarian reform, the removal of the R-VAT in oil and other basic needs. He said that this fosters the further degradation of the working and living conditions of families from the basic sectors – the workers, farmers and the urban poor. As a result, incidences of hunger, malnutrition, drop out from school and child labor among these marginalized children increase.
Rivera warned that there is a limit to the Filipino families’ patience. “The children and their families cannot and will not allow this situation of oppression and injustice to continue. Time is on their side and they are committed to persevere in various ways consistent with their evolving capacities to see social justice prevail, no matter how long it takes. Sooner or later, the champion human rights violator will be knocked out,” he said.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Zamboanga traffic men linked to summary execution of boy
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 3, 2008) – A Filipino boy, whose twin brother was found murdered, has accused traffic enforcers in Zamboanga City as behind the grisly killing.
The victim, Benjamin Mariga, was stabbed 17 times and his body had been recovered on a mountain village called Abong-Abong on Oct. 31. He was 14 years old.
The boy, his brother Paul Mariga, and four other street children were arrested late last month by five traffic enforcers after accusing them of being thieves, the victim’s mother, Flor Mariga, said.
“My son was not a thief. Why did they kill my son? He was a good boy,” the victim’s mother told reporters. The woman appealed to authorities to give justice to the cold-blooded murder of her boy.
“Please help us find the killer of my son. We want justice. I want to see the face of the man who did this to my son,” she said.
Paul Mariga said the officers herded them into a mini-van and brought to a place where they had been ordered to clean. Except for him and his brother, the rest of the children either escaped or freed by the officers.
He said they were brought to Abong-Abong village onboard a van, but Paul Mariga claimed that he jumped out from the vehicle and escaped after the officers tied the hands of his brother.
Paul Mariga said his brother screamed for help and told him to run and to tell their mother about what happened. “It was the last time I saw my brother alive. And it pains me so much after I saw his body. He was stabbed 17 times,” Paul Mariga said.
The traffic enforcers are under the Zamboanga City government and police is investigating the murder. “There is an investigation going on. We need to establish the allegations of the boy and we will not tolerate this crime. If this is proven, we will file a case against those involved in the killing of the boy,” Elmer Apolinario, the deputy City Administrator, told the Mindanao Examiner.
City Hall employs about 40 traffic enforcers who work on different shifts. Apolinario said they do not want the killing to affect good image of Zamboanga City as far as child welfare is concerned.
Zamboanga was recently adjudged as the region’s most child friendly city for its outstanding implementation of programs aimed to protect children’s rights and welfare.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development also cited Zamboanga City’s efforts in ensuring child-friendly governance which have been vital in preserving and promoting children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it is also investigating the murder. “We are also investigating the killing of the boy. This is summary execution,” said lawyer Manuel Mamauag, the CHR regional chief for Western Mindanao.
The Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns, an advocacy group for children's rights and welfare, has condemned the killing and said it will launch a separate investigation in Zamboanga City. “We condemned this killing. We will investigate the Mariga case,” said Alphonse Rivera, the group’s spokesman.
The alliance has documented 66 cases of children killed in the Philippines, including 50 cases of torture, 55 cases of children who had been illegally arrested and detained, and 49 more who were victims of frustrated killings, since President Gloria Arroyo assumed presidency in 2001.
Summary execution in Zamboanga City is not uncommon and hundreds of unclaimed cadavers, mostly victims of gun attacks, had been buried in a common graveyard in recent years. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, December 01, 2008
Children's Rights Groups To Submit Reports To UN Representative
MANILA, Philippines – The Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns launched its campaign Monday to highlight human rights violations against children as part of the build up for the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the upcoming visit of the United Nations Special Representative to the Secretary General (UNSRSG) on the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy.
“We want the general public to know that the Arroyo government has consistently failed to uphold the survival, protection, development and participation rights of Filipino children through its anti-people economic policies and political maneuvers,” Alphonse Rivera, spokesperson of the Salinlahi, said in a statement.
Salinlahi is an advocacy group for children’s rights and welfare in the Philippines.
The campaign, dubbed Children under Siege: Children-Victims of the US-Arroyo Regime’s War of Terror, will feature activities that will highlight human rights violations against children resulting from the government’s campaign.
Rivera said through this campaign, cases of children who were killed, wounded, tortured, illegally arrested and detained by the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be highlighted. Special attention will also be given to children victims of human rights violations who were falsely branded as child soldiers, according to Rivera.
