On this day, the Commission on Human Rights pays tribute to the thousands of women in the country and around the world who work relentlessly and with courage to defend women’s human rights as well as the rights of other vulnerable, marginalised and disadvantaged communities.

Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) are pivotal in promoting sustainable peace and in developing solutions with a gender perspective. They play a crucial role in organising communities and mobilising actions on the ground. Yet, in the Philippines, WHRDs face repression, elevated gender-based attacks, sexual violence, and harassment. They too do not enjoy full participation in decision-making and other political processes. In our long struggle for substantive equity, WHRDs are a strong agent of change advancing the fight against inequality and discrimination.

The Philippines has been identified as one of the most dangerous places for human rights defenders as there is an alarming increase of reported killings and threats directed towards them. Incidences of red-tagging, terrorist-labelling, illegal arrests and detention, and criminalisation of their political beliefs are just some of the grave violations that human rights workers endure. Most of these WHRDs are doing volunteer work and sacrificing their time for their loved ones to provide assistance to victims of violations and their families, even at great risk to their lives and security.

Persisting impunity shows how the government fails to provide stronger accountability for state and non-state actors who routinely vilify and violate people’s human rights. Furthermore, the much-needed space for civic participation, dissent, and freedom of expression are closing down quickly.

Unless the structural causes of violence and inequality are not eradicated, and lack of access to justice for women, communities, and human rights defenders remain, our demand for respect, security and safety of WHRDs will continue to be silenced and ignored.

In this context, the Commission calls on the government to recognise the legitimacy of WHRDs’ work and to denounce any form of public stigmatisation of human rights defenders. We demand the State’s commitment to protect them against violence or threats, to strengthen institutions and mechanisms safeguarding them such as the immediate enactment and full implementation of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill.

Together with WHRDs around the world, we must reclaim our right to defend human rights without fear. ###