QUEZON CITY—The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) dedicated this year’s celebration of the National Women’s Month to all women who continue to stand at the frontlines in addressing the current Covid-19 pandemic and in the face of rampant human rights violations.
“Women and girls have shown courage and leadership in responding to the [health] crisis in various fields,” said Commissioner Karen Gomez Dumpit, CHR Focal Commissioner for Gender and Women’s Rights, in her opening message during the Purple Action Assembly on Monday, 1 March 2021, at Liwasang Diokno, CHR Central Office in Quezon City.
“In the Philippines, women human rights defenders address, not only the challenges brought about by this crisis, but also continue to call for accountability; resisting impunity and misogyny; and continue the fight against systemic barriers to gender equality.”
For this 2021 Women’s Month, CHR forwards the theme ‘Women Can: Courage and Leadership for Gender Equality in a Covid-19 World’ in recognition of women’s active leadership and participation to make the lives of all, especially fellow women, better. This aligns with the theme of the Philippine Commission on Women for the 2021 National Women’s Month ‘Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!’
Commissioner Gomez-Dumpit stressed how the pandemic has worsened the struggles of women, especially those confronted with inequality, exclusion, and other forms of human rights violations.
“As we celebrate Women’s Month, the Commission calls for gender justice in the government’s Covid-19 recovery plan, including vaccine rollouts. We remind the government to ensure that measures are adopted to ensure that women and girls and sectors facing multiple vulnerabilities are prioritised.”
“We join the call for food security and economic justice, as many urban poor and rural women continue to face hunger and unemployment. We continue the call for enhanced access to justice and the elimination of all forms violence against women. We call out all forms of red-tagging, silencing of women’s organizations and women leaders, and other acts that limit the women’s political participation,” Commissioner Gomez-Dumpit added.
Commissioner Gomez-Dumpit also recognised the courage of women leaders during CHR’s opening of Women’s Month, such as Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Risa Hontiveros, Senator Leila M de Lima, and the many women leaders at the grassroots doing crucial work for human rights, especially for the vulnerable, disadvantaged, and marginalised.
Commissioner Gomez-Dumpit’s Purple Day kick-off message was also dedicated to Senator de Lima, former CHR Chairperson and a vocal critic of the government, “who remains to be deprived of her right to fully participate in Senate proceedings as an elected official of the country.”
CHR opened Women’s Month with twin events. The Purple Action Assembly gathered women leaders and organizations bringing to the fore the pressing and urgent issues of women and girls as the country seeks to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and prepares for the 2022 presidential elections. And the Purple Action Webinar, which tackled how women showed continuing courage in fighting the Anti-Terror Act; the constricting civil society space; the rampant red-tagging among community women; and the resistance against rising misogyny and national debt, as well as highlights on the ground on how community women leaders and the community addressed issues during the pandemic.
The said kick-off events were done in partnership with Sarilaya and Gabriela, together with other women’s groups, including Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific, World March of Women, Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau, Pambansang Koalisyon ng mga Kababaihan sa Kanayunan, Amihan Women, and Partido Manggagawa.
The said celebration was also done as part of CHR’s mandate as the Gender Ombud of the country tasked to advocate for the promotion and protection fo women’s human rights, as embodied by the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710). ###