“Our documentation shows that the Arroyo government, through its military and police, remains the number one violator of children’s human rights. What is worse is that the perpetrators escape accountability by branding their victims as “child soldiers”, thereby further perpetuating the culture of impunity,” said Maria Esmeralda Macaspac, executive director of the Child Rights Center (CRC), a non-government organization facilitating psycho-social help for children-victims of State violence and a member of the Salinlahi Alliance.
The CRC documented 66 cases of children killed, 50 children tortured, 55 illegally arrested and detained and 49 who were victims of frustrated killings, since Pres. Gloria Arroyo assumed presidency in 2001.
It said more than half a million children were victims of forced displacement since 2001, especially in the troubled region of Mindanao. The organization plans to submit a report to the UNSRSG which cites combined data of CRC and allied human rightsorganizations when she meets with child-focused NGOs as part of her itinerary.
The group said it may present children-victims of various types of human rights violations to the UNSRSG, including those who were falsely branded as child soldiers.
“The AFP should be made doubly accountable for their irresponsible practice oflabeling children victims of human rights violations as “child soldiers” andthen parading these children to the media. Despite the passing of the Juvenile Justice Law that aims to protect children from undue violation of their rights, we see this practice of branding and labeling as child soldiers increasingly being resorted to by the AFP. We cannot discount the trauma and stigma placed on these children victims,” Rivera said.
Also joining Salinlahi and CRC in the campaign are the Children for Peace Alliance, the Gabriela Women’s Party and GABRIELA.
Rivera said they are planning many activities beginning Monday up to Coomaraswamy’s departure after Human Rights Day. “We want to maximize every form and every opportunity we can have to give names, faces and voices to children victims of the war of terror that the Arroyo regime is waging against its people,” Rivera said.
“We want the general public to know that the Arroyo government has consistently failed to uphold the survival, protection, development and participation rights of Filipino children through its anti-people economic policies and political maneuvers,” Alphonse Rivera, spokesperson of the Salinlahi, said in a statement.
Salinlahi is an advocacy group for children’s rights and welfare in the Philippines.
The campaign, dubbed Children under Siege: Children-Victims of the US-Arroyo Regime’s War of Terror, will feature activities that will highlight human rights violations against children resulting from the government’s campaign.
Rivera said through this campaign, cases of children who were killed, wounded, tortured, illegally arrested and detained by the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be highlighted. Special attention will also be given to children victims of human rights violations who were falsely branded as child soldiers, according to Rivera.
“Our documentation shows that the Arroyo government, through its military and police, remains the number one violator of children’s human rights. What is worse is that the perpetrators escape accountability by branding their victims as “child soldiers”, thereby further perpetuating the culture of impunity,” said Maria Esmeralda Macaspac, executive director of the Child Rights Center (CRC), a non-government organization facilitating psycho-social help for children-victims of State violence and a member of the Salinlahi Alliance.
The CRC documented 66 cases of children killed, 50 children tortured, 55 illegally arrested and detained and 49 who were victims of frustrated killings, since Pres. Gloria Arroyo assumed presidency in 2001.
It said more than half a million children were victims of forced displacement since 2001, especially in the troubled region of Mindanao. The organization plans to submit a report to the UNSRSG which cites combined data of CRC and allied human rightsorganizations when she meets with child-focused NGOs as part of her itinerary.
The group said it may present children-victims of various types of human rights violations to the UNSRSG, including those who were falsely branded as child soldiers.
“The AFP should be made doubly accountable for their irresponsible practice oflabeling children victims of human rights violations as “child soldiers” andthen parading these children to the media. Despite the passing of the Juvenile Justice Law that aims to protect children from undue violation of their rights, we see this practice of branding and labeling as child soldiers increasingly being resorted to by the AFP. We cannot discount the trauma and stigma placed on these children victims,” Rivera said.
Also joining Salinlahi and CRC in the campaign are the Children for Peace Alliance, the Gabriela Women’s Party and GABRIELA.
Rivera said they are planning many activities beginning Monday up to Coomaraswamy’s departure after Human Rights Day. “We want to maximize every form and every opportunity we can have to give names, faces and voices to children victims of the war of terror that the Arroyo regime is waging against its people,” Rivera said.
